Produção Nacional
Revisado por pares
Esclerofilia, taninos e insetos herbívoros associados a Copaifera lagsdorffii Desf. (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) em área de transição Cerrado-Caatinga no Brasil
2009; Volume: 19; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1667-782X
AutoresJhonathan O. Silva, Fabiene Maria de Jesus, Marcílio Fagundes, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes,
Tópico(s)Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
Resumo(Palabras clave: defesa quimica, estresse higrotermico, massa foliar especifica) ABSTRACT. Sclerophylly, tannins and herbivorous insects associated with Copaifera lagsdorffii Desf. (Fabaceae:Caesalpinioideae) in a Cerrado-Caatinga transition, Brazil: The richness and abundance of free-feeding insect herbivores may vary according to leaf sclerophylly, tannin concentration, and habitat conditions. We sampled 12 individuals of Copaifera langsdorffii in three different habitat physiognomies found in a cerrado-caatinga transition area in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil: 1) Cerrado (sensu stricto), 2) Riparian Forest, and 3) Seasonally Dry Forest (n=36 individuals). Higher richness and abundance of chewing herbivores were observed on C. langsdorffii in the Riparian Forest and Cerrado compared to Seasonally Dry Forest. On the other hand, the richness and abundance of sap-sucking herbivores did not differ among the habitats. No statistically significant differences were observed in leaf sclerophylly and tannin concentration among physiognomies, as well as no relationship was found among tannin concentration, leaf sclerophylly and richness and abundance of any of the insect guilds studied. The flushing of leaves by C. langsdorffi at the end of the dry season in the deciduous forest may be a mechanism to escape herbivores. Otherwise, for a detailed analysis long term studies at the vegetation formation where the host plant species is distributed and the selective pressures exerted by its herbivores are called for.
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