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Plant species richness mediates the effects of vegetation structure, but not soil fertility, on insect gall richness in a savanna in Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2017

Walter Santos de Araújo
Walter Santos de Araújo*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biologia Geral, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, MG, Brazil
*
*Email: walterbioaraujo@yahoo.com.br
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Abstract:

The present study aims to investigate the effects of vegetation structure (plant abundance and height) and soil characteristics (soil organic matter and macronutrients) on insect gall richness, and determine the extent to which these effects are mediated by the indirect effects of plant species richness. The study was performed in forty-nine 100-m2 savanna plots in Parque Nacional das Emas (Brazil) and sampled a total of 985 individual plants of 71 plant species and 97 insect gall morphotypes. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) induced the most insect galls (38.1%), and the plant family Myrtaceae had the greatest richness of insect gall morphotypes (16). Path analysis of plant abundance, plant height, soil macronutrients, soil organic matter and plant species richness explained 73% of insect gall richness. The results show that soil macronutrient quantity has a direct positive effect on insect gall richness, whereas plant abundance and plant height had only indirect positive effects on insect gall richness via the increase in plant species richness. These findings showed that both plant-related and environment-related factors are important to induce insect gall richness in Neotropical savannas, and that plant species richness should be taken into account to determine the richness of insect galls.

Keywords

gall-inducing insectsplant-galling interactionplant richnessresource concentrationsoil fertility
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , May 2017 , pp. 197 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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