Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species
ABSTRACT Sessile and host-specific herbivores, such as gall-inducing insects, are usually patchily distributed within the populations of their host plants, and it has been suggested that both inter- and intra-plant variation affect gall abundance, distribution and survivorship. Variation in plant tr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sociedade Botânica do Brasil
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| Series: | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062018000400670&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1819043728874012672 |
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| author | Maria Gabriela Boaventura Cássio Cardoso Pereira Tatiana Cornelissen |
| author_facet | Maria Gabriela Boaventura Cássio Cardoso Pereira Tatiana Cornelissen |
| author_sort | Maria Gabriela Boaventura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Sessile and host-specific herbivores, such as gall-inducing insects, are usually patchily distributed within the populations of their host plants, and it has been suggested that both inter- and intra-plant variation affect gall abundance, distribution and survivorship. Variation in plant traits, such as size and architecture, has been previously demonstrated as a determinant of gall distribution. We examined the influence of architectural complexity of the tropical plant Galianthe brasiliensis (Rubiaceae) on the abundance of the stem-galler Lopesia sp. (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) along an elevation gradient where both insect and plant were distributed. A total of 120 plants were sampled along the gradient and more than 580 galls were counted, while plant architectural complexity was determined by a combination of height and branch ramification. Increased elevation did not influence plant complexity nor gall abundance (both P>0.05), but plant architectural complexity explained more than 60% of the variation in gall abundance along the gradient (R2=0.62, P<0.001). We suggest that the greater availability of meristematic tissues in more architecturally complex plants explains the results found, as this is a key resource for gall occurrence and establishment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:01:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7996068564f34c87b5bb6d3f1e7238e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1677-941X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T10:01:24Z |
| publisher | Sociedade Botânica do Brasil |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
| spelling | doaj.art-7996068564f34c87b5bb6d3f1e7238e22022-12-21T19:07:57ZengSociedade Botânica do BrasilActa Botânica Brasílica1677-941X32467067410.1590/0102-33062018abb0038S0102-33062018000400670Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant speciesMaria Gabriela BoaventuraCássio Cardoso PereiraTatiana CornelissenABSTRACT Sessile and host-specific herbivores, such as gall-inducing insects, are usually patchily distributed within the populations of their host plants, and it has been suggested that both inter- and intra-plant variation affect gall abundance, distribution and survivorship. Variation in plant traits, such as size and architecture, has been previously demonstrated as a determinant of gall distribution. We examined the influence of architectural complexity of the tropical plant Galianthe brasiliensis (Rubiaceae) on the abundance of the stem-galler Lopesia sp. (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) along an elevation gradient where both insect and plant were distributed. A total of 120 plants were sampled along the gradient and more than 580 galls were counted, while plant architectural complexity was determined by a combination of height and branch ramification. Increased elevation did not influence plant complexity nor gall abundance (both P>0.05), but plant architectural complexity explained more than 60% of the variation in gall abundance along the gradient (R2=0.62, P<0.001). We suggest that the greater availability of meristematic tissues in more architecturally complex plants explains the results found, as this is a key resource for gall occurrence and establishment.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062018000400670&lng=en&tlng=enelevation gradientgallsinsectsplant architecture hypothesisplant quality |
| spellingShingle | Maria Gabriela Boaventura Cássio Cardoso Pereira Tatiana Cornelissen Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species Acta Botânica Brasílica elevation gradient galls insects plant architecture hypothesis plant quality |
| title | Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| title_full | Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| title_fullStr | Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| title_short | Plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| title_sort | plant architecture influences gall abundance in a tropical montane plant species |
| topic | elevation gradient galls insects plant architecture hypothesis plant quality |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062018000400670&lng=en&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariagabrielaboaventura plantarchitectureinfluencesgallabundanceinatropicalmontaneplantspecies AT cassiocardosopereira plantarchitectureinfluencesgallabundanceinatropicalmontaneplantspecies AT tatianacornelissen plantarchitectureinfluencesgallabundanceinatropicalmontaneplantspecies |