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-inducing insects from Campos de Altitude, Brazil. Biota Neotrop. 13(4): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v13n4/en/ abstract?article+bn02513042013Abstract: Gall-inducing insects are very specious in vegetations of southeastern Brazil. Our goal was describe the gall richness by characterizing their external forms and their patterns of occurrence on host plants. Samples were collected from Campos de Altitude at four regions of the Mantiqueira Range: 1) Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, 2) Parque Nacional do Caparaó, 3) Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, 4) Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. We found 93 gall species within 13 families, 30 genera and 50 host plant species. We recorded 38 gall species in Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, 21 in Parque Nacional do Caparaó, 23 in Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca and 20 in Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Asteraceae represented 33% of the species collected, followed by Melastomataceae at 17%; with each one concentrating 56% and 18% of the galling insects, respectively. 98% of galls were Cecydomiidae (Diptera). The most attacked organ was the stem (56%), followed by the leaf (23%). Only 12% of the galls described in our study had been already recorded in previous studies, thus reinforcing the need to increase the sampling effort toward a better understanding of the richness and the natural history of gall-inducing insects from Brazil. Resumo: Insetos indutores de galhas são muito ricos em espécies nas formações vegetais do sudeste do Brasil. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever a riqueza de morfotipos de galha por meio da caracterização de suas formas externas e os padrões de ocorrência nas plantas hospedeiras. As amostragens foram realizadas em campos rupestres e altitudinais de quatro regiões da Serra da Mantiqueira: 1) campos de altitude do Parque Estadual do Brigadeiro e 2) Parque Nacional do Caparaó, 3) Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca e Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. Foram registradas 93 espécies de galhas induzidas por insetos em 13 famílias, 30 gêneros e 50 espécies de plantas hospedeiras. Sendo 38 a riqueza de insetos indutores de galhas do Parque Estadual do Brigadeiro, 21 do Parque Nacional do Caparaó, 23 do Parque Nacional do Caparaó e 20 do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia. As famílias com maior riqueza foram Asteraceae (33%) e Melastomataceae (17%). A família Cecydomiidae (Diptera) foi a mais frequente (98%). O órgão mais atacado foi o caule (56%) seguido de folha (23%). O fato de apenas 12% das galhas descritas neste estudo já terem sido registradas em trabalhos anteriores, reforça a necessidade em aumentar o esforço amostral na direção de um maior conhecimento sobre a riqueza e história natural dos insetos indutores de galhas no Brasil. Palavras-chave: biodiversidade, biogeografia, herbivoria, planta hospedeira, altitude 140 Coelho, M.S. et al.

Forest islands are unique habitats standing out across mountains dominated by rupestrian grassland in southeastern Brazil. In this work we evaluated the relationship between the plant species functional traits (number of ecoregions in which a species occurs, potential height, mean height, mean basal area, mean leaf area) and ecological variables (leaf damage from chewing herbivores, the number of individuals) with environmental parameters (physical and chemical properties of the soil, canopy cover) of the tree communities in an archipelago of montane forest islands immersed in rupestrian grasslands. We found a strong connection between the traits of tree species and environmental parameters; habitats associated with high soil fertility and canopy cover (leaf area index) harbored species with high structural values (i.e., height and basal area), broad distribution among Brazilian ecoregions, high rates of leaf damage from chewing insects and fewer individuals. Habitats with low soil fertility and canopy cover values harbored species with low structural values, restricted geographic distribution and low rates of leaf damage by chewing insects. Although physical parameters play an important role in the establishment of forest islands, our results point to chemical indicators of soil fertility as a relevant environmental promoter, influencing the composition and structure of island tree communities. The impact of local habitat parameters on the tree species functional traits showed that habitat heterogeneity is essential in structuring tree communities in this natural archipelago of forest islands. We advocate that understanding the connection between habitat parameters and species functional traits can help to predict the ecological consequences of anthropogenic or natural impacts to those forests, supporting the development of effective conservation strategies.