The Abundance of Insect Herbivore Species in the Tropics: The High Local Richness of Rare Species

Price, Peter W.; Diniz, Ivone Rezende; Morais, H.; Marques, Evelyn S. A.

doi:10.2307/2388960

Cited by 118 publications

(106 citation statements)

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“…This result has been found recurrently for different plant species in the cerrado (Price et al, 1995;Diniz and Morais, 1997;Diniz et al, 1999), and seems to be a consistent pattern of folivore insects in this biome (Loyola and Fernandes, 1993;Ribeiro et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…This leaf production pattern also occurs in deciduous plants such as Erythroxylum spp. (Erythroxylaceae) and, as in Miconia, the time of higher caterpillar abundance is not coincident with the peak of leaf production (Price et al, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Cerrado folivore caterpillars, however, are present in host plants at low frequencies throughout the year (Price et al, 1995), and such frequencies vary according to each host species Morais and Diniz, 2004). The goals of the present paper are to analyse the effects of climatic variation and host-plant characteristics on caterpillar abundance in two species of Miconia (Melastomataceae) in a cerrado in central Brazil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and host plant characteristics effects on lepidopteran caterpillar abundance on Miconia ferruginata DC. and Miconia pohliana Cogn (Melastomataceae)

2010

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Folivore cerrado caterpillars are found on their host species in low frequencies, which vary between plants and throughout the year. We analysed the effects of climatic variation and of the characteristics of two host species (Miconia, Melastomataceae) on caterpillar abundance. The work was carried out in a cerrado sensu stricto area in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, from May 1998 to September 1999. One hundred plants of each species were inspected monthly. All caterpillars found were collected and raised in the laboratory with Miconia leaves as food sources. Climatic data for the study area and plant characteristics such as local density, spatial distribution, foliar phenology, leaf pilosity and nutritional content were used to test the effects on caterpillar abundance. Less than 10% of the plants had larvae. Caterpillars were more frequent and abundant in M. pohliana, which was also present at higher densities than M. ferruginata. Low caterpillar frequency in host plants and an abundance peak during the dry season are consistent patterns for different cerrado Lepidoptera larvae. This abundance peak, however, is not coincident with higher leaf production in host species. We suggest that M. pohliana's higher local density and better leaf digestibility can account for the higher abundance of caterpillars in this species.Keywords: cerrado, foliar nutritional content, host plant, leaf phenology, leaf pilosity Efeitos do clima e das características das plantas hospedeiras na abundância de lagartas de Lepidoptera em Miconia ferruginata e Miconia pohliana ResumoNo cerrado, as lagartas de Lepidoptera, folívoras externas, são encontradas em baixas frequências e variam entre plantas e ao longo do ano. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos das variações climáticas e das característi-cas das plantas (Miconia, Melastomataceae) na abundância das lagartas. O estudo foi feito no cerrado sensu stricto, Brasília, DF, de maio de 1998 a setembro de 1999. Mensalmente, 100 plantas de cada espécie foram vistoriadas. Todas as lagartas foram coletadas e criadas. Foram correlacionados com os resultados obtidos da abundância de lagartas, os dados climáticos e as seguintes características das plantas: densidade local, distribuição espacial, fenologia, pilosidade e conteúdo nutricional foliar. Menos de 10% das plantas tinham lagartas. As lagartas foram mais frequentes e abundantes em M. pohliana que também foi a espécie de planta com maior densidade na área. A frequência baixa de lagartas em plantas do cerrado é um padrão bastante consistente, assim como o pico de abundância desses imaturos na estação seca. Entretanto, esse pico de abundância não coincide com a produção de folhas em nenhuma das espécies de plantas. A maior densidade local e digestibilidade das folhas de M. pohliana são os fatores que mais explicam a abundância de lagartas nessa espécie.Palavras-chave: cerrado, conteúdo nutricional foliar, fenologia foliar, pilosidade foliar, planta hospedeira. BIOLOGYScherrer, S., Diniz, IR. and Morais, HC.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate and host plant characteristics effects on lepidopteran caterpillar abundance on Miconia ferruginata DC. and Miconia pohliana Cogn (Melastomataceae)

2010

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“…Species accumulation curves of arthropods in the tropics and subtropics generally do not reach an asymptote due to the large set of rare species which accumulate with increasing sample size (Price et al 1995, Novotný & Basset 2000, Santos et al 2006, Grimbacher et al 2007. For such groups, more intensive sampling typically never generates curves that completely fl atten out and reach a plateau (Fisher 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arthropod recolonization in the restoration of a semideciduous forest in southeastern Brazil

Pais¹,

Varanda²

2010

Neotrop. entomol.

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-The use of arthropods for monitoring habitat changes has grown widely in the last decades. In Brazil, however, most of the studies in restored areas have involved only vegetation changes. The present study aimed at investigating recolonization patterns of epigeic arthropods in recently restored sites of semideciduous forests in southeastern Brazil. We compared the community structure of adjoining sites 5, 17, 29 and 36 months old with that at a nearby forest remnant (reference site). We also determined the most abundant species and looked for ecological indicator species of each site age. Arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps, and their assemblages were described and compared with multi-and univariate statistical methods. Species abundance and richness equivalent to the reference site were reached at fi ve months after planting, however species composition was very distinctive not only in relation to the reference site, but also among restored sites. Some of the main species found in this restoration stage are common in agroecosystems or cerrado vegetation. Nevertheless, there was a clear trend of arthropod fauna in restored sites moving toward the fauna in the forest remnant over time. Our results also highlighted ants and termites because of their abundance and ants because of their high value as ecological indicators of restoration age.KEY WORDS: Formicidae, seasonal forest, monitoring, ecological indicatorThe landscape of southeastern Brazil has been entirely transformed over time by human activities (Dean 1997). Changes were especially dramatic in the inner lands originally covered by mesophytic seasonal forests (deciduous and semideciduous forests) since their soils are particularly suitable for agriculture (Oliveira-Filho & Ratter 2002). Such forests are now restricted to few small patches in the agricultural-urban matrix. Some attempts of restoration have been made in the last decades, but their effectiveness has not been properly evaluated. Long-term monitoring of sites where attempts have already been performed is necessary for evaluating restoration success and improving restoration protocols. If techniques involve tree planting, special attention should be dispensed to the fi rst years of the restored site, when the greatest habitat changes occur due to the fast growing of pioneer trees.Most of the studies in restored areas are concerned with recovery and development of vegetation, especially tree species (Amador & Viana 2000, Souza & Batista 2004, whereas fauna is usually ignored (but see Majer 1992).Because of the high turnover and growth rates for most species, arthropods serve as probes that quickly respond to environmental changes. Another special attribute lies in their microgeographic distribution, which may refl ect fi nescale heterogeneity in habitats to which most vertebrates are insensitive (Mattoni et al 2000). Arthropods often provide a more sensitive indication than plants of the overall state of the ecosystem in which they occur (Rosenberg et al 1986, Andersen & Sparli...

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“…In cerrado, a very rapid and vigorous regrowth of vegetation occurs [19] and this regrowth may favor an increase in the abundance of herbivores. The caterpillar community in the cerrado is species rich and the abundance of most species is low but is highly variable throughout the year [20,21], due primarily to the climate variability that characterizes the two seasons (dry and wet) in the region. This pattern has also been observed for herbivorous insects in New Guinea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accidental Fire in the Cerrado: Its Impact on Communities of Caterpillars on Two Species ofErythroxylum

Lepesqueur

Morais

Diniz

2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Among the mechanisms that influence herbivorous insects, fires, a very frequent historical phenomenon in the cerrado, appear to be an important modifying influence on lepidopteran communities. The purpose of this study was to compare the richness, abundance, frequency, and composition of species of caterpillars in two adjacent areas of cerrado sensu stricto, one recently burned and one unburned since 1994, on the experimental farm "FazendaÁgua Limpa" (FAL) (15 • 55 S and 47 • 55 W), DF, Brazil. Caterpillars were surveyed on two plant species, genus Erythroxylum: E. deciduum A. St.-Hil. and E. tortuosum Mart. (Erythroxylaceae). We inspected a total of 4,196 plants in both areas, and 972 caterpillars were found on 13.3% of these plants. The number of plants with caterpillars (frequency) differed significantly between the areas. The results indicate that recent and accidental fires have a positive effect on the abundance of caterpillars up to one year postfire, increase the frequency of caterpillars associated with Erythroxylum species in the cerrado and do not affect the richness of caterpillars on these plants. Moreover, the fires change the species composition of caterpillars by promoting an increase in rare or opportunistic species.

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The Abundance of Insect Herbivore Species in the Tropics: The High Local Richness of Rare Species

Cited by 118 publications

References 0 publications

Climate and host plant characteristics effects on lepidopteran caterpillar abundance on Miconia ferruginata DC. and Miconia pohliana Cogn (Melastomataceae)

Climate and host plant characteristics effects on lepidopteran caterpillar abundance on Miconia ferruginata DC. and Miconia pohliana Cogn (Melastomataceae)

Arthropod recolonization in the restoration of a semideciduous forest in southeastern Brazil

Accidental Fire in the Cerrado: Its Impact on Communities of Caterpillars on Two Species ofErythroxylum

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