Differential effects of land use on ant and herbivore insect communities associated with Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae)

 

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Autori: Neves, Frederico S., Braga, Rodrigo F., Araújo, Lucimar S., Campos, Ricardo I., Fagundes, Marcílio
Natura: artículo original
Status:Versión publicada
Data di pubblicazione:2012
Descrizione:Simplification of natural habitats leads to a modification of the community associated with a host plant. Pequi trees (Caryocar brasiliense) are common to find in central Brazil, especially in the middle of monocultures, such as soy, corn, pasturelands or Eucalyptus plantations. On this scenario we hypothesized that habitat modification differentially affects the diversity of ants and herbivore insects associated with this species. The aim of the work was to test if C. brasiliense trees located in human modified habitats, support a lower species richness and abundance of ants, and a greater species richness and abundance of insect herbivores, compared to preserved cerrado habitats. The study was conducted in a Cerrado area located in Northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Ants and herbivore insects were collected monthly during 2005 using beating technique. The results showed that ant species richness was higher in pequi trees located in preserved Cerrado, followed by trees in pastureland and Eucalyptus plantation, respectively. The ant abundance was lower in the Eucalyptus plantation but no difference in ant abundance was observed between trees in pastureland and the preserved Cerrado. Moreover, herbivore insects exhibited lower number of species and individuals in trees located in the preserved Cerrado than in the pastureland and Eucalyptus plantation. We concluded that habitats simplified by human activities may result in diversity loss and may change species interactions.
Stato:Portal de Revistas UCR
Istituzione:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repositorio:Portal de Revistas UCR
Lingua:Inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/1758
Accesso online:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/1758
Access Level:acceso abierto
Keyword:complejidad ambiental
manejo de hábitat
diversidad de insectos
árboles de “pequi”
interacciones tri-tróficas.
environmental complexity
habitat management
insect diversity
pequi trees
tri-trophic interactions