Phenological relationships between two insect galls and their host plants: Aspidosperma australe and A. spruceanum (Apocynaceae)

Acta Botanica Brasilica

Priscila Tolentino Campos²  Maria Cecília Dias Costa²  Rosy Mary Dos Santos Isaias²  Ana Sílvia Franco Pinheiro Moreira¹  Denis Coelho De Oliveira²  José Pires De Lemos-filho² 

[1] ,Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Departamento de BotânicaBelo Horizonte MG ,Brasil

关键词: gall abundance;    plant interaction;    phenology;    synchronism;    abundância de galhas;    fenologia;    interação inseto-planta;    sincronismo;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0102-33062010000300016

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Although gall diversity in the Neotropical region is immense, comparative studies on the phenology of host plants and their galls are scarce. Gall systems generally require high levels of phenological synchrony between the associated organisms. The relationships between the phenology of two leaf galls induced by an unidentified Cecidomyiidae in Aspidosperma spruceanum Benth. ex Müell. Arg. and by Pseudophacopteron sp. in A. australe Müell. Arg. were investigated. The investigation was performed on ten individuals per species in 15-day intervals taking into consideration the percentage of galled leaves. In a one-year study, three distinct phenophases for the leaf galls and four phenophases for host plants were observed. The maximum percentage of leaf galls (80%) on A. australe occurred just after the peak of leaf sprouting. In A. spruceanum, the percentage of leaf galls was always over 50%, which can be related to continuous leaf production and gall induction in this species. In both species, developing galls were observed over the entire year, indicating multivoltinism. The ability to induce galls at young and mature sites seems to be a good strategy for galling species survivorship.

【 授权许可】

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