ABSTRACT
Although Merostachys fischeriana is very abundant in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, little attention has been paid to the biological interactions with other animals. The present study describes some of the interactions between ants and this bamboo species. The experiment was carried out in a fragment of a montane tropical forest in the Parque Estadual do Itacolomi, near Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil. Thirty culms of bamboo were randomly collected. The ants were obtained by direct collection from nodes and internodes. Morphometric variables of the bamboo were recorded for characterization of potential ant habitat. Merostachys fischeriana grows in rosettes as a thin bamboo (average = 1,0 cm; se = 0,27; n = 20) and is tall enough to reach the upper canopy of this low forest (average = 9,1 m; se = 2,72; n = 20). Fifteen ant species were sampled. Brachymyrmex heeri Forel was the most abundant in the nodes, while Camponotus crassus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) was the most abundant in the internodes. The composition of the species that inhabit the internodes was different from the composition in the node (Q-test: Q = 3,76; P = 0,05). The level of occupation was defined by the number of holes (F = 10,33; P < 0,01), the number of internodes in the canopy (F = 6,84; P = 0,01) and the length of the culm (F = 7,52; P = 0,01). The plant's morphology allowed the occurrence of additional species of ants in the canopy and influenced the composition of the entire ant assemblage.
Subject(s)
Animals , Ants , Bambusa , Ecosystem , Trees , Brazil , Nesting BehaviorABSTRACT
Feeding and oviposition preferences of Ctenarytaina spatulata Taylor (Hemiptera, Psyllidae) for Eucalyptus spp. and other Myrtaceae in Brazil. The Australian psyllid, Ctenarytaina spatulata Taylor (Hemiptera, Psyllidae), was first detected in Brazil in 1994, where it was found on drought-affected shoots of Eucalyptus grandis in a plantation located in the northern part of Paraná State. The oviposition and feeding preferences of this psyllid were examined on 19 Eucalyptus species, one Eucalyptus hybrid (Cambiju), three Corymbia species and four native Myrtaceae species (Hexaclames edulis, Marlieria edulis, Plinia trunciflora, and Psydium sp.) under greenhouse conditions. The largest populations of C. spatulata were found on E. robusta and E. pellita, while sizeable infestations were also found on E. urophylla, E. grandis, and the Cambiju hybrid. The plants with the greatest symptoms of damage were E. grandis and E. resinifera. Eucalyptus cinerea, E. benthamii, E. pilularis, and E. dunnii were not infested and E. cloeziana was minimally infested. Among the Corymbia species, the number of eggs of C. spatulata was very low on C. citriodora and C. torelliana. No eggs and nymphs of C. spatulata were found on native Brazilian Myrtaceae. The number of eggs on plants was highly correlated with the subsequent levels of nymphs, suggesting that egg counts can be used as a viable monitoring tool to assist with the integrated management of this pest.
Ctenarytaina spatulata Taylor, 1997 (Hemiptera, Psyllidae), originária da Austrália, foi detectada no Brasil em 1994. Sua ocorrência foi inicialmente observada em E. grandis no Norte do Paraná associada à seca dos ponteiros. Com o objetivo de verificar a preferência deste psilídeo para postura e alimentação foram analisadas, em casa de vegetação, um híbrido e dezenove espécies do gênero Eucalyptus, três do gênero Corymbia e cinco mirtáceas nativas (Hexaclames edulis, Marlieria edulis, Plinia trunciflora and Psydium sp.). As maiores populações de C. spatulata ocorreram em E. robusta e E. pellita. No entanto, foram as espécies E. grandis e E. resinifera que apresentaram o maior número de plantas com sintomas de danos. As espécies E. cinerea, E. cloeziana, E. dunnii, E. benthamii, E. nitens, E. viminalis, E. pilularis e E. camaldulensis não apresentaram infestação por C. spatulata. Nas espécies de Corymbia foi observado um número muito reduzido de ovos de C. spatulata em C. citriodora e C. torelliana. Em nenhuma das espécies de Myrtaceae nativas foram observados ovos ou ninfas de C. spatulata. O número de ovos na planta foi altamente correlacionado com o número de ninfas, sugerindo que a contagem de ovos possa ser usada como uma ferramenta viável no monitoramento desta praga.