Senescent stem-galls in trees of Eremanthus erythropappus as a resource for arboreal ants
Rev. bras. entomol
;
58(3): 265-272, July-Sept. 2014. ilus, tab
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: lil-724029
ABSTRACT
Senescent stem-galls in trees of Eremanthus erythropappus as a resource for arboreal ants. Members of the dipteran families Tephritidae and Cecidomyiidae are inducers of stem-galls in Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish (Asteraceae), a tree common in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. When senescent, these galls become available to other organisms, such as ants. The present study describes a community of ants having benefitted from this process of ecosystem-engineering. The colonies in question inhabit the senescent stem-galls of trees of E. erythropappus and were examined in view of answering the following questions i) whether the presence of stem-galls had any bearing on the richness, composition, or size of the ant colonies therein; and ii) whether the ants displayed any preferences regarding the shape and/or size of the galls. The study was conducted in populations of E. erythropappus trees near the city of Ouro Preto, MG. A total of 227 galls were collected, 14% of which were occupied by ants, belonging to eight different species. Half of the species occupied galls of both morphotypes (fusiform and globular), although we observed a marked preference for larger, globular shapes. Overall, our results showed the galls to be an effective and abundant resource, helping to maintain the diversity of the ants in the canopy. We also observed the occurrence of outstations and polydomic nests, although an in-depth examination of the influence of galls on this type of structuring has not been investigated.
Texto completo:
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Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Rev. bras. entomol
Assunto da revista:
Biologia
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
País de afiliação:
Brasil
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto/BR
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