Abstract The native flora of the Brazilian rupestrian grassland (campos rupestres) is threatened by the spread of invasive grasses. In this study, we evaluated the effect of habitat on the functional traits and CSR ecological strategies of three invasive alien grasses occurring both in the ironstone (IRG) and quartzitic (QRG) rupestrian grassland habitats. Although in both habitats the invasive species predominantly showed a stress-tolerant strategy, they exhibited distinct degrees of stress-tolerance and slightly differences in functional traits values in the IRG compared to the QRG. Habitat type distinctly influenced invasive grasses functional traits and ecological strategies, revealing a species-specific pattern.

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the photochemical responses of photosystem II and growth of Hymenaea stigonocarpa under CO2-enriched conditions with exposure to simulated herbivory events. After herbivory simulation in two distinct parts of the stem of plants (apex and base), chlorophyll a fluorescence, chlorophyll index, growth, extrafloral nectary density, leaf mineral nutrition, and biomass production were evaluated. Plants of H. stigonocarpa grown under high [CO2] after simulated herbivory in the apical part of the stem had higher electron transport rate, effective quantum yield of photosystem II, and chlorophyll contents. However, simulated herbivory in the basal portion of plants grown under high [CO2] increased plant height, branch and root length, leaf number, leaf area, node number, and leaf expansion rate. In conclusion simulated herbivory at the basal portion and high [CO2] induce positive responses in H. stigonocarpa, leading to the allocation of biomass to vegetative parts related to the capture of resources such as water and light. Apical leaves could compensate for the elimination of part of their leaf blades by increasing their photosynthetic yield. Thus, the increase of [CO2] attenuated the adverse effects of leaf removal on H. stigonocarpa plants by inducing photosynthetic improvement and growth after the loss of leaf tissue.

We compiled published Brazilian gall-inducing insect inventories aiming to understand trends and biases in this field research and to investigate the factors that potentially explain the diversity of gall-inducing insects among different sampling sites. A total of 51 studies with gall-inducing insect inventories were compiled for Brazil, which sampled 151 sites in 88 municipalities, 13 states and five regions. The number of papers published on gall-inducing insects per year has increased over the last 30 years, being Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) the main galling taxon, Fabaceae the main host-plant family and Protium heptaphyllum (Burseraceae) the most important super-host species in these inventories. We found a great bias in the geographical distribution of Brazilian inventories, with the majority of studies in the Southeast region, and Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes. The total richness of gall-inducing insects differed significantly among regions and biomes, with higher gall richnesses being recorded in the North region and Amazon biome. However, Brazilian regions and biomes did not vary in richness of gall-inducing insect morphotypes per plant species. According our results, sampling by cecidologists in less studied regions of Brazil is needed, particularly in the North and South regions and subsampled biomes such as the Amazon, Pampas and Pantanal.

Abstract The theory of landscape ecology applied to the methods of spatial analysis helps to understand changes in the structure of forest remnants. In view of this theory, the objective of the present study was to analyze the structure of a fragmented area between the years 1979 and 2015 through calculation of landscape metrics for arboreal, shrubby and herbaceous vegetation classes. Vegetation classes were classified with visits to the field, interpretation of aerial photographs from 1979 and supervised classification of Landsat 8 from 2015. The metrics calculated for each class were area and total number of fragments, total edge and average connectivity among the fragments. The analysis of structure found that it changed negatively due to an increase in the number of small fragments, which increased the intensity of edge effects and reduced connectivity between fragments for all classes.

Abstract: Nectar robbery is common in flowering plants with tubular corollas and can affect plant reproductive success. Our study characterized the interaction between potential pollinators and nectar robbers, and assessed the effects on flower abortion in a population of the restricted endemic Collaea cipoensis (Fabaceae) at Serra do Cipó, Brazil. We conducted observations of floral visitors to identify potential pollinators from nectar robbers and described visitor behavior. We also analyzed the frequency of robbery and its relationship with flower visitation. Trigona spinipes and Apis mellifera were identified as the main nectar robbers and two hummingbird species Colibri serrirostris and Eupetomena macroura, as potential pollinators. Overall, 570 sampled flowers presented robber damage while 716 were intact. Intact flowers received more visits than flowers with damage. Mean flower abortion ratio did not vary between damaged and intact flowers. Accordingly, a survey of developed fruits indicated that 86% of fruits came from intact flowers. Our results suggest that the damage by nectar robbers in C. cipoensis flowers could affect the reproductive success of this species, interfering with fruit production.

Resumen: El robo de néctar es común en plantas con flores de corolas tubulares y puede afectar su éxito reproductivo. Se caracteriza la interacción entre robadores de néctar y polinizadores, así como sus consecuencias en la aborción de flores en una especie endémica, Collaea cipoensis (Fabaceae) en la Serra do Cipó, Brasil. Se realizaron observaciones de visitantes florales para identificar a los polinizadores, así como a los robadores de néctar basados en su conducta. Se analizó la frecuencia de robo y su relación con los visitantes florales. Trigona spinipes y Apis mellifera fueron los principales ladrones de néctar y 2 especies de colibrí Colibri serrirostris y Eupetomena macroura, como polinizadores potenciales. Se presentó daño en 570 flores y 716 estuvieron intactas. Las flores sin daño recibieron más visitas vs. las flores dañadas. El promedio de flores abortadas no difirió entre flores dañadas vs. intactas. El 86% de los frutos proviene de flores intactas. Los resultados sugieren que el robo de néctar en C. cipoensis podría afectar negativamente el éxito reproductivo de esta especie interfiriendo con la producción de frutos.

Estudou-se a freqüência de galhas induzidas por Anisodiplosis waltheriae Maia, espécie recentemente descrita, em Waltheria indica L. W. indica é uma erva invasora em áreas de regeneração de Floresta Atlântica no Sudeste do Brasil. As plantas foram coletadas em maio de 2004 e a biomassa aérea, comprimento do caule, número de folhas, número de galhas por folha e área foliar de cada indivíduo foram registrados. Quase 90% das plantas e 25% das folhas foram atacadas, com a média de 0,67 galhas/folha. A área foliar pouco influenciou o número de galhas, porém o número de folhas não afetou a abundância de galhas (P > 0,05). Apenas 31% da variação no número de galhas foi explicada pela biomassa da planta. Um terço das galhas foi morta por inimigos naturais. A predação explicou 22,9% da mortalidade, fatores desconhecidos mataram 7,6%, microhimenópteros parasitóides mataram 2,5% e fungos apenas 1%. Os fatores de mortalidade não foram influenciados pela área foliar nem densidade de galhas.

The frequency of galls induced by Anisodiplosis waltheriae Maia, a recently described species, on Waltheria indica L. was studied. W. indica is an invasive weed in regeneration areas of Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. Plants were collected in May 2004 and above-ground biomass, main stem length, number of leaves, number of galls per leaf and leaf area of each individual were recorded. Nearly 90% of all plants and 25% of all leaves were attacked by the gall midge, with an average of 0.67 galls/leaf. Leaf area had a weak effect on gall abundance while the number of leaves had no effect on gall abundance. Only 31% of the variation in gall abundance was explained by plant biomass. Natural enemies killed one third of the sampled galls. Predation accounted for 22.9% of gall mortality, unknown factors killed 7.6%, microhymenopteran parasitoids killed 2.5% and fungi only 1%. Mortality factors were not influenced by leaf area or gall density.

A seleção da planta hospedeira pela fêmea, o comportamento de oviposição e o desempenho da prole do tefritídeo galhador Aciurina trixa Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) em plantas de Chrysothamnus nauseosus hololeucus Pall. (Britton) (Asteraceae), fertilizadas com NPK e em um grupo controle, foram estudados no Norte do Arizona, EUA. Não houve diferença na proporção de fêmeas que selecionaram o grupo controle e as que selecionaram as plantas fertilizadas nem entre o tempo de aceite da planta hospedeira no grupo controle e o tempo de aceite das plantas fertilizadas. As fêmeas ovipositaram menor número de ovos e levaram mais tempo durante a oviposição em plantas do grupo controle do que em plantas que receberam tratamento. O desempenho larval (medido como o período do início do desenvolvimento da galha na planta, diâmetro da galha e peso larval) não apresentou diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre plantas fertilizadas e do grupo controle (P > 0,05).

Female host plant selection, oviposition behavior, and offspring performance of the gall-forming tephritid Aciurina trixa Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae) on NPK-fertilized and control plants of Chrysothamnus nauseosus hololeucus Pall. (Britton) (Asteraceae) were studied in northern Arizona, USA. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of females that selected control versus fertilized plants, and between the time to accept control versus treatment plants. Females laid fewer eggs and spent a longer time ovipositing on control plants than on treatment plants. Larval performance (measured as time of first gall appearance on plant, gall diameter, and larval weight) was not statistically different between fertilized and control plants (P > 0.05).

Insetos galhadores desenvolveram várias estratégias para evitar ou reduzir o ataque por inimigos naturais, tais como maior espessura da parede no início de formação, e maior diâmetro e dureza da parede em estágios posteriores do desenvolvimento. Neste estudo, analisamos a eficiência de cada um desses parâmetros na redução da mortalidade das galhas de Atrusca caprone Weld (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) em Quercus turbinella Greene (Fagaceae), durante os três meses de seu desenvolvimento (junho-agosto). O diâmetro e a dureza das galhas aumentaram do primeiro para o terceiro mês de estudo (ANOVA, diâmetro: F = 88.73, p < 0.0001; ANOVA, dureza: F = 26.13, p < 0.0001). Entretanto, a espessura das galhas apresentou um aumento de junho para julho, diminuindo de julho para agosto (ANOVA, F = 35.84, p < 0.0001). A análise de regressão linear múltipla mostrou que apenas a dureza das galhas influenciou a susceptibilidade das larvas ao ataque por parasitóides (r² = 0.52, F = 13.84, p < 0.01, n = 15). A sobrevivência das galhas foi elevada no primeiro mês, diminuindo com o tempo, provavelmente devido à menor dureza da parede. Estes resultados sugerem que o primeiro mês seja crítico para o estabelecimento das galhas, sendo que galhas não parasitadas neste estágio são menos suscetíveis a um ataque posterior.

Galling insects have developed many strategies to preclude or reduce the attack by natural enemies, such as an increased wall thickness early in the season, and switching to larger and tougher walls later in the maturation stage. In this study, we observed the efficiency of each one of these parameters in reducing mortality of the leaf galling wasp Atrusca caprone Weld (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), on Quercus turbinella Greene (Fagaceae), during the three months of gall development (June-August). Gall diameter and wall toughness increased from the first to the third month of the study (ANOVA, Diameter: F = 88.73, p < 0.0001; ANOVA, Toughness: F = 26.13, p < 0.0001). However, gall wall thickness increased from June to July, decreasing in August (ANOVA, F = 35.84, p < 0.0001). Gall survivorship was only 2 % in June, increasing to 10 % in July and to 29.3 % in August. Multiple regression analyses showed that only gall wall toughness influenced gall susceptibility to parasitoid attack (r² = 0.52, F = 13.84, p < 0.01). Gall survivorship was very low in the first month due probably to low wall toughness, which led to a higher success of oviposition by parasitoids during this phase. These results suggest that the first month is critical to gall establishment, and the galls which are not parasitized at this stage are less likely to be attacked later.

A hipótese do vigor de plantas (HVP) prediz que plantas ou módulos de plantas mais vigorosos são preferencialmente selecionados por fêmeas de insetos galhadores como sítios de oviposição, pois aumentam a chance de sobrevivência da prole. A HVP foi testada para Neopelma baccharidis Buckhardt (Homoptera: Psyllidae) e Rhoasphondylia friburgensis Tavares (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) que causam galhas em Baccharis dracunculifolia D.C. (Asteraceae), e para duas espécies diferentes de Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) que provocam galhas em Maytenus salicifolia Reiss. (Celastraceae) e Vernonia polyanthes Less (Asteraceae). A abundância de galhas aumentou com o aumento do comprimento do ramo nas quatro espécies, como previsto pela HVP. Entretanto, ao considerarmos a taxa de ataque por unidade de ramo (cm), que inclui nas análises o efeito da disponibilidade de recursos por unidade de comprimento, o padrão de resposta dos quatro galhadores desapareceu. R. friburgensis e o cecidomiídeo que induz galhas em M. salicifolia não responderam ao vigor do ramo (P > 0,05), enquanto as outras espécies responderam diferencialmente. A abundância de galhas de N. baccharidis correlacionou-se negativamente com o aumento do comprimento do ramo (y = 0,185 - 0,007x; r² = 0,21; F = 6,013, P < 0,05), enquanto o número de galhas provocadas pelo cecidomiídeo em V. polyanthes correlacionou-se positivamente com o vigor do ramo (y = 0,09 + 0,002x; r² = 0,34; F = 6,157; P < 0,05). Portanto, apenas o padrão de ataque do cecidomíideo galhador em V. polyanthes suportou a HVP.

The plant-vigor hypothesis (PVH) predicts that females of galling insects preferentially oviposit on the most vigorous plant or plant modules, where their offspring performance is highest. We tested the PVH on Neopelma baccharidis Buckhardt (Homoptera: Psyllidae) and Rhoasphondylia friburgensis Tavares (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) which induce galls on Baccharis dracunculifolia D.C. (Asteraceae), and on two different Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) species that induce galls on Maytenus salicifolia Reiss. (Celastraceae) and Vernonia polyanthes Less (Asteraceae), respectively. The abundance of galls induced by the four galling species increased with increasing shoot length, as predicted by the PVH. However, when we considered the rate of attack per shoot unit length (cm), which includes in the analyses the effect of availability of resource per unit length, the response patterns of the four gallers disappeared. R. friburgensis and Cecidomyiidae species which cause galls on M. salicifolia did not respond to shoot vigor (P > 0.05) while the other species responded differentially. The abundance of N. baccharidis galls correlated negatively with shoot length (y = 0.185 - 0.007x, r² = 0.21, F = 6.013, P < 0.05) while the number of galls caused by Cecidomyiidae on V. polyanthes showed a positive relationship with shoot vigor (y = 0.09 + 0.002x, r² = 0.34, F = 6.157, P < 0.05). Hence, only the attack pattern of the cecidomyiid galler on V. polyanthes corroborated the PVH.