Abstract
The complexity of nutrient distribution patterns in soils is a determinant environmental component of the structure of plant communities. Numerous insect species that interact with plants are associated with these communities, and some of these interactions result in the formation of unusual structures called galls. In this study, we investigated the relationship of galls, soil fertility and plant communities in three vegetation types, herbaceous restinga (HR), shrub restinga (SR) and shrub-tree restinga (STR), in an area of restinga in southern Brazil. We identified 217 species belonging to 159 genera and 82 families. The plant diversity recorded in the STR was 42.8% higher than the diversity in the other vegetation types. Gall richness increased significantly with increased plant richness. The edaphic gradient was correlated with the floristic diversity in the vegetation types. Our data suggest that an increment in soil fertility (organic matter and litter thickness), associated with climatic conditions, should increase the number of plants that can potentially host galls and, consequently, the richness of galling insects. Gall richness may also be influenced by a higher occurrence of woody plants, due to an increase in leaf surface area available in the tree canopy, especially in STR.
Highlights
Environmental conditions vary spatially and exhibit complex patterns in nature that influence plant establishment and development
Soil water availability, litter thickness, and organic matter (OM) were higher in the shrub-tree restinga (STR) and, cation exchange capacity (CTC) was higher in this vegetation type (Table 1)
Our data suggest that an increment in soil fertility, associated with climatic conditions of restinga, should increase the number of plants with the potential to host galls and, the richness of galling insects (Fernandes & Price, 1988, Blanche & Ludwig, 2001)
Summary
Environmental conditions vary spatially and exhibit complex patterns in nature that influence plant establishment and development. Among these conditions, soil fertility is considered one of the most important for vegetation (Rossatto, Hoffmann, & Franco, 2009). Among the families with herbivorous insects, Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) is the world’s most diverse group with galling herbivores (Espírito-Santo & Fernandes, 2007). There are approximately 21,000 – 211,000 gall-inducing species of insects (Espírito-Santo & Fernandes, 2007), in addition to an extensively associated guild of parasitoids, inquilines, predators, and successors (Maia, 2001)
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