Abstract
The study of arthropod communities foraging on monocultures of native plants (e.g. Caryocar brasiliense) in biodiversity hotspots (e.g. Brazilian Cerrado) is important to understand the processes driving their performance. This study evaluated the possible interactions between galling herbivores, free-feeding arthropods, and of their natural enemies on C. brasiliense trees, in an orchard (monoculture). The possible competition observed were: i) between galling insects with defoliators and phytophagous mites, ii) between sucking insects, iii) between phytophagous mites and, iv) between Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) with Histiostoma sp. (Acari: Histiostomidae) on C. brasiliense trees. Numbers of predators and prey, parasitoids and hosts, and predators and parasitoids were directly related among them. The competitive interactions between herbivorous predator and parasitoid may reduce Eurytoma sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) populations, a potential pest of C. brasiliense. The predator Zelus armillatus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) and the parasitoids Sycophila sp. (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) and Ablerus magistretti (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) are important to determine the numbers of Eurytoma sp. and of its galls. These natural enemies may be important to control this galling insect on C. brasiliense trees. The arthropod competition affected their guild associated to C. brasiliense trees.
Highlights
The high diversity and endemism of insects and plants characterize the Cerrado region as an important biodiversity hotspot (Bridgewater et al, 2004; Laste et al, 2019)
The high relative frequency of Eurytoma sp., a unique galling insect, on C. brasiliense leaves indicates the great potential of this insect to become a pest in commercial C. brasiliense plantations causing premature abscission of leaves from this plant (Leite et al, 2020)
The inverse correlation between the defoliation and the number of galling insects and defoliators (e.g., Eurytoma sp. x defoliation) and phytophagous mites (e.g., Eurytoma sp. x Eutetranychus sp.) was similar to that observed between sucking insects (e.g., A. gossypii x Pseudococcus sp.), phytophagous mites (e.g., Tetrachychus sp.1 x Tetrachychus sp.2), and of A. gossypii with Histiostoma sp. on C. brasiliense trees
Summary
The high diversity and endemism of insects and plants characterize the Cerrado region as an important biodiversity hotspot (Bridgewater et al, 2004; Laste et al, 2019). Planted forests, crops, and beef cattle occupy large areas of the Brazilian Cerrado (Sano et al, 2010). The frequency with which new species are described indicates that many others remain undiscovered (Coelho et al, 2014; Souza and de-Paula Souza, 2016; São-Mateus et al, 2019; Colli et al, 2020). This increases the necessity of studies on inter and intra-specific relationships between organisms in the Cerrado biome
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