Abstract
This study describes differences in species richness and composition of the assemblages of galling insects and their host plants at different spatial scales. Sampling was conducted along altitudinal gradients composed of campos rupestres and campos de altitude of two mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil: Espinhaço Range and Mantiqueira Range. The following hypotheses were tested: i) local and regional richness of host plants and galling insects are positively correlated; ii) beta diversity is the most important component of regional diversity of host plants and galling insects; and iii) Turnover is the main mechanism driving beta diversity of both host plants and galling insects. Local richness of galling insects and host plants increased with increasing regional richness of species, suggesting a pattern of unsaturated communities. The additive partition of regional richness (γ) into local and beta components shows that local richnesses (α) of species of galling insects and host plants are low relative to regional richness; the beta (β) component incorporates most of the regional richness. The multi-scale analysis of additive partitioning showed similar patterns for galling insects and host plants with the local component (α) incorporated a small part of regional richness. Beta diversity of galling insects and host plants were mainly the result of turnover, with little contribution from nesting. Although the species composition of galling insects and host plant species varied among sample sites, mountains and even mountain ranges, local richness remained relatively low. In this way, the addition of local habitats with different landscapes substantially affects regional richness. Each mountain contributes fundamentally to the composition of regional diversity of galling insects and host plants, and so the design of future conservation strategies should incorporate multiple scales.
Highlights
Galling insects are among the most specialized and fascinating herbivores due to their ability to control host plant development, and are considered one of the most sophisticated herbivores [1]
It is accepted that herbivorous insect communities are locally unsaturated [31, 32, 33, 34]. This pattern suggests that local richness is independent of the antagonistic interactions that occur in the habitat; local richness is a proportional sample of regional richness [35,32,36,34,22]
The local species richness of galling insects and host plants increased with regional richness of species, suggesting a pattern of unsaturated communities (Galls: R2 = 0.75; F1,10 = 32.45; p
Summary
Galling insects are among the most specialized and fascinating herbivores due to their ability to control host plant development, and are considered one of the most sophisticated herbivores [1]. The mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of more species in xeric habitats are habitat-mediated survival and mortality [12,14]. On the other hand, [15] observed that fire is a common phenomenon in habitats with sclerophyllous vegetation and could be an important selective force on the distribution of galling insects. In these environments, the insects would benefit because fire would promote the synchronization of the production of new vigorous branches for colonization. The mechanism responsible for the occurrence of more species in xeric habitats is the increase in oviposition errors due to the synchronization of new branch growth after fire [15]. Fire was later included in the initial hypotheses of [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
