Abstract
Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) trees are widely distributed throughout the Cerrado ecosystem. The fruits of C. brasiliense trees are used by humans for food and as the main income source in many communities. C. brasiliense conservation is seriously threatened due to habitat loss caused by the land-use change. Sucking insects constitute an important ecological driver that potentially impact C. brasiliense survival in degraded environments. In addition, insects sampling methodologies for application in studies related to the conservation of C. brasiliense are poorly developed. In this study, sucking insects (Hemiptera) and their predators were recorded in three vertical strata of Caryocar brasiliense canopies. The distribution of sucking species showed vertical stratification along the canopy structure of C. brasiliense. The basal part of the canopy had the highest numbers of sucking insects Aphis gossypii (Glover 1877) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Bemisia tabaci (Genn. 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and their predators Chrysoperla sp. (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), spiders (Araneae), and Zelus armillatus (Lep. & Servi., 1825) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Predators' distribution follows the resource availability and preferred C. brasiliense tree parts with a higher abundance of prey.
Highlights
Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) is a perennial plant widely distributed throughout the Cerrado ecosystem, which covers approximately 23% of the Brazilian territory (Araújo, 1995; Ratter et al, 1997)
We investigated arthropod vertical stratification in C. brasiliense using a novel insect sampling protocol
Despite the C. brasiliense grew in monodominat stands, the distribution of two sucking insect species and all predator species was spatially stratified along with the vertical C. brasiliense canopy
Summary
Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Malpighiales: Caryocaraceae) is a perennial plant widely distributed throughout the Cerrado ecosystem, which covers approximately 23% of the Brazilian territory (Araújo, 1995; Ratter et al, 1997). The fruits of C. brasiliense trees are rich in oil, vitamins, proteins, and compounds of medicinal importance used. By humans as food, cosmetics, lubricant production, and pharmaceutical products Due to this vast utility to human society, C. brasiliense is the main income source of many traditional communities (Leite et al, 2006). This species is protected by federal laws in Brazil, and, as a result, is maintained in degraded areas of the Brazilian Cerrado. Despite the environmental and social importance of C. brasiliense, the occurrence of antagonistic insects on C. brasiliense as well as what factors may affect their distribution in C. brasiliense canopies is poorly debated
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Schedule a callMore From: Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia
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