Interação Formiga-Planta: As formigas diminuem os herbívoros presentes nas plantas de Qualea grandiflora no Cerrado

• Ano de defesa: 2014
• Autor(a) principal: Maradini, Ana Carolina
• Orientador(a): Schoereder, José Henrique
• Banca de defesa: Muscardi, Dalana Campos
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Mestrado em Entomologia
• Departamento: Ciência entomológica; Tecnologia entomológica
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Formiga; Insetos; Plantas melíferas; Qualea grandiflora; Cerrado
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Ant; Insects; Honey plants; Qualea grandiflora; Cerrado
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::ECOLOGIA
• Link de acesso: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/3986

Several species of plants in the Cerrado have extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), which produce secretions consumed by diverse species of ants. Ants foraging in plants and feeding on EFNs may act as important anti herbivore agents, decreasing phytophagous insects in the plants and the herbivory in the leaves. The aim of this study was to test if ants foraging on EFNs s plants decrease the number of herbivores in these plants. For this, was tested the hypothesis that the increase on the species richness and abundance of ants, cause a decrease in the herbivory, species richness and abundance of herbivores and proportion of guilds of herbivores. Sampling was performed in Panga Ecological Station, which lies between the cities of Uberlândia and Campo Florido, and possesses vegetation of several phytophysiognomies found in Cerrado biome. Plants of Qualea grandiflora were studied in three phytophysiognomies, Cerradão, Cerrado Strictu Senso and Campo Cerrado. According to the results, richness of ants did not influence in the decreasing of the herbivores and herbivory, however, it influenced the decrease of the proportion of chewing insects. In the other hand the abundance of ants promoted significant decrease of herbivores in Cerradão and Campo Cerrado, although in Cerrado Strictu Senso the relation has been opposite. The results also indicate that the abundance of sucking herbivores was higher in the Cerrado Strictu Senso regarding Cerradão and Campo Cerrado, indicating the possibility of interaction between the ants and the hemíptera that release honeydew. Futhermore the spatial and temporal differenciation between ants and herbivores in Cerrado Strictu Senso may also explain the result in this phytophysiognomy. The rate of herbivory in leaves did not suffer influence of the presence of ants possibly because the effect of foliar herbivory occurs only in long term and the sampling were made only in January, so that herbivory was underestimated compared to herbivores. The maturity of the leaves may also have influenced the response, because the younger leaves are more vulnerable to the action of herbivores than the more mature leaves.