Galling insects in the pantanal wetland and amazonian rainforest

Abstract

It were collected 133 morphospecies of galling insects on 75 host plant species in the Pantanal forest patches while studies compilation pointed the interesting record of 1,549 galling morphospecies in 66 botanical families, 251 genera and 713 species of host plants in the Amazonian forests. No difference was observed in the number of galling species between Pantanal patch edge and interior. However, dissimilarity in galling species composition was verified in the patch habitats. To date, galling insect fauna of Pantanal region have not been properly sampled. In the Amazonian forests and Pantanal wetlands, galling species richness was strongly affected by hygrothermal and nutritional stress, even though mediated by soil fertility, topography, and flooding. Upper canopy of the Amazonian rainforests was the most speciose environment for galling fauna. Their microclimatic conditions, similar to scleromorphic/sclerophyllous vegetations, favor the attack by these herbivores. Besides, the Amazonian super-host and host/non-host plant diversity seems to play an important role on the richness and distribution patterns of galling insects.