IMPLICAÇÕES DO MUTUALISMO TROFOBIÓTICO COM HEMÍPTEROS NA ATIVIDADE DE FORRAGEIO DE FORMIGAS ARBORÍCOLAS EM UM ECOSSISTEMA ARBÓREO MONTANO / IMPLICAÇÕES DO MUTUALISMO TROFOBIÓTICO COM HEMÍPTEROS NA ATIVIDADE DE FORRAGEIO DE FORMIGAS ARBORÍCOLAS EM UM ECOSSISTEMA ARBÓREO MONTANO

AUTOR(ES)
FONTE

IBICT - Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

16/09/2010

RESUMO

This study investigates a new case of trophobiotic interaction that occurs between ants and the herbivore Calloconophora pugionata, specialist of Myrcia obovata. In the first chapter we describe the trophobioses and analyze the benefits of the tending ants for treehopper survival and fecundity. Using an exclusion experiment we show that the absence of tending ants reduced significantly the time of treehopper permanence in the host plant, its fecundity and survival. Moreover, the protection offered by the ants was extensive to the host plant, as reduced the abundance of the others arthropods visiting M. obovata. In the second chapter we evaluate the effect of the Formicidae/Hemiptera interaction on the ants foraging behavior and territoriality and the importance of these trophic resources for the assembly configuration. Through a manipulation experiment of the amount and distribution of these trophobioses we showed that the presence of the Hemiptera was basic for the configuration of the ants assemblage, following a dominance hierarchy as that known as Ant Mosaic. Camponotus rufipes and Camponotus crassus had been the dominant species and had monopolized the resource. Moreover, their forage was longer when and where there were C. pugionata aggregations. In consequence, the other arthropodes, include ants and herbivores, were displaced away from the territories where the dominant ants took care of the treehoppers. Hence, we present a new case of trophobioses-based interactive net from a Montane Tropical Forest and bring evidences of the importance of these mutualisms for the configuration of the arboreal arthropods community of these forests.

ASSUNTO(S)

interação membracidae-formicidae myrcia obovata camponotus crassus camponotus rufipes mosaico de formigas floresta tropical montana membracidae-formicidae interaction myrcia obovata camponotus crassus camponotus rufipes calloconophora pugionata ant mosaic montane tropical forest calloconophora pugionata ecologia de ecossistemas

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