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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Disentangling the influence of plants and herbivores on the local diversity of parasitoids in the Brazilian Cerrado

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Author(s):
Nascimento, Andre R. [1, 2] ; Almeida-Neto, Mario [2] ; Almeida, Adriana M. [3] ; Fonseca, Carlos R. [3] ; Lewinsohn, Thomas M. [4] ; Penteado-Dias, Angelica [5]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Recursos Nat, BR-13560 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Goias, Dept Ecol, LIEB, BR-74001970 Goiania, Go - Brazil
[3] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Ecol, BR-59072970 Natal, RN - Brazil
[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Lab Interacoes Insetos Plantas, Dept Biol Anim, Inst Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil
[5] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ecol & Biol Evolut, BR-13560 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Insect Conservation and Diversity; v. 8, n. 4, p. 313-321, JUL 2015.
Web of Science Citations: 2
Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which host plants and their associated herbivores determine the local diversity of parasitoids, which depend, directly or indirectly, on these two groups as food resource or shelter for their development. The tritrophic system studied here is composed of Asteraceae, endophagous herbivores associated with their flower heads and parasitoid wasps. Samplings were undertaken in 18 remnants of the Brazilian Cerrado. Path analysis was used to unveil the direct and indirect effects of species richness, average taxonomic distinctness (AvTD), and sampling effort of plants and herbivores on parasitoid richness and AvTD. Plant species richness had only an indirect effect - mediated by herbivores - on parasitoid species richness. On the other hand, there were both direct and indirect effects of plant species richness on the AvTD of parasitoids. An implication of our findings is that the local extinction of plant species promotes not only the local loss of their herbivores but also the loss of parasitoid species and a decrease in the phylogenetic diversity of parasitoids, which can jeopardise their future evolutionary history. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 98/05085-2 - Species and interaction diversity in plants and phytophagous insects
Grantee:Thomas Michael Lewinsohn
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants