Insect species richness tracking plant species richness in a diverse flora: gall-insects in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

Oecologia ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark G. Wright ◽  
Michael J. Samways
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Cape Floristic Region ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Insect Species Richness

scholarly journals Superhost Plants Alter the Structure of Plant–Galling Insect Networks in Neotropical Savannas

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Araújo ◽  
Moreira ◽  
Falcão ◽  
Borges ◽  
Fagundes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Host Plants ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Neotropical Savannas ◽  
Galling Insects

Host plants may harbor a variable number of galling insect species, with some species being able to harbor a high diversity of these insects, being therefore called superhost plants. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the occurrence of superhost plant species of genus Qualea (Vochysiaceae) affects the structure of plant–galling insect ecological networks in Brazilian Cerrado. We sampled a total of 1882 plants grouped in 131 species and 43 families, of which 64 species and 31 families of host plants hosted 112 galling insect species. Our results showed that occurrence of superhosts of genus Qualea increased the linkage density of plant species, number of observed interactions, and the size of plant–galling insect networks and negatively affected the network connectance (but had no effect on the residual connectance). Although the occurrence of Qualea species did not affect the plant species richness, these superhosts increased the species richness and the number of interactions of galling insects. Our study represents a step forward in relation to previous studies that investigated the effects of plant diversity on the plant–insect networks, showing that few superhost plant species alter the structure of plant–herbivore networks, even without having a significant effect on plant diversity.

scholarly journals Species richness of alien plants in South Africa: Environmental correlates and the relationship with indigenous plant species richness

Ecoscience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Richardson ◽  
Mathieu Rouget ◽  
Samantha J. Ralston ◽  
Richard M. Cowling ◽  
Berndt J. Van Rensburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Environmental Correlates ◽  
Indigenous Plant ◽  
The Relationship

The Effects of Expansive Shrubs on Plant Species Richness and Soils in Semi‐arid Communal Lands, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2191-2206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Sholto‐Douglas ◽  
Charlie M. Shackleton ◽  
Sheunesu Ruwanza ◽  
Tony Dold
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Communal Lands ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Why species richness of plants and herbivorous insects do or do not correlate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoto Shinohara ◽  
Takehito Yoshida
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Insect Species ◽  
Herbivorous Insect ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Total Plant ◽  
Insect Species Richness ◽  
Opposing Effects ◽  
Generalist Insect ◽  
Number Of Plant Species

AbstractUnraveling the determinants of herbivorous insect diversity has been a major challenge in ecology. Despite the strong association between insect and plant species, previous studies conducted in natural systems have shown great variation in the strength of the correlation between their species richness. Such variation can be attributed to the proportion of generalist insect species (generality), though both higher and lower generality may weaken the correlation because 1) generalist insect species are less dependent on the number of plant species and 2) specialist insect species utilize only a part of the total plant species. To explore these opposing effects, we studied plant and herbivorous insect communities in semi-natural grasslands in Japan. Plant–insect interactions were evaluated in a unique way with a particular focus on the staying and herbivory behaviors of insects, which reflect their habitat use as well as host use. We fousnd that generality of insect communities negatively affected the correlation between species richness of plants and insects. However, such negative effect was significant only when the insect species richness was related with the number of plant species interacted with some insect species, instead of with that of total plant species. The results suggest that considering either of the opposing effects of insect generality is insufficient and they should be inclusively interpreted to understand the relationship between plant and insect species richness.

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