de Oliveira Denis Coelho, Isaias Rosy Mary dos Santos
Universidade Federal of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Botany, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Rev Biol Trop. 2009 Mar-Jun;57(1-2):293-302. doi: 10.15517/rbt.v57i1-2.11322.
Gall inducing insects most frequently oviposit in young tissues because these tissues have higher metabolism and potential for differentiation. However, these insects may also successfully establish in mature tissues as was observed in the super-host Copaifera langsdorffii. Among C. langsdorffii gall morphotypes, one of the most common is a midrib gall induced by an undescribed species of Cecidomyiidae. Following this 'host plant and gall-inducing insect' model, we addressed two questions: 1) Do the age of the tissues alter the gall extended phenotype? 2) Do gall morphological and anatomical features influence the adaptive value of the galling insect? For anatomical and histometrical studies, transverse sections of young and mature, galled and ungalled samples were prepared. Galls in young leaflets presented higher potential for cell division and greater nutritive reserves, whereas galls in mature leaflets perhaps provide more protection against natural predators and desiccation. Host organ age at the time of oviposition may influence plant cell fates and consequently the interpretation of the adaptive value of insect galls.
致瘿昆虫最常将卵产在幼嫩组织中，因为这些组织具有更高的代谢水平和分化潜力。然而，正如在超级寄主长叶 Copaifera langsdorffii 中观察到的那样，这些昆虫也可能在成熟组织中成功定殖。在长叶 Copaifera langsdorffii 的瘿形态类型中，最常见的一种是由一种未描述的瘿蚊科物种诱导形成的中脉瘿。遵循这种“寄主植物和致瘿昆虫”模型，我们提出了两个问题：1）组织的年龄是否会改变瘿的扩展表型？2）瘿的形态和解剖特征是否会影响致瘿昆虫的适应值？为了进行解剖学和组织计量学研究，制备了幼嫩和成熟、有瘿和无瘿样本的横切面。幼嫩小叶中的瘿具有更高的细胞分裂潜力和更多的营养储备，而成熟小叶中的瘿可能提供更多抵御自然捕食者和干燥的保护。产卵时寄主器官的年龄可能会影响植物细胞命运，从而影响对昆虫瘿适应值的解读。
