Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias - ICA, Insetário G. W. G. Moraes, Montes Claros, MG, Brasil.
Braz J Biol. 2024 May 31;84:e281588. doi: 10.1590/1519-6984.281588. eCollection 2024.
Terminalia argentea tree, native to Brazil, is widely used in landscaping, recovering degraded areas, its wood, coal production, and the bark or leaf extracts has medicinal use. Despite of its importance, the arthropod fauna associated to this plant and its interspecific relationships still needs further studies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the arthropods, their ecological indices and the distribution in the leaf faces on T. argentea saplings. The numbers of phytophagous insects (e.g., Cephalocoema sp.), pollinators (e.g., Tetragonisca angustula), and natural enemies (e.g., Oxyopidae), and their ecological indices (e.g., species richness), were higher on the adaxial leaf faces on T. argentea saplings. Aggregated distribution of phytophagous insects (e.g., Aphis spiraecola), pollinators (e.g., Trigona spinipes), and natural enemies (e.g., Camponotus sp.) on T. argentea saplings was observed. Abundance, diversity, and species richness of natural enemies correlated, positively, with those of phytophagous and pollinators insects. Predators and tending ants followed their prey and sucking insects, respectively. Tending ants protected sucking insects against predators, and reduced chewing insects. The high number of Cephalocoema sp. on T. argentea saplings is a problem, because this insect can feed on leaves of this plant, but its preference for the adaxial leaf face favors its control. The aggregation behavior of arthropods on T. argentea saplings favors the control of potential pests of this plant. There seems to be competition between tending ants for space and food resources on T. argentea saplings.
银叶树，原产于巴西，广泛用于景观美化、恢复退化地区，其木材、煤炭生产，以及树皮或叶提取物具有药用价值。尽管它很重要，但与这种植物相关的节肢动物区系及其种间关系仍需要进一步研究。本研究的目的是评估叶蝉科昆虫（如 Cephalocoema sp.）、传粉昆虫（如 Tetragonisca angustula）和天敌（如 Oxyopidae），及其在银叶树苗叶片面上的生态指数和分布。在银叶树苗的叶背面上，植食性昆虫（如 Aphis spiraecola）、传粉昆虫（如 Trigona spinipes）和天敌（如 Camponotus sp.）的数量、生态指数（如物种丰富度）较高。在银叶树苗上观察到植食性昆虫、传粉昆虫和天敌的聚集分布。天敌的丰度、多样性和物种丰富度与植食性和传粉昆虫呈正相关。捕食者和觅食蚂蚁分别跟随它们的猎物和吸食昆虫。在银叶树苗上大量存在的 Cephalocoema sp. 是一个问题，因为这种昆虫可以以这种植物的叶子为食，但它对叶背的偏好有利于对其进行控制。节肢动物在银叶树苗上的聚集行为有利于控制这种植物的潜在害虫。在银叶树苗上，觅食蚂蚁似乎为了空间和食物资源而竞争。
