Gradientes citológicos e histoquímicos em galhas de insetos

Abstract

A gall is a plant structure that confers adaptive value to the galling herbivores in relation to their free-living ancestors. Thus, understanding the functional design of this structure is an important step to assess the adaptive value of the gall to the gall inducer. The great diversity in gall morphology reflects the great diversity of insects, but some important issues remain unknown: what is the force modulating the morphological diversity? What is the functional structure of the gall tissues? And finally, which are the forces that generate all these functional gradients in the galls? The current thesis discusses these issues and proposes a model for gall development, and the formation of the cytological and histochemical gradients.