Padrões de herbivoria por insetos em espécies de plantas tropicais

Abstract

This work is the result of a study that focused on foliar herbivory by chewing insects in natural environments. In order to expand the knowledge about herbivory, we evaluated the rates of leaf removal by insects for a wide diversity of species. This thesis is divided into three chapters. Initially, in chapter 1, we provided an extensive database on the level and frequency of herbivory for more than 57,000 leaves, updating and expanding the data on foliar herbivory by chewing insects. We created this extensive set to provide the raw data needed to test general hypotheses related to plant-herbivore interactions at large spatial scales. From this database, in chapter 2, we evaluated the variation in herbivory rates in tropical and subtropical plant species in order to determine whether plant functional traits (SLA and life form) influence the level and frequency of herbivory, and whether the patterns detected are similar among the different phytophysiognomies. Finally, in chapter 3, we tested the methodologies widely used for measuring herbivory rates and suggested standardized methodologies in order to reduce methodological biases and to contribute to a better understanding of the levels of plant tissue removal by insects.