Linking Avicennia germinans (Acanthaceae) architecture to gall richness and abundance in Brazilian Amazon mangroves

The diversity and abundance of gall-inducing organisms are directly proportional to the structural complexity of the host plant. This hypothesis is controversial for forest environments, such as mangroves. Avicennia germinans (L.), a principal mangrove tree species found in the Neotropical region, is considered to be a superhost for gall-inducing insects. Using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) based on the analysis of 1000 apical branches from 50 A. germinans trees, we examined the diversity and abundance of gall morphotypes (GM), together with the structural attributes of replanted 5- to 9-year-old mangroves, in the Amazon coast of Brazil. A total of 7602 galls were registered, averaging 1.3±0.4 galls per leaf. Sixteen of the 22 morphotypes identified were found at all study sites. Two gall morphotypes (GM7 and GM4) were the most abundant, representing approximately 40 percent of the total. The structural complexity of the plant (mainly based on the number of leaves) directly af...

致瘿生物（gall-inducing organisms）的多样性与丰度与宿主植物的结构复杂度呈正相关。该假说在红树林（mangroves）等森林生态系统中尚存争议。海榄雌（Avicennia germinans (L.)）作为新热带区（Neotropical region）的优势红树林树种，被视为致瘿昆虫的超级宿主。本研究以巴西亚马逊海岸的50株海榄雌的1000个顶枝为分析材料，采用广义线性混合模型（Generalized Linear Mixed Model, GLMM），探究了5至9年生人工造林红树林的结构特征与虫瘿形态型（gall morphotypes, GM）的多样性及丰度。研究共记录到7602个虫瘿，平均每叶片含1.3±0.4个虫瘿。共鉴定出22种虫瘿形态型，其中16种在所有研究样地均有分布。两种虫瘿形态型（GM7与GM4）丰度最高，约占总虫瘿数的40%。植物的结构复杂度（主要基于叶片数量）直接呈...