Gall infection and inflorescence production in the shrub Schinus patagonicus

Authors

  • María L. Barrancos Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina.
  • Romina Moncaglieri Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina.
  • Alejandro Farji-Brener Laboratorio Ecotono, Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Univ. Nac. del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina.

Keywords:

herbivory, temperate austral forest, Patagonia

Abstract

Foliar damage often affects negatively the reproduction of plants. However, little is know about how gall infection influences this process. We analyzed the relationship between the abundance of foliar galls caused by insects and the production of inflorescences in the shrub Schinus patagonicus. In 63 shrubs located in northern Patagonia forests we estimated mean number of foliar galls per leaf and number of inflorescences associated per branch. The mean number of galls per leaf was strongly and negatively associated with the production of inflorescences per branch. Branches with leaves that showed on average, more than four galls did not have inflorescences. The presence of foliar galls seriously affected the reproductive effort of this shrub species, suggesting that this type of infection should be considered as a strong selective pressure.

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Published

2008-04-01

How to Cite

Barrancos, M. L., Moncaglieri, R., & Farji-Brener, A. (2008). Gall infection and inflorescence production in the shrub Schinus patagonicus. Ecología Austral, 18(1), 133–137. Retrieved from https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1402

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2008)

Section

Short Communications

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