An inventory of the insect gall from Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) was elaborated based on samples of the collection of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Data on localities and host plants were obtained from the labels and information about the gall morphology (plant organ of occurrence, shape, and presence of trichomes) by observing the samples. The galling species was ...

Twenty-two different herbaceous perennials were studied for their reaction to separate inoculations of Meloidogyne arenaria and M. incognita under greenhouse conditions. Perennial taxa that did not develop root-galls following inoculation, and therefore are considered as nonhosts of both nematode species, included species and cultivars of Aethionema, Fragaria, Phlox, and Polygonum. Echinacea, M...

Experiments using different species of the plant Nicotiana and strains of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens showed that teratoma formation from crown galls was dependent on the combination of bacterial Ti plasmid and host plant used.

Trace fossils of insect feeding have contributed substantially to our understanding of the evolution of insect-plant interactions. The most complex phenotypes of herbivory are galls, whose diagnostic morphologies often allow the identification of the gall inducer. Although fossil insect-induced galls over 300Myr old are known, most are two-dimensional impressions lacking adequate morphological ...

In the social aphid Nipponaphis monzeni, a unique gall-repairing behaviour has been known: when a hole is made on the gall, many soldier nymphs discharge body fluid on the breach, which promptly solidifies and plugs the hole. Here, we experimentally investigated the subsequent fate of repaired galls and their inhabitants. Irrespective of natural repair by soldier nymphs or artificial repair wit...

Anatomical studies in the leaflet globoid galls of Caryocar brasiliense, the “pequi”, aimed to answer how oviposition and the feeding behavior of the galling herbivores altered the morphogenetical patterns of the host plant. C. brasiliense globoid gall was (1.28 ± 0.20) mm × (0.90 ± 0.25) mm, with hairy surface; it is sessile and projected to the abaxial surface. Young galls were red while the ...

The frequency of galls induced by Anisodiplosis waltheriae Maia, a recently described species, on Waltheria indica L. was studied. W indica is an invasive weed in regeneration areas of Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. Plants were collected in May 2004 and above-ground biomass, main stem length, number of leaves, number of galls per leaf and leaf area of each individual were recorded. Nea...

The aim of this study was to develop a preparation of a hydroalcoholic extract of Quercus infectoria in order to study the physicochemical parameters, and to identify and quantitatively determine the amount of Polyphenols and Tannin in the galls and in the extract. Preparation of an extract rich in Tannin from the galls of Quercus infectoria, as an astringent, can make incorporation into recta...

Three major hypotheses have been advanced for the adaptive nature of plant galls: nutrition, enemyavoidance, and microenvironment. Of these, the microenvironment hypothesis has been frequently invoked, but rarely tested directly. We tested this hypothesis in a population of Andricus quercuscalifornicus (Bassett) (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) wasps inducing galls on Quercus lobata Née (Fagaceae) tree...