Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: BRUNO GABRIEL MELATI

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
DISCENTE : BRUNO GABRIEL MELATI
DATA : 23/11/2021
HORA: 14:00
LOCAL: por participação remota
TÍTULO:

Water availability structuring mutualisms between plants bearing extrafloral
nectaries and ants

PÁGINAS: 32
GRANDE ÁREA: Ciências Biológicas
ÁREA: Ecologia
SUBÁREA: Ecologia Teórica
RESUMO:

The interaction patterns between plants bearing extrafloral necteries (EFNs) and ants are
affected by environmental water availability. In drier environments, plants are more
visited by competitively dominant ants. Possibly dominant ants monopolize the access
to plants presenting higher quality extralfloral nectar’s, constraining subordinate ants to
interact with less attractive plant species. Therefore, we could expect the formation of
subgroups of interaction (modules). These subgroups formations may reduce the
proportion of realized interactions (connectance) and the asymmetry of specialization of
interactions (nestedness) within community. We investigated how the structure of
interaction networks between plants bearing EFNs and ants, collected from the
literature, vary across precipitation gradients and what is the role of dominant ants
structuring these networks. As precipitation reduces networks became smaller (less
rich), less nested and more connected. But modularity does not vary. In addition,
dominant ants have higher proportion of interactions with plants in drier environments.
These results should indicate an increase in interaction generality between plants
bearing NEFs and ants in drier environments. These increase in generality could arise
from a reduction in dominant ants’ selectivity. In drier environments the extrafloral
nectar value to ants may increase. Thus, dominant ants may reduce their selectivity for
nectar quality, increasing the use of plant partners. Therefore, the way dominant ants
respond to environmental variation may affect the interaction patterns between plants
bearing EFNs and ants.

MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Presidente - Interno ao Programa - 058.701.134-31 - LAURA CAROLINA LEAL DE SOUSA - NENHUMA
Membro Titular - Examinador(a) Externo à Instituição - FERNANDA VIEIRA DA COSTA - UFOP
Membro Titular - Examinador(a) Externo à Instituição - MARCO AURELIO RIBEIRO DE MELLO
Membro Suplente - Examinador(a) Externo à Instituição - FERNANDA MARIA PEREIRA DE OLIVEIRA - UFPE
Membro Suplente - Examinador(a) Externo à Instituição - TALITA CÂMARA DOS SANTOS BEZERRA - UFPE