Little is known about galling insects in the Amazonian rainforest, despite its renown as a highly biodiverse ecosystem. In an effort to fill this knowledge gap, we compiled data from existing studies of gall-inducing insects and their host plants in the Amazon biome. A total of 32 studies focusing on insect galls and their host plants in the Amazon were assessed. Taxonomy, inventory, and ecology emerged as the most prominently represented areas of investigation. We found 31 species of Cecidomyiidae, from seven tribes and 21 genera, reported in the Amazon Forest. The richness of gall-inducing insects exhibited a positive correlation with the size of their associated plant families, while showing no significant correlation with the age of those families.

Little is known about galling insects in the Amazonian rainforest, despite its renown as a highly biodiverse ecosystem. In an effort to fill this knowledge gap, we compiled data from existing studies of gall-inducing insects and their host plants in the Amazon biome. A total of 32 studies focusing on insect galls and their host plants in the Amazon were assessed. Taxonomy, inventory, and ecology emerged as the most prominently represented areas of investigation. We found 31 species of Cecidomyiidae, from seven tribes and 21 genera, reported in the Amazon Forest. The richness of gall-inducing insects exhibited a positive correlation with the size of their associated plant families, while showing no significant correlation with the age of those families.

Las turberas tropicales en la Amazonia Peruana presentan alta densidades de palma de Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (aguaje), que a menudo son cortados en lugar de ser subidas para recolectar sus frutos. Este importante tipo de alteración forestal puede generar cambios en la dinámica de las raíces finas. Se estudió la productividad, mortalidad, biomasa, necromasa y descomposición de las raíces finas, así como la tasa de corte de M. flexuosa a lo largo de un gradiente de alteración que incluye sitios de alteración bajo, moderado y alto. La productividad de raíces a nivel de la parcela fue mayor para el sitio con alteración baja que el sitio moderado y alto. Así mismo, se encontró una relación negativa entre la mortalidad de raíces finas y la precipitación. La biomasa de carbono de raíces finas fue consistentemente más alta que la necromasa de carbono de raíces finas entre los s...

Tropical peat swamp forests (PSF) are characterized by high quantities of carbon (C) stored as organic soil deposits due to waterlogged conditions which slows down decomposition. Globally, Peru has one of the largest expanse of tropical peatlands, located primarily within the Pastaza-Marañón river basin in the Northwestern Peru. Peatland forests in Peru are dominated by a palm species—Mauritia flexuosa, and M. flexuosa-dominated forests cover ~ 80% of total peatland area and store ~ 2.3 Pg C. However, hydrologic alterations, land cover change, and anthropogenic disturbances could lead to PSF’s degradation and loss of valuable ecosystem services. Therefore, evaluation of degradation impacts on PSF’s structure, biomass, and overall C stocks could provide an estimate of potential C losses into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. This study was carried out in thre...