Leaf herbivory and monodominance in a Cerrado–Amazonia transitional forest, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Monodominant tropical forests occur on several continents, including the Brazilian Amazon. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that seedling escape from leaf herbivory contributes to the maintenance of the monodominant Brosimum rubescens forest. The study was undertaken both in a monodominant forest of B. rubescens and in an adjacent seasonal forest in the transitional zone between the Cerrado and the Amazonian forest biomes. Percentage of leaf area damaged and herbivory rates were evaluated on young and mature leaves of seedlings of Brosimum rubescens, Protium pilosissimum and Tetragastris altissima in the understory and in the gap between the monodominant and seasonal forests. Little evidence of any significant relationship between leaf herbivory and seedling density indicates that the monodominant species does not follow the hypothesized pattern of an intensive herbivore attack in areas of higher seedling density. The escape of Brosimum rubescens from herbivore pressure under conditions of high see...