HOST SPECIFICITY: ECOLOGICAL PATTERNS OF PHYTOPHAGOUS INSECTS IN TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS

Abstract

There is considerable variation between different estimates of global insect species diversity, and one of the causes for this is a paucity of knowledge about the host specificity of phytophagous insects, chiefly from tropical regions. Thus, the objective of the present review is to assess the state of knowledge about host specificity of tropical phytophagous insects while discussing the current trends of estimates of global insect diversity. Some recent publications present conflicting records of the host specificity of phytophagous insects, and studies dealing with the matter in the many tropical biomes are still scarce. Given the great species richness in the tropics and the current limited knowledge about the ecology of the vast majority of tropical insects, a number of investigations and studies are needed for a better evaluation of the tendencies of the present global insect species diversity estimates.