Insect-plant interaction in Cratylia argentea (Desv.) Kuntze: ecological
and morphoanatomical aspects.
nsect-plant interaction, Cratylia argentea, Fabaceae, Papilionoideae,
bioindicators, secretory structures
The genus Cratylia has five species (C. bahiensis, C. hypargyrea, C. intermedia, C.
mollis and C. argentea), belonging to the family Fabaceae, subfamily Papilionoideae and
has wide distribution in South America, especially in Brazil in the Biomes Caatinga,
Cerrado and Amazon. Cratylia argentea is adapted to dry regions and dystrophic soils, and
has the largest territorial dispersion within the genus. It has potential as green manure,
forage, in the recovery of degraded areas and source of nectar and pollen. It is resistant to
water stress and because it remains green throughout the year, it serves as a habitat for
various organisms. Preliminary studies (UFRRJ Dissertation - Potential of Cratylia
argentea (Desvaux) O. Kuntze (Fabaceae), in the Full Flowering Stage, in the Conservation
of Beneficial Arthropods in the Cerrado Mineiro Portrayed by Digital Photography) indicate
that this plant has potential as a bioindicator of environmental quality.
The present project proposes to deepen the understanding of the effects of vegetation
cover of three distinct areas (urban, semi-urban and rural) in the Cerrado Mineiro on the
diversity of arthropods hosting C. argentea, recorded by digital photography in the years
2020 and 2021 in the central region of Minas Gerais. One of the hypotheses is that C.
argentea has the potential to support the assessment of environmental quality from the
arthropods recorded there. Additionally, morphoanatomical analyses of the secretory
structures (extrafloral and floral nectaries) involved in the insect-plant interaction
(mutualism) in C. argentea will be carried out