Insect Galls Protect from Fire

Ecology: “Set fire to the gall: Can the gall protect the galling weevil from fire?” Fire is one of the ‘main causes of habitat disturbance that negatively affects biodiversity, causing changes in vegetation structure and plant biomass as well as disruptions in plant–animal interactions in many terrestrial ecosystems.’ Obviously has wide-ranging consequences for the ecology + evolution of insect herbivores. Direct and immediate effects of fire on individual insects and their populations, including cremation and lethal heat exposure, can be severe and lead to large-scale mortality. “Particularly in less mobile insect species and ontogenetic stages such as eggs, larvae, and pupae, it is possible to expect that the effects of fire will be more severe.” Many insects induce galls, tumors with bulky, atypical plant growth. “Particularly in less mobile insect species and ontogenetic stages such as eggs, larvae, and pupae, it is possible to expect that the effects of fire will be more severe.” Santos et. al. report ‘the first case of galls conferring protection against fire to the gall-inducing Boheman weevil Collabismus clitellae Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The Boheman weevil induces woody galls on Solanum lycocarpum St. Hil. (Solanaceae). S. lycocarpum, locally known as “lobeira” (“wolf’s fruit”), is a shrub that can reach up to 3 m in height and is abundant throughout the Cerrado.’ They randomly sampled these galls after a fire, + were surprised at the approximately 66% larval survival. I am amassing a lot of information on wildfires, in preparation for a fourth climate fiction book, so found this article interesting. Reference: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70083