The Amazonas‐trap: a new method for sampling plant‐inhabiting arthropod communities in tropical forest understory

Methods to quantify plant‐insect interactions in tropical forests may miss many important arthropods and can be time consuming and uneven in capture efficiency. We describe the Amazonas‐trap, a new method that rapidly envelops the target plant for sampling arthropods. We evaluated the efficiency of the Amazonas‐trap by comparing it with two commonly used sampling methods to collect arthropods from plants: the beating tray and manual collection. Samples were collected in 10 permanent plots, in the Ducke forest reserve, Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil). In each plot we sampled 18 plant individuals of Protium sp. (Burseraceae): six by a beating tray, six by manual collection, and six using the Amazonas‐trap. All insects were identified to the family level and those belonging to the order Hymenoptera were identified to the species and morphospecies level. The new method sampled more insect families and more Hymenoptera species than tree beating and manual collection. Of the 75 total families collected, 20 were sampled exclusively by the Amazonas‐trap, seven were only collected with a beating tray, and seven were sampled exclusively with manual collecting. A similar pattern was found for abundance: Amazonas‐trap sampled more individuals, followed by the beating tray and manual collection. Small and winged arthropods were more abundant in Amazonas‐trap, explaining the highest richness of Hymenoptera and insect families sampled with this method. The new method sampled more spiders, wood‐fungi feeders, sap suckers, omnivorous, parasitoids, and insect predators than the other methods, but was equally effective in sampling leaf‐feeders and ants. Amazonas‐trap was more time consuming in the field, but for all diversity parameters evaluated, the new method showed better performance for collecting invertebrates on plants.     

Economic injury level and sequential sampling plan for Bemisia tabaci in outdoor tomato

Abstract:  This work aimed to determine the economic injury levels and to establish sequential sampling plans for nymphs and adults of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae) in tomato fields. Densities of nymphs and adults, as well as crop yield were evaluated in 13 commercial tomato fields to determine the economic injury levels. The whitefly nymphs were sampled by direct counting in a leaf from the lower part of the canopy and the adults were sampled by beating an apical leaf against a white plastic tray. The sequential sampling plan was based on data collected in eight commercial tomato fields. The validation of the sequential sampling plan was carried out based on the curves of operational characteristics and average sample numbers. The decisions reached with the conventional and the sequential sampling plans in 21 commercial fields were compared for the intended validation of the sequential plan. The economic injury levels were four nymphs per leaf and one adult per tray. The decisions taken based on the sequential sampling plan were similar to those obtained through the conventional sampling plan. Most of the decisions taken with the sequential sampling plan were obtained through the minimum number of seven samples per field for nymphs and 11 samples per field for adults, with reductions of 84.44% and 54.17% in the number of samples required to reach a decision with the sequential sampling plan compared with the conventional sampling plan.     

Structure and vertical stratification of plant galler–parasitoid food webs in two tropical forests

Abstract 1. Networks of feeding interactions among insect herbivores and natural enemies such as parasitoids, describe the structure of these assemblages and may be critically linked to their dynamics and stability. The present paper describes the first quantitative study of parasitoids associated with gall‐inducing insect assemblages in the tropics, and the first investigation of vertical stratification in quantitative food web structure. 2. Galls and associated parasitoids were sampled in the understorey and canopy of Parque Natural Metropolitano in the Pacific forest, and in the understorey of San Lorenzo Protected Area in the Caribbean forest of Panama. Quantitative host–parasitoid food webs were constructed for each assemblage, including 34 gall maker species, 28 host plants, and 57 parasitoid species. 3. Species richness was higher in the understorey for parasitoids, but higher in the canopy for gall makers. There was an almost complete turnover in gall maker and parasitoid assemblage composition between strata, and the few parasitoid species shared between strata were associated with the same host species. 4. Most parasitoid species were host specific, and the few polyphagous parasitoid species were restricted to the understorey. 5. These results suggest that, in contrast to better‐studied leaf miner–parasitoid assemblages, the influence of apparent competition mediated by shared parasitoids as a structuring factor is likely to be minimal in the understorey and practically absent in the canopy, increasing the potential for coexistence of parasitoid species. 6. High parasitoid beta diversity and high host specificity, particularly in the poorly studied canopy, indicate that tropical forests may be even more species rich in hymenopteran parasitoids than previously suspected.     

Effects of mowing frequency on densities of natural enemies in three Pacific Northwest pear orchards

Effects of mowing frequency on ground cover composition and on numbers of predators, parasitoids, and select phytophagous arthropods in the ground cover of three reduced‐insecticide pear orchards were determined. Concurrent samples taken in the tree canopy (with beating trays) and in the herbicide strips on the orchard floor (with pitfall traps) tested whether counts of natural enemies in these two habitats were also affected by mowing regime. A reduction in frequency of mowing from two to three times per month (= control) to once per month or once per growing season led to increased cover of grasses, broadleaf plants, and broadleaf plants in flower. Sweep net samples of natural enemies in the ground cover were dominated numerically by spiders (Araneae), parasitic Hymenoptera, and predatory Heteroptera, with lesser numbers of other taxa (Syrphidae, Neuroptera, Coccinellidae). Predators and parasitoids showed substantial increases in numbers associated with decreased mowing frequency. Sweep net counts of aphids, Lygus spp. (Heteroptera: Miridae), and leafhoppers/planthoppers, all potential prey of predators, also increased significantly with decreased mowing frequency. In the pitfall samples, only the European earwig (Forficula auricularia L.) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) exhibited a change in counts associated with mowing treatment; numbers of earwigs in pitfall traps declined as mowing frequency decreased. For the beat tray samples, mean tray counts for most natural enemy taxa were higher in the less frequently mowed plots, but significantly (P < 0.05) so only for two taxa: spiders and a predatory mirid, Deraeocoris brevis (Uhler) (Heteroptera: Miridae). It remains to be determined whether biological control of pests in the tree canopy can be enhanced by manipulating mowing frequency. Questions raised by this study include whether there is extensive movement by natural enemies between the ground cover and tree canopy, and whether plot size affects the likelihood of showing that mowing frequency influences predator densities in the tree canopy.     

Cacopsylla pyri L. (Hom., Psyllidae) and its predators relationship in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region

Abstract: Sampling techniques for Cacopsylla pyri adults and its predators ( Anthocoris nemoralis, Coccinellidae spp. and Chrysopidae spp.) were comparatively studied over autumn–winter 2000 in three pear orchards of Ferrara Province in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna Region. Bating tray (or frappage), yellow sticky traps and corrugated cardboard traps were employed for insect monitoring while water pan traps were used for the phenological timing of leaf fall. The beating tray provided a more representative sampling method to evaluate the population dynamics and density of C. pyri and its predators than the yellow sticky traps; the corrugated cardboard proved a reliable tool to assess the predator population dynamic in overwintering refuges. Along with climate (temperature) and plant physiological (leaf fall) data, the results reported provide useful information for the scheduling of winter treatments, also in case to control the spread of the mycoplasma-like organism (pear decline) in spring.     

Conventional sampling plan for the green leafhopper Empoasca kraemeri in common beans

Abstract:  A conventional sampling plan for the leafhopper Empoasca kraemeri Ross & Moore (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae) in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is presented based on samples from 51 commercial fields. The research encompassed three phases. The first phase had the objective of determining the most suitable leaf to be used as a precise and representative sampling unit. In the second phase of the project, the available sampling methods for E. kraemeri were compared, including the approach identified in the first phase. In the third phase, the theoretical frequency distribution of the sampling data was assessed and the number of samples necessary for the sampling plan was established. The best leaves to sample adult leafhoppers were the fourth and the fifth from the apex, while the best leaf for sampling nymphs was the fifth from the apex. The best sampling technique for nymphs and adults was the beating of the apical leaves against a plastic tray. The sampling data obtained with this technique were fit to a negative binomial distribution with common aggregation parameter for adults ( K _common = 1.04) and nymphs ( K _common = 0.47). This sampling plan required 16.8 and 31.2 min to be carried out at an expense of US$ 0.31 and US$ 0.54 for sampling adults and nymphs in a field, respectively.     

A survey of hymenopteran parasitoids of forest macrolepidoptera in the central Appalachians

In 1995 and 1996, we conducted a study of the hymenopteran parasitoids of macrolepidopteran larvae in the George Washington National Forest (GWNF), Augusta County, Virginia, and the Monongahela National Forest (MNF), Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Macrolepidopteran larvae were collected from canopy foliage and from under canvas bands placed around tree boles. A total of 115 macrolepidopteran species and 5,235 individual larvae were reared. Forty-two percent (2,221) of the larvae were gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lymantriidae). A total of 43 primary and secondary (hyperparasitoid) hymenopteran parasitoid species were reared from 46 macrolepidopteran species. Hymenopteran families represented included Ichneumonidae (23 species), Braconidae (19), Eulophidae (6), Perilampidae (1), and Trigonalidae (1). We reared 41 and 28 parasitoid species from the GWNF and the MNF, respectively, with 19 species reared from both forests. Many parasitoid species were collected infrequently, suggesting that they are relatively rare on the sampled hosts. The introduced species Cotesia melanoscela (Ratzeburg) (Braconidae), and Euplectrus bicolor (Swederus) (Eulophidae) were among the most commonly reared parasitoids, the latter reared from native hosts. The four most commonly reared native parasitoids were Meteorus hyphantriae, Riley (Braconidae), Microplitis near hyphantriae (Ashmead) (Braconidae), Aleiodes preclarus Marsh & Shaw, and Euplectrus maculiventris (Westwood) (Eulophidae). A total of 53 new hymenopteran parasitoid-macrolepidopteran host records were documented. Results from this study will be used to evaluate long-term treatment effects of regional applications of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, and the gypsy moth fungus Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu & Soper on hymenopteran parasitoids of macrolepidopteran larvae.     

Sampling method affects estimates of population density and reproductive maturity of summer‐form pistachio psyllids

Abstract

In this study, the effects of using three different sampling methods (yellow sticky traps, beating tray, organdy bags) on estimating the distribution through the canopy of the summer‐form adults of the pistachio psyllid (Agonoscena targionii (Licht.)) was investigated throughout the vegetative period. The traps or bags were hung at two heights in the tree canopy, 3.5 m above ground and 2 m above ground. Psyllids were counted weekly, and their sex determined. Adult abundance varied during the study, but all three sampling methods indicated that densities were higher in the upper canopy than the lower canopy. The percentage of females having mature eggs was lowest in late May, and highest in June and September. Sex ratios were highly variable among sampling dates and among sampling methods, at both canopy heights. Sex ratios in bags tended to be more female‐biased in the lower canopy than in the upper canopy. Sticky trap counts were significantly male biased, more so in the upper canopy than in the lower canopy. Mean sex ratios differed significantly between bag and sticky trap samples at both heights, but did not differ significantly between tray and bag samples at either height. In addition, for a given tray or bag count, sticky trap catch of males was larger than catch of females, and was larger in the upper canopy than in the lower canopy. Bag counts (psyllids per leaflet) strongly increased with tray count.

Of the three sampling methods described here, the bag samples provided direct estimates of psyllid numbers per leaflet, but this method is extremely time consuming. Bag counts (psyllids per leaflet) increased with tray count, suggesting that beat trays can be used to estimate absolute densities.     

Phenology of the Predatory Bugs Orius vicinus (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) and Sejanus albisignata (Heteroptera: Miridae) in Otago, New Zealand, Apple Orchards

The phenology of the anthocorid, Orius vicinus and the mirid, Sejanus albisignata , was studied in apple orchards in Otago, New Zealand, from 1995 to 1998. The bugs were sampled on shoot and fruit clusters, and with beating trays and passive sticky traps. Three age classes of each bug were identified in the cluster and tray sampling, while the traps caught only adults. Both cluster and beating tray sampling successfully identified the generations. O. vicinus completed two generations per year with peak numbers of adults of each generation occurring in January and February/March, respectively. A very small partial third generation occurred in the warmest season. Adult females from the second generation overwintered. S. albisignata completed two full generations and a partial third generation each season. Peak adult numbers of each generation occurred, respectively, in December/January, February/March and April/May. S. albisignata overwinters in the egg stage but the proportions of these eggs from the three generations are not known. Both O. vicinus and S. albsignata are polyphagous and a range of their known prey species coexist with them on the apple trees in spring and summer.     

Ground cover and floral resources in shelterbelts increase the abundance of beneficial hymenopteran families

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Toward an optimal sampling protocol for Hemiptera on understorey plants

There are no standardised sampling protocols for inventorying Hemiptera from understorey or canopy plants. This paper proposes an optimal protocol for the understorey, after evaluating the efficiency of seven methods to maximise the richness of Hemiptera collected from plants with minimal field and laboratory time. The methods evaluated were beating, chemical knockdown, sweeping, branch clipping, hand collecting, vacuum sampling and sticky trapping. These techniques were tested at two spatial scales: 1 ha sites and individual plants. In addition, because efficiency may differ with vegetation structure, sampling of sites was conducted in three disparate understorey habitats, and sampling of individual plants was conducted across 33 plant species. No single method sampled the majority of hemipteran species in the understorey. Chemical knockdown, vacuum sampling and beating yielded speciose samples (61, 61 and 30 species, respectively, representing 53, 53 and 26% of total species collected). The four remaining methods provided species-poor samples (<18 species or <16% of total species collected). These methods also had biases towards particular taxa (e.g., branch clipping and hand collecting targeted sessile Hemiptera, and sticky trapping were dominated by five species of Psyllidae). The most time-efficient methods were beating, sweeping and hand collecting (200 minutes of field and laboratory time yielded >7 species for each technique). By comparison, vacuum sampling, sticky trapping, branch clipping and chemical knockdown yielded <5 species for the same period. Chemical knockdown had further disadvantages; high financial cost and potential spray drift. The most effective methods for a standardised sampling protocol to inventory Hemiptera from the understorey are beating and vacuum sampling. If used in combination, these methods optimise the catch of understorey hemipteran species, as their samples have high complementarity.     

Strategies for the Control of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hom.: Aphididae) with Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hym.: Braconidae) in Protected Cucumbers

Aphis gossypii Glover (Hom.: Aphididae) is a damaging pest of protected cucumbers in the UK, and control measures are required which are compatible with other components in the overall cucumber integrated pest management programme. Two methods of establishing the parasitoids, Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hym.: Braconidae), in cucumber crops prior to invasion of the aphids were developed. The first involved weekly releases of small numbers of parasitoids beginning before A. gossypii became established on the plants. The second method used open-rearing units based on maize, wheat and rygrass plants infested with Rhopalosiphum padi L (Hom.: Aphididae), which is a common host to many natural enemies of A. gossypii but not a threat to the cucumber crop. Both methods were found to be more efficient in summer than in late spring. Parasitoid release rates were established for the two control methods at both of these times of the year. Like all biological control measures, these methods will require careful management in practice and some fine-tuning to suit individual crop production systems.     

Estimating gene flow between refuges and crops: a case study of the biological control of Eriosoma lanigerum by Aphelinus mali in apple orchards

Parasitoid disturbance populations in agroecosystems can be maintained through the provision of habitat refuges with host resources. However, specialized herbivores that feed on different host plants have been shown to form host-specialized races. Parasitoids may subsequently specialize on these herbivore host races and therefore prefer parasitizing insects from the refuge, avoiding foraging on the crop. Evidence is therefore required that parasitoids are able to move between the refuge and the crop and that the refuge is a source of parasitoids, without being an important source of herbivore pests. A North-South transect trough the Chilean Central Valley was sampled, including apple orchards and surrounding Pyracantha coccinea (M. Roem) (Rosales: Rosacea) hedges that were host of Eriosoma lanigerum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a globally important aphid pest of cultivated apples. At each orchard, aphid colonies were collected and taken back to the laboratory to sample the emerging hymenopteran parasitoid Aphelinus mali (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). Aphid and parasitoid individuals were genotyped using species-specific microsatellite loci and genetic variability was assessed. By studying genetic variation, natural geographic barriers of the aphid pest became evident and some evidence for incipient host-plant specialization was found. However, this had no effect on the population-genetic features of its most important parasitoid. In conclusion, the lack of genetic differentiation among the parasitoids suggests the existence of a single large and panmictic population, which could parasite aphids on apple orchards and on P. coccinea hedges. The latter could thus comprise a suitable and putative refuge for parasitoids, which could be used to increase the effectiveness of biological control. Moreover, the strong geographical differentiation of the aphid suggests local reinfestations occur mainly from other apple orchards with only low reinfestation from P. cocinnea hedges. Finally, we propose that the putative refuge could act as a source of parasitoids without being a major source of aphids.     

Nondestructive, Stereological Estimation of Canopy Surface Area

Summary .  We describe a stereological procedure to estimate the total leaf surface area of a plant canopy in vivo, and address the problem of how to predict the variance of the corresponding estimator. The procedure involves three nested systematic uniform random sampling stages: (i) selection of plants from a canopy using the  smooth fractionator , (ii) sampling of leaves from the selected plants using the  fractionator , and (iii) area estimation of the sampled leaves using  point counting . We apply this procedure to estimate the total area of a chrysanthemum ( Chrysanthemum morifolium L. ) canopy and evaluate both the time required and the precision of the estimator. Furthermore, we compare the precision of point counting for three different grid intensities with that of several standard leaf area measurement techniques. Results showed that the precision of the plant leaf area estimator based on point counting is high. Using a grid intensity of 1.76 cm²/point we estimated plant and canopy surface areas with accuracies similar to or better than those obtained using image analysis and a commercial leaf area meter. For canopy surface areas of approximately 1 m² (10 plants), the fractionator leaf approach with sampling fraction equal to 1/9 followed by point counting using a 4.3 cm²/point grid produced a coefficient of error of less than 7%. The  smooth fractionator  can be used to ensure that the additional contribution to the estimator variance due to between-plant variability is small.     

Allocation of searching time within the soybean canopy by parasitoids attacking the green cloverworm

We examined the searching behavior of a guild of primary parasitoids which attack the green cloverworm,Plathypena scabra (Fabricius), as well as that of an associated hyperparasitoid. We hypothesized that self-superparasitism is an important constraint on the foraging behavior of primary parasitoids, and therefore these parasitoids should avoid portions of the soybean canopy where parasitized caterpillars accumulate. Conversely, we hypothesized that the hyperparasitoid preferentially searches parts of the canopy where parasitized caterpillars accumulate. In a greenhouse experiment, we found that exposure to parasitoids [eitherCotesia marginiventris (Cresson) orDiolcogaster facetosa Ashmead] resulted in the accumulation of caterpillars lower in the canopy. In a field experiment, we measured the amount of time parasitoids spent searching in each of three strata (upper, middle, bottom) of the soybean canopy. Leaf area in each stratum was used to calculate expected values for search effort. The time spent searching each of the strata was proportional to leaf area for all primary parasitoids, exceptD. facetosa, which spent significantly more time searching the top stratum of plants than predicted by leaf area in that stratum. The hyperparasitoidMesochorus discitergus (Say) tended to search the bottom stratum of the canopy. Thus only one of the three primary parasitoids appears to search in a manner that would reduce its rate of encounter with previously parasitized green cloverworms. The hyperparasitoid searching pattern may increase its probability of encountering parasitized caterpillars, thereby increasing its foraging success.     

三叶草斑潜蝇的寄生蜂及其应用

本文就三叶草斑潜蝇Liriomyza trifolii(Burgess)的寄生蜂种类、生物学特性、寄主选择性和农药对寄生蜂的影响及寄生蜂在生物防治中的应用等方面的研究进展进行了综述。     

Vegetation increases the abundance of natural enemies in vineyards

Non-crop areas can increase the abundance of natural invertebrate enemies on farmland and assist in invertebrate pest control, but the relative benefits of different types of vegetation are often unclear. Here, we investigated abundance of natural enemies in vineyards with edges consisting of different types of vegetation: remnant native forests, wooded margins planted after establishment of the crop (hereafter called shelterbelts), or pasture. Invertebrates were sampled four times using canopy sticky traps and ground level pitfall traps, replicated across two seasons at one of the sites. The distribution and abundance of natural enemies in relation to edges with adjacent vegetation or pasture were mapped by distance indices (SADIE) and compared with ANOVAs. There was a positive influence of adjacent wooded vegetation on staphylinids, predatory thrips, predatory mites, spiders, ladybird beetles and hymenopteran parasitoids including Trichogramma egg parasitoids in the canopy and/or at ground level, although there were significant differences among sites and groups of organisms. In contrast, pasture edges had no effect or a negative effect on numbers of natural enemies in vineyards. To directly assess potential beneficial effects of adjacent vegetation, predation and parasitism of eggs of a vineyard insect pest, Epiphyas postvittana Walker (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), was measured. Parasitism by Trichogramma was higher adjacent to remnant vegetation while predation was not affected. These results indicate that the abundance and distribution of vineyard natural enemies and parasitism of pest moth eggs is increased adjacent to edges with wooded vegetation, leading to beneficial effects for pest control. The conservation of remnant woodland and planting of shelterbelts around vineyards may therefore have direct economic benefits in terms of pest control, whereas non-crop pasture may not produce such benefits.     

Chilli rhizosphere fungus Aspergillus spp. PPA1 promotes vegetative growth of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plants upon root colonisation

A rhizosphere fungus was isolated from roots of chilli plants and identified as Aspergillus spp. PPA1. The fungus was tested for its ability to promote the growth of cucumber plants in a pot experiment. Cucumber seeds were sown in sterilised field soil amended with wheat grain inoculum (WGI) of PPA 1 at the rate of 0.5, 1 and 1.5% w/w, and plants were grown for 21 days in a net house. The treatment with PPA1 significantly increased shoot length, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight, plant length, leaf area and leaf chlorophyll content of cucumber plants compared to non-treated control. The growth promotion rate increased with the increasing concentration of inoculum of PPA1 applied to the soil. The fungus was re-isolated from the roots of cucumber plants at higher frequencies. These results suggest that Aspergillus spp. PPA1 is a root colonising plant-growth promoting fungus for cucumber.     

Native braconid parasitism of the Tarnished plant bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Southern Ontario

Three agricultural regions in southern Ontario (London, Niagara and Guelph) were sampled weekly from May to September for Lygus spp. and their parasitoids in 1998, 1999 and only one region in 2000. Alfalfa was the primary crop sampled, including both “clean” and weedy alfalfa fields. Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) accounted for 99% of all Lygus spp. collected by sweepnet. Lygus lineolaris had two generations (mid-June and late July) on alfalfa with a partial third generation in early September which contributes to the over-wintering adults. In 1998 and 2000, an early first generation peak of Lygus nymphs was observed in mid-May on the weeds, chickweed and shepherd's purse. Overall rates of parasitism (from dissections) for native parasitoids were consistent from year to year and the means of the three regions in each growing season were below 11%. Both nymphs and adult Lygus were parasitized, with the highly mobile adults being a potential means of dispersing the parasitoids. In general weedy fields were more highly parasitized than fields of weed-free alfalfa. Six species of native braconid parasitoids were collected from L. lineolaris in southern Ontario (in decreasing order of occurrence): Peristenus pallipes (Curtis), Peristenus pseudopallipes (Loan), Leiophron lygivorus (Loan), L. solidaginis Loan, L. uniformis (Gahan), and Leiophron sp. near brevipetiolatus Loan. The large populations of Lygus and the low percent baseline parasitism in southern Ontario, particularly of second generation Lygus, support the need for introduction of a multivoltine parasitoid species in this region.     

Gall-forming and free-feeding herbivory along vertical gradients in a lowland tropical rainforest: the importance of leaf sclerophylly

In contrast to most insect guilds, gall-forming insects are thought to reach highest diversity on sclerophyllous vegetation, such as Neotropical savannas and Mediterranean vegetation types. The water and nutrient stress endured by meristems of canopy trees in tall wet tropical rainforests may cause leaf sclerophylly. Hence, the upper canopies of such ecosystems may represent a suitable habitat for gall-forming insects. At the San Lorenzo Protected Area, Panama, we estimated free-feeding herbivory and gall densities within five sites in 2003 and 2004, by surveying leaves in vertical and horizontal transects. In each sample, we recorded leaf density (mature and young foliage), free-feeding herbivore damage and number of galls, including the presence of live larvae, parasitoids or fungi. We surveyed 43 994 leaves, including 231 plants and 73 tree and liana species. We collected 5014 galls from 17 host-plant species, including 32 gall species of which 59% were restricted to the canopy (overall infestation rates: 2.4% in 2003, 5.5% in 2004). In 2003, 16% of the galls were occupied by live larvae, against 5% in 2004. About 17–20% of leaves surveyed suffered from free-feeding herbivory. Leaf sclerophylly increased significantly with sampling height, while free-feeding herbivory decreased inversely. Conversely, the number of live galls collected in the canopy was 13–16 times higher than in the understorey, a pattern consistent across sites and years. Hence, the probability of gall survivorship increased with increasing leaf sclerophylly as death by fungi, parasitoids or accidental chewing were greater in the understorey. Increasing harsh ecophysiological conditions towards the upper canopy appear favourable to galls-forming population maintenance, in support of the hypothesis of harsh environment. Hence, gall diversity and abundance in the upper canopy of tall tropical forests are perhaps among the highest in the world.