Ribeiro, Sérvio PontesLonde, ViníciusBueno, Amauri PiresBarbosa, Juliana SilveiraCorrêa, Tatiana LopezSoeltl, Tatiana MariaMaia, MárciaPinto, Victor D.Dueli, Grazieli de FrançaSousa, Hildeberto Caldas deKozovits, Alessandra RodriguesNalini Júnior, Hermínio Arias2017-10-042017-10-042016RIBEIRO, S. P. et al. Plant defense against leaf herbivory based on metal accumulation: examples from a tropical high altitude ecosystem. Plant Species Biology, v. 32, p.147–155, 2016. Disponível em: <https://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1442-1984.12136>. Acesso em: 25 ago. 2017.1442-1984http://www.repositorio.ufop.br/handle/123456789/8860Species that evolved in high-altitude grasslands, where soils are dystrophic and metal rich, developed adaptations for these extreme conditions, such as metal accumulation and sclerophyllous leaves, and these adaptations may secondarily affect insect herbivory activity. The present study investigates the hypothesis that costs related to accumulation of certain metals may be evolutionarily compensated for by decreasing leaf herbivory in some plant species from rupestrian fields. Studies were conducted in different locations at the Ferriferous Quadrangle, a metal-rich region in south-east Brazil, with four species adapted to high-altitude grasslands: Eremanthus erythropappus, Eremanthus incanus, Lychnophora ericoides and Byrsonima variabilis. Sample design varied according to population sizes and spatial distribution of individuals. We found that concentrations of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) significantly reduced the herbivory in the leaves of E. erythroppapus and E. incanus, whereas aluminum (Al) reduced herbivory in L. ericoides, and Mn affected negatively the herbivory in B. variabilis. These results support the hypothesis that metal-accumulating plants, as a response to the harsh environment in which they evolved, are protected against foliar damage caused by insect herbivores in rupestrian fields.en-USrestritoElemental defenseFerriferous QuadrangleRupestrian fieldsInsect–plant interactionsArtigo publicado em periodicohttps://esj-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1442-1984.12136https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12136