SUPER-REPRESENTAÇÃO DO CERRADO EM ESTUDOS SOBRE PLANTAS COM NECTÁRIOS EXTRAFLORAIS: PADRÃO BIOLÓGICO OU VIÉS CIENTÍFICO?

Abstract

Plants with extrafloral nectaries possess glands that produce nectar outside the flowers, attracting ants that act as “bodyguards” against herbivores. Although this type of interaction has been widely studied, there are still gaps in records regarding its geographic distribution, as well as regions that are over-represented. This study aimed to understand why the Cerrado appears so frequently in research on interactions between ants and plants with extrafloral nectaries in Brazil. According to our hypothesis, this pattern is due to the greater number of researchers affiliated with institutions in the Cerrado and the preference for conducting research in this biome. Following and adapting the PRISMA protocol for conducting systematic research, we filtered and analyzed 144 articles published since 1979, which showed that studies on plants with extrafloral nectaries (interacting with ants) were conducted in 58 different municipalities. The Cerrado consistently stood out as the most studied biome both in number of publications (69%), locations where plants were sampled (60% of the municipalities), and consequently in species richness (39% of the flora). Furthermore, most researchers affiliated with institutions within the biome conducted studies locally, reinforcing the representativeness of the biome in relation to plants with extrafloral nectaries. The distribution of studies within the Cerrado was highly uneven, with some locations being significantly more studied than others. The data reveal that the prominence of the Cerrado in scientific records reflects more the geographic concentration of investments and research efforts than, necessarily, a real biological difference in the occurrence of plants with extrafloral nectaries. This scenario highlights the need to direct scientific attention toward historically under-sampled biomes. By decentralizing sampling and academic efforts, we not only reduce spatial biases, but also build a broader, more representative, and more accurate understanding of the diversity of ecological interactions throughout the Brazilian territory with this functional group of plants.