Diversity of edaphic mites, with emphasis on mesostigmata, on crops and natural vegetation in the cerrado biome in state of Tocantins

• Grant number: 15/14400-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal researcher: Raphael de Campos Castilho
• Grantee: Emiliano Brandão de Azevedo
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Knowledge of soil mite fauna in the various biomes of Brazil is incipient, and in some locations there is no studies, such as the state of Tocantins. One of the most commonly groups found in soils are the mesostigmata, known as potential natural enemies of many phytophagous organisms harmful to Agriculture. The aim of this study is to determine the diversity of the major groups of edaphic mesostigmata on crops and natural vegetation in the cerrado biome of the state of Tocantins. Litter and soil samples will be collected monthly, during one year, in a cerrado region in the Sucupira city, state of Tocantins. These collects will be held in four different areas, an area of natural vegetation, a soybean plantation, a eucalyptus plantation and a pasture area. In each of these areas will be randomly selected 16 sampling points. At each point, a sample will be collected from the litter and a sample in the underlying soil (0-5 cm deep). In the laboratory, the samples collected will be extracted by using the Berlese-Tulgren modified funnel method. The extracted material will be triaged and mesostigmata mites will be mounted on microscopic slides. The mesostigmata specimens will be separated into morphospecies and identified, where possible, at the species level. Of the collected mesostigmata, if new species are found at least two of these will be described. After conducting all collects and identification of mites, abundance and diversity data will be analyzed, taking into consideration a comparison between different months and the different areas of collect. It is expected this project as basis for a future study of the use of some species of mesostigmata found in this work as biological control agents of soil pests. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BRANDAO DE AZEVEDO, EMILIANO; HENRIQUE AZEVEDO, LETICIA; MOREIRA, GRAZIELLE FURTADO; DOS SANTOS, FABIO ARAUJO; DE CARVALHO, MARCOS ALBERTO FRANCISCO; SARMENTO, RENATO DE ALMEIDA; DE CAMPOS CASTILHO, RAPHAEL. Diversity of Soil Gamasine Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata: Gamasina) in an Area of Natural Vegetation and Cultivated Areas of the Cerrado Biome in Northern Brazil. DIVERSITY-BASEL, v. 12, n. 9 SEP 2020. Web of Science Citations: 0.

DE AZEVEDO, EMILIANO B.; SARMENTO, RENATO A.; CASTILHO, RAPHAEL C. A new species of Multidentorhodacarus (Mesostigmata: Rhodacaridae) from Brazil, complementary description of Multidentorhodacarus squamosus Karg and a key to the world species of the genus. SYSTEMATIC AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY, v. 24, n. 2, p. 324-336, FEB 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.