"Analysis of the Influence of Land Cover and Use on the Movement Ecology of Melipona quadrifasciata (Hymenoptera: Apidae)"

• Grant number: 24/04289-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: May 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Rogério Hartung Toppa
• Grantee: Emerice Simplício Mavinga
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para a Sustentabilidade (CCTS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stingless native bees are important ecological agents, being responsible for a large part of the pollination of plant species. The species Melipona quadrifasciata has shown to be sensitive to changes in its natural habitat. In anthropized environments, land use and cover as well as climate can be a limiting factor to the species. Therefore, the adoption of technologies and spatial analysis techniques becomes essential. The NASA's Landsat 8 (OLI/TIRS) and ESA's Sentinel 2A (MSI) satellites are instruments capable of providing data for spatial analyses, with the definition of some land cover and use indices, such as vegetation (NDVI), water (NDWI), construction (NDBI) and surface temperature (TS). In this context, the aim of the project is to understand how these metrics influence the distance threshold and the return capacity of the Melipona quadrifasciata species. The future results obtained may be used for a better understanding of the species' ecology and dispersion patterns in anthropized environments, in addition to contributing to projects aimed at conservation and management.