Long-term stability of the hawkmoth fauna (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) in a protected area of Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

Author(s)

Chiquetto-Machado, Pedro I. ^[1] ; Amorim, Felipe W. ^[2] ; Duarte, Marcelo ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Museu Zool, Ave Nazare, 481 Ipiranga, BR-04263000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, LEPI, Rua Prof Dr Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin 250, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION; v. 22, n. 2, p. 277-286, APR 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Hawkmoths are an important component of tropical ecosystems, with significant roles as herbivores and pollinators. These moths can be used as indicators in biodiversity assessments because they can be easily sampled and identified. However, hawkmoths have seldom been surveyed over the long term for this purpose, especially in the Neotropical region. Considering that long-term datasets are of indisputable importance for understanding and monitoring temporal changes in biodiversity, this study assessed long-term changes in the hawkmoth fauna in a protected Atlantic Rain Forest area over a period of 64 years. We used historical and recent empirical datasets to ask whether faunal-diversity patterns and species composition have changed over time. We used individual- and sample-based rarefaction and extrapolation curves based on Hill number (diversity order of q = 0) to compare species richness, and the probability version of the abundance-based Chao-Jaccard index to assess beta diversity over time. To assess changes in faunal composition, we conducted a nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis and performed an analysis of similarities to test whether the community composition has changed. Our results clearly showed long-term stability of the hawkmoth community over the 64 years, despite the growing human-induced landscape changes that occurred in the region surrounding the study area during the last 6 decades. This study emphasizes the importance of large remnants of Atlantic Forest for long-term maintenance of both functional diversity and ecosystem functioning. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/12087-0 - Structure and composition of the light-attracted hawkmoth community (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of the Estação Biológica de Boracéia, Salesópolis, São Paulo
• Grantee: Pedro Ivo Chiquetto Machado
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 11/50225-3 - Natural history, phylogeny and conservation of Neotropical Lepidoptera
• Grantee: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/14682-8 - Biosystematics of lycaenidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from the remnants of Atlantic Rainforest, with emphasis for the Southeastern region of Brazil
• Grantee: Marcelo Duarte da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants