Selecting terrestrial arthropods as indicators of small-scale disturbance: A first approach in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Autor(es)

Uehara-Prado, Marcio ; Fernandes, Juliana de Oliveira ; Bello, Ayr de Moura ; Machado, Glauco ; Santos, Adalberto J. ; Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Zagury ; Lucci Freitas, Andre Victor

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Biological Conservation; v. 142, n. 6, p. 9-pg., 2009-06-01.

Resumo

The growing pressure placed by human development on natural resources creates a need for quick and precise answers about the state of conservation of different areas. Thus, identifying and making use of ecological indicators becomes an essential task in the conservation of tropical systems. Here we assess the effects of small-scale disturbance on terrestrial arthropods and select groups that could be used as ecological indicators in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Arthropods were sampled within a continuous forest in the Serra do Mar State Park, southeastern Brazil, both in disturbed and undisturbed areas of the reserve. The abundance of exotic species was higher in the disturbed site, and this pattern seems to be an adequate indicator of anthropogenic disturbance. Species richness of Araneae, Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, Staphylinidae, and epigaeic Coleoptera (pooled) was higher in the undisturbed site, while that of fruit-feeding butterflies was higher in the disturbed site. Species richness was not significantly correlated between any pair of taxa. In contrast, species composition was significantly correlated among most groups, and clearly discriminates the disturbed from the undisturbed site. Moreover, fruit-feeding butterflies and epigaeic Coleoptera composition discriminated disturbed and undisturbed sites even when species were grouped into higher taxonomic levels, which may be a way of overcoming the difficulty of identifying arthropod species from poorly studied, species-rich ecosystems. Potential applications for these indicators include the choice and evaluation of sites for the establishment of natural reserves, elaboration of management plans, and the assessment of ecological impacts due to human activities, either for the purposes of licensing or legal compensation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 98/05101-8 - Lepidoptera do Estado de São Paulo: diversidade, distribuição de recursos e uso para análise e monitoramento ambiental
• Beneficiário: Keith Spalding Brown Junior
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 02/00381-0 - Investimento parental e evolução do comportamento sub-social em opiliões da família Gonyleptidae (Arachnida: Opiliones)
• Beneficiário: Glauco Machado
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 03/04868-3 - Biodiversidade de Salticidae (Arachnida, Araneae) da Mata Atlântica: diversidade local, similaridade entre áreas e padrões de distribuição
• Beneficiário: Adalberto José dos Santos
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 04/05269-9 - Borboletas da Mata Atlântica: biogeografia e sistemática como ferramentas de conservação de biodiversidade
• Beneficiário: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores