Diagnóstico de qualidade ambiental em unidades de conservação: o caso do Parque Estadual Vitório Piassa

Over time, humanity began to realize the negative impact that the modern world has caused to the environment. The Atlantic Forest is one of the richest biomes in biodiversity, covering more than 60% of all species on the planet. This biome covered about 15% of the Brazilian territory, leaving currently only 7% of its fully fragmented forest remnants. This was the biome that suffered most from modernization and strong anthropogenic pressures in Brazil. For the account of environmental degradation, in the second half of the nineteenth century there was a shift in thinking, giving greater emphasis on conservation of some natural landscapes, with the intention of removing the man still preserved nature. Based on American models of conservation there were created the Nature Conservation Units. This study aimed to analyze the environmental quality of the State Park Vitório Piassa, a Conservation Unit located in the city of Pato Branco - PR. The environmental quality was measured by use of bio-indicators and some environmental pressures that the Park has suffered over the years also were identified. Beetles of the familiy Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were used as the bioindicators. To compare the most conserved areas and the most degraded areas of the Park, three specific sites were defined within the Atlantic Forest fragment, these insects were captured with pitfall traps and identified as to their species and genera. There were two collections in February and March 2015, which resulted in 945 individuals in 22 species and nine different genus. Then the population of beetles in each area were classified based on ecological measures such as species richness, abundance of individuals of each species through diversity index (Shannon and Simpson) to identify the differences between the sampled groups and equitability (Pielou) to measure the distribution of the total abundance of the species in each area. To meet the objective of identifying the environmental pressures that occur in PEVP, evidence were collected through photographs, watching the field, aerial images and conversations with the resident population in the park. Similarly, if made relevant to build on the project running by the municipality for the construction of infrastructure for public viewing. These data served as subsidies to confront the current situation of the park and the current Brazilian legislation for UC's of full protection, highlighting the existing socio-environmental conflicts in the park, involving political issues and the proximity of the Conservation Unit with the urban area of the city.

Contribuição ao conhecimento do gênero Coprophanaeus (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) no Cerrado do Distrito Federal

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, 2015.

Inimigos naturais de solo em sistemas de cultivo de palma de óleo (Elaeis guineensis) no município de Tomé-Açu, PA.

Realizou-se checklist dos principais artrópodes (ênfase em insetos) benéficos de solo em palma de óleo (Elaeis guineensis) cultivada em monocultivo e sistemas agroflorestais (biodiversificados), com diferentes preparos de área sem o uso do fogo, no município de Tomé-Açu, Pará. A captura dos artrópodes nos sistemas estudados foi realizada, mensalmente, entre maio de 2009 e janeiro de 2010, utilizando-se armadilhas tipo Pitfall, que permaneceram em campo por 72 horas. Após esse período, o material coletado foi processado em campo e transportado para o Laboratório de Entomologia da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental em Belém, Pará, onde foi triado, quantificado e identificado ao menor nível taxonômico possível. Os cultivos de palma de óleo biodiversificados não apresentaram diferenças significativas de ocorrência para os principais grupos de inimigos naturais de solo (Araneae, Coleoptera e Hymenoptera), quando comparados com o plantio convencional.

Ecologia alimentar de aves insetívoras de um fragmento de mata decídua do extremo norte da Mata Atlântica

The diet study of birds has contributed historically as a model for use to understanding ecological patterns and strategies used by several other groups of vertebrates, which are observed in season patterns and temporal availability of resources, and other. This study has as objective generate information concerning the diet of insectivorous birds during rainy season and dry season, as well as analyze Index food importance, niche overlap, niche breadth, electivity, and seasonal availability of prey. The study was conducted in a fragment of about 270 ha (center coordinates and 5 º 53'S 35 ° 23'W). The sampling of birds occurred between March 2008 and December 2009 in three pre-established trails. Catches of birds were performed using 10 mist nets placed in line, where each trails was sampled once a month. Samples of pellets were obtained by means of tartar emetic. Sampling of availability of prey occurred between February 2009 to December 2009. We used two methods of sampling (pitfall traps and Shake cloths). We captured 269 individuals of 21 species of insectivorous birds. We collected 4116 invertebrates of which 3259 in the rainy season and 857 in the dry season. We obtained 174 samples stomach, where 10 species were exclusively insectivorous diet, nine fed on insect/plant material, an insect/plant material/vertebrate and one for insect/vertebrate. During the rainy season was observing difference between the consumption of items with higher food importance. The Coleoptera was item with higher food importance (73%), followed by Formicidae (7%) and Araneae (6%). During the dry season, no difference was found difference between the consumption of items with higher food importance. The Coleoptera was item with higher food importance (34%), followed by seeds (29%) and Formicidae (18%). The highest levels of niche overlap occurred during the rainy season, while the dry season was characterized by high levels of niche 11 segregation. This indicates that the local insectivorous birds community was structured differently between periods. No was found correlation between the values of niche breadth to the mean weight of the body size. We observed seasonal patterns in prey availability, with the peak availability of invertebrates observed seasonal patterns in rainy season. The insectivorous birds selected the same species richness during both periods, showing a specialized diet. Thamnophilus pelzelni was the only species that had their diet influenced by seasonality. Regarding the overall diet of insectivorous birds, observed a high consumption of prey, whose food availability caused the birds could invest and increase their food resources

Detecting invertebrate responses to fire depends on sampling method and taxonomic resolution

New knowledge about the responses of species to fire is needed to plan for biodiversity conservation in the face of changing fire regimes. However, the knowledge that is acquired may be influenced by the sampling method and the taxonomic resolution of a study. To investigate these potential sampling biases, we examined invertebrate responses to time since fire in mallee woodlands of southern Australia. Using a large-scale replicated study system, we sampled over 60000 invertebrates with large pitfall traps, wet pitfall traps and sweep nets, and undertook analyses at morphospecies and order level. Large pitfalls and sweep nets detected several strong fire effects, whereas wet pitfall traps detected few effects. Invertebrate abundance in sweep nets was highest shortly after fire because of grasshopper outbreaks. Several additional morphospecies showed strong preferences for different stages in the post-fire succession. In contrast with morphospecies effects, analyses at order level either failed to detect fire effects or were driven by the most abundant species. For fire research to produce credible results with the potential to guide management, it must use a range of sampling techniques and undertake analyses at (morpho)species level. Homogeneous fire management, such as fire suppression in fragmented landscapes or widespread frequent burning for asset protection, is likely to cause declines in fire-affected invertebrates.

Rapid recovery of an urban remnant reptile community following summer wildfire

Reptiles in urban remnants are threatened with extinction by increased fire frequency, habitat fragmentation caused by urban development, and competition and predation from exotic species. Understanding how urban reptiles respond to and recover from such disturbances is key to their conservation. We monitored the recovery of an urban reptile community for five years following a summer wildfire at Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia, using pitfall trapping at five burnt and five unburnt sites. The reptile community recovered rapidly following the fire. Unburnt sites initially had higher species richness and total abundance, but burnt sites rapidly converged, recording a similar total abundance to unburnt areas within two years, and a similar richness within three years. The leaf-litter inhabiting skink Hemiergis quadrilineata was strongly associated with longer unburnt sites and may be responding to the loss of leaf litter following the fire. Six rarely-captured species were also strongly associated with unburnt areas and were rarely or never recorded at burnt sites, whereas two other rarely-captured species were associated with burnt sites. We also found that one lizard species, Ctenotus fallens, had a smaller average body length in burnt sites compared to unburnt sites for four out of the five years of monitoring. Our study indicates that fire management that homogenises large areas of habitat through frequent burning may threaten some species due to their preference for longer unburnt habitat. Careful management of fire may be needed to maximise habitat suitability within the urban landscape.

Registro da opiliofauna em remanescente florestal no estado do Acre.

Os opiliões são aracnídeos inofensivos que participam dos processos ecológicos de ciclagem de nutrientes e decomposição da matéria orgânica, sendo componentes importantes da fauna edáfica, embora, pobremente conhecidos e estudados, principalmente na região amazônica. Este estudo teve como objetivo conhecer a fauna de opiliões presente em um remanescente florestal, localizado no município de Plácido de Castro, AC, no período de agosto de 2014 a agosto de 2015. Para o levantamento foram utilizados dois métodos de coleta: armadilhas pitfall (coleta passiva) e procura livre noturna (coleta ativa). Pelo método de coleta ativa foi capturado um total de 18 opiliões pertencentes às famílias Cosmetidae, Sclerosomatidae e Manaosbiidae, não sendo coletado nenhum espécime pelo método de coleta passiva. A espécie Paraprotus quadripunctatus e os gêneros Geaya e Cynorta foram registrados pela primeira vez no estado do Acre. Ainda, demonstrou-se que o método de coleta ativa "procura livre noturna" é o mais adequado para a realização deste tipo de estudo.

Opiliões (Arachnida: Opiliones) em remanescente florestal no município de Plácido de Castro, AC.

Os opiliões (Arachnida: Opiliones) são aracnídeos com ampla distribuição geográfica, sendo a maior parte das espécies registradas na região Neotropical. Esses organismos possuem baixa capacidade de dispersão, alto grau de endemismo e sensibilidade às mudanças ambientais, também participam da ciclagem da matéria orgânica do solo, visto que muitas espécies possuem o hábito alimentar detritívoro. Dada a importância desses organismos, objetivou-se com esse trabalho prospectar a fauna de opiliões em remanescente florestal localizado no município de Plácido de Castro, AC. Foram utilizados dois métodos de captura: armadilhas pitfall (captura passiva), dispostas em dois transectos, e procura livre noturna (coleta ativa). As armadilhas pitfall consistiram em copos plásticos de 500 mL, contendo uma solução de formaldeído a 1% e gotas de detergente neutro, sendo recolhidas semanalmente. As coletas ativas mensais foram realizadas por quatro pessoas, em um esforço de coleta de 1 h. As espécies de opiliões capturadas foram: Paecilaema marajoara, Paraprotus quadripunctatus, Taito kakera e Cynorta sp. (Cosmetidae); Geaya sp. (Sclerosomatidae) e quatro adultos e um imaturo, pertencentes à família Manaosbiidae. Todos os opiliões registrados nesse levantamento foram capturados pelo método de ?procura livre noturna?, sendo os gêneros Geaya e Cynorta, bem como a espécie P. quadripunctatus, registrados pela primeira vez no estado do Acre.