DEGEO - Departamento de Geologia
URI permanente desta comunidadehttp://www.hml.repositorio.ufop.br/handle/123456789/8
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6 resultados
Resultados da Pesquisa
Item Influence of soil granulometry on average body size in soil ant assemblages : implications for bioindication.(2017) Milanez, Cinthia Borges da Costa; Majer, Jonathan David; Castro, Paulo de Tarso Amorim; Ribeiro, Sérvio PontesSoil granulometric composition can impose constraints on ant species living in ground habitats, being an important factor in defining the habitat templet, which describes how certain animal life histories, including the trait of body size, can be selected. The ant fauna plays a central role in soil formation, and a vast literature describes such influence, but not the converse. Along with termites, worms and other invertebrates, these organisms promote the formation of channels, pores, and aggregates that influence gases and water moving through the soil profile. On the other hand, it is important to understand whether soil traits constrain insect colonization, so we here ask how soil traits can influence niche specificities, which seems to be a neglected ecological issue. A literature search using the key words ‘ants or Formicidae’ and ‘soil structure or pedogenesis’ revealed numerous references dealing with the influence of ants on soil, but not conversely. We here present a novel geomorphologic approach to habitat templets for two distinct riparian Neotropical ecosystems, based on the amalgamation of soil/sediment analysis with ecological processes and ant species biology. We found that predominance of fine grains favoured the preponderance of small ant species at a threshold of <5 mm in body length. Based on this, we propose the use of a quantitative, theoretically sound, statistical approach to bioindication.Item Plant defense against leaf herbivory based on metal accumulation : examples from a tropical high altitude ecosystem.(2016) Ribeiro, Sérvio Pontes; Londe, Vinícius; Bueno, Amauri Pires; Barbosa, Juliana Silveira; Corrêa, Tatiana Lopez; Soeltl, Tatiana Maria; Maia, Márcia; Pinto, Victor D.; Dueli, Grazieli de França; Sousa, Hildeberto Caldas de; Kozovits, Alessandra Rodrigues; Nalini Júnior, Hermínio AriasSpecies that evolved in high-altitude grasslands, where soils are dystrophic and metal rich, developed adaptations for these extreme conditions, such as metal accumulation and sclerophyllous leaves, and these adaptations may secondarily affect insect herbivory activity. The present study investigates the hypothesis that costs related to accumulation of certain metals may be evolutionarily compensated for by decreasing leaf herbivory in some plant species from rupestrian fields. Studies were conducted in different locations at the Ferriferous Quadrangle, a metal-rich region in south-east Brazil, with four species adapted to high-altitude grasslands: Eremanthus erythropappus, Eremanthus incanus, Lychnophora ericoides and Byrsonima variabilis. Sample design varied according to population sizes and spatial distribution of individuals. We found that concentrations of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) significantly reduced the herbivory in the leaves of E. erythroppapus and E. incanus, whereas aluminum (Al) reduced herbivory in L. ericoides, and Mn affected negatively the herbivory in B. variabilis. These results support the hypothesis that metal-accumulating plants, as a response to the harsh environment in which they evolved, are protected against foliar damage caused by insect herbivores in rupestrian fields.Item Ants as bioindicators of natural succession in savanna and riparian vegetation impacted by dredging in the Jequitinhonha River Basin, Brazil.(2010) Milanez, Cinthia Borges da Costa; Ribeiro, Sérvio Pontes; Castro, Paulo de Tarso AmorimWe investigated the response of ant species to landscape and geomorphologic parameters of a long-term (7–11 years) restoration project in the Jequitinhonha River (Northern State of Minas Gerais, Brazil) margins, previously dredged by a diamond mining company. Geomorphological changes from the dredging were severe and the area is unlikely to be adequately restored, mainly due to the negative effects of flooding. Our hypothesis is that ant species assemblages bioindicate successional stages and soil characteristics. We studied the association of effects from the river’s flooding zone, the native vegetation, and sedimentary grain size with that of ant species diversity, abundance, and composition. An ant sampling program was conducted in April 2005, using three methods: baits, pitfall traps, and direct collection. Grain size was measured by sieving. In total, 10,784 ants were sampled, belonging to 7 subfamilies, 24 genera and 45 morphospecies. Ant species richness was greater in the undisturbed savanna area than in the restored habitats, and equivalently greater in the ecotone and intermediate zone habitats than on the river bank, the poorest habitat. Atta sexdens rubropilosa indicated a condition related to small forest remnants having well-structured soil. On the other hand, ants with a body length of under 0.5 cm (Dorymyrmex pyramicus and Pheidole fallax ) predominated in sandy areas, where the majority of the granules were the finest. The lack of organic matter and soil structure for constructing suitable nests may prevent large ants from colonizing such areas, and thus inhibit the advance of natural succession.Item Effect of fire on ant assemblages in brazilian cerrado in areas containing vereda wetlands.(2015) Milanez, Cinthia Borges da Costa; Ribeiro, F. F.; Castro, Paulo de Tarso Amorim; Majer, Jonathan David; Ribeiro, Sérvio PontesCerrado is a biome whose evolution is intimately influenced by constant fire events. Although many species are capable of dealing with this predictable impact, many others may be negatively affected, resulting in community changes after fire. Using ants as bioindicators of changes in biodiversity and environmental conditions, this study evaluated the effects of fire in two Cerrado vegetation types: “cerrado” sensu stricto, a xeric savanna, and wetland “veredas”, a mesic vegetation on floodable soils, where water concentrates and ultimately flows towards rivers. We examined the effects of fire on both habitats in two independent sites, but with special consideration to the wetlands, which are not fully adapted to fire. Ant sampling was conducted twice before and twice after a fire event, using 288 baits and 416 pitfall traps (soil and arboreal), and 16 hand collections along three random replicate transects per area. Ant species richness and abundance were resilient to fire, and exhibited a remarkably consistent seasonal variation at unburned and burned sites. On the other hand, the fire markedly changed the ant species composition. In the wetlands, the fire spread underground due to the high concentration of peat. The impact on ant assemblages was substantial and visually perceptible for some species like Camponotus rufipes, which suffered a considerable reduction in the number of individuals after fire in this habitat. In the cerrado, a similar result was observed for Crematogaster nr. obscurata, which disappeared after fire. The wetland vegetation having little adaptation to fire, plus low resilience in the ant community resulted in a severely changed fauna, both in guild predominance and species composition, and return to an original state is uncertain.Item Are ant assemblages of Brazilian veredas characterised by location or habitat type?(2014) Milanez, Cinthia Borges da Costa; Silva, Glênia Lourenço; Castro, Paulo de Tarso Amorim; Majer, Jonathan David; Ribeiro, Sérvio PontesO ecossistema ribeirinho do Cerrado brasileiro, é conhecido como “vereda”, e é formado em solos arenosos com altas concentrações de turfa, além de serem responsáveis pela recarga dos reservatórios dos aquíferos. Atualmente, as veredas estão sob ameaça de várias atividades humanas, especialmente a supressão da vegetação para plantio de Eucalyptus. Apesar de sua importância ecológica e elevado valor na conservação, pouco se sabe sobre os efeitos das perturbações humanas sobre a comunidade de animais. Para avaliar como que habitats em diferentes veredas e as plantações circundantes afetam a assembleia de formigas, foram selecionadas quatro “veredas” independentes, sendo duas impactadas pela monocultura de eucalipto (uma jovem e uma madura) e duas controles com a planície de inundação circundada por vegetação de cerrado. A coleta das formigas foi realizada em Maio de 2010 (estação seca) por meio de três métodos complementares, iscas atrativas, armadilhas de pitfall e coleta direta, no habitat de planície alagada, e na área circundante. Foi amostrado um total de 7.575 formigas, pertencentes a sete subfamílias, 32 gêneros e 124 espécies. A riqueza e abundância de formigas não diferiram entre as localidades “veredas”, mas sim entre os habitats. Quando impactados pela monocultura, a abundância e a riqueza diminuem nas planícies de inundação, mas os habitats de cerrado foram menos afetados. As plantações de eucalipto têm sua composição de espécies de formigas definida pela alta dominância de Pheidole sp. e Solenopsis invicta, enquanto os habitats naturais foram definidos por espécies deCamponotus e Crematogaster. Atta sexdens foi estritamente relacionada à habitats nativos de “veredas” preservadas. A monocultura de eucalipto requer grandes quantidades de água nos estágios iniciais, o que pode ter provocado a queda no nível do lençol freático nas planícies alagadas, permitindo a colonização deste habitat por espécies de formigas de hábitos hipógeos, como Labidus praedator.Item Annual and seasonal changes in the structure of litter-dwelling ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Atlantic semideciduous forests.(2012) Castro, Flávio Siqueira de; Gontijo, Alexandre Bahia; Castro, Paulo de Tarso Amorim; Ribeiro, Sérvio PontesWe surveyed ant fauna in the leaf litter in an Atlantic Semideciduous forest in the State Park of Rio Doce (PERD). The work aimed to produce basic information about habitat effects on diversity, as well as about how the ant fauna in a such buffered Forest habitat, as the litter layer, could respond the climate variation in a short and long term. We sampled two years in two distinct forest physiognomies, which respond to different geomorphologic backgrounds, in dry and rainy seasons. Species composition, richness and abundance of these forests were distinct.However, both forests hosted similar numbers of rare and specialized, habitat demanding species, thus suggesting both are similarly well preserved, despite distinct physiognomies.However, the lower and more open forest was, more susceptible to dry season effects, showing a steeper decline in species numbers in such season, but similar numbers in the wet seasons. The pattern varied between years, which corroborates the hypothesis of a strongly variable community in response to subtle climatic variation among years. The present results are baselines for future long term monitoring projects, and could support protocols for early warnings of global climatic changes effects on biodiversity.