RODRIGO LOPES FERREIRA* and MARCONI SOUZA SILVA Laboratório de Ecologia e Comportamento de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP 2486, 30161 970, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brazil; *Author for... more
RODRIGO LOPES FERREIRA* and MARCONI SOUZA SILVA Laboratório de Ecologia e Comportamento de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, CP 2486, 30161 970, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brazil; *Author for correspondence (e-mail: drops@ ...
Research Interests:
Spatial and temporal fluctuations of the abundance of Neotropical cave-dwelling... 47 Spatial and temporal fluctuations of the abundance of
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Em todo o mundo muito pouco se sabe sobre um grande numero de microhabitats discretos ou efemeros como troncos, fezes, carcacas, frutos e abrigos sob rochas. Alguns estudos tem elucidados os mesmos como importantes locais para a... more
Em todo o mundo muito pouco se sabe sobre um grande numero de microhabitats discretos ou efemeros como troncos, fezes, carcacas, frutos e abrigos sob rochas. Alguns estudos tem elucidados os mesmos como importantes locais para a manutencao da biodiversidade de invertebrados. No intuito de auxiliar no entendimento do funcionamento e estrutura das comunidades nestes ambientes, foram analisados os invertebrados associados a troncos caidos em meio a uma floresta urbana. Parâmetros fisico-quimicos, como rugosidade da casca, volume de materia orgânica particulada, umidade e materia orgânica da madeira, tambem foram mensuradas em todos os locais de coleta. Foram amostrados 12 fragmentos de 4 troncos caidos, onde se coletou 3.016 individuos distribuidos em 128 morfoespecies das ordens Nematoda, Oligochaeta, Tardigrada, Isopoda, Pauropoda, Symphyla, Polyxenida, Diplopoda, Acari, Araneae, Opiliones, Pseudoescorpiones, Protura, Collembola, Blattaria, Ensifera, Dermaptera, Isoptra, Embioptera, ...
Research Interests:
Durante um periodo de 21 meses (fevereiro/08 a outubro/09) avaliou-se as frequencias de nidificacao de vespas e abelhas solitarias, o parasitismo associado as suas especies e invasores de seus ninhos na Reserva Biologica Unilavras... more
Durante um periodo de 21 meses (fevereiro/08 a outubro/09) avaliou-se as frequencias de nidificacao de vespas e abelhas solitarias, o parasitismo associado as suas especies e invasores de seus ninhos na Reserva Biologica Unilavras Boqueirao, Ingai, MG (21o 14’ 59” S / 44o 59’ 27” W). As especies foram amostradas por meio de ninhos-armadilha. As armadilhas foram confeccionadas em gomos de bambu, instalados em hastes de PVC e dispostos em transectos a cinco metros equidistantes. Em cada haste foram fixados tres ninhos nas alturas de 0,56 m, 1,13 m e 1,70 m do solo nas fitofisionomias de Mata Ciliar, Cerrado stricto sensu e Borda de Mata. Os ninhos foram inspecionados quinzenalmente. Foram fundados 221 ninhos pertencentes a seis especies de vespas e tres de abelhas. Destes, 123 ninhos foram colonizados no Cerrado stricto sensu, 51 na Borda de Mata Ciliar e 47 no interior da Mata Ciliar. Tres especies predominaram nas areas: Isodontia sp. (35% do total de ninhos fundados), seguida por T...
Research Interests: Biology and Bioscience
Research Interests:
O presente trabalho pretende oferecer para educadores em educacao ambiental, de maneira significativa, uma estrategia de abordagem para os ambientes cavernicolas, tendo em vista a complexidade e fragilidade de tal ecossistema. Tem como... more
O presente trabalho pretende oferecer para educadores em educacao ambiental, de maneira significativa, uma estrategia de abordagem para os ambientes cavernicolas, tendo em vista a complexidade e fragilidade de tal ecossistema. Tem como ponto de partida a cartilha elaborada por Ferreira et al. (2008) “Aventura da Vida nas Cavernas” direcionada para o publico infantil. Seu principal objetivo e criar, com essa estrategia, uma forma de maior apropriacao do conhecimento cientifico em relacao a utilizacao e preservacao do ambiente subterrâneo e despertar o interesse dos alunos do Ensino Fundamental na rede estadual de ensino para a visitacao consciente desses espacos. A estrategia elaborada foi desenvolvida a partir da apresentacao da cartilha incluindo conceitos cientificos relacionados com cada passagem da estoria apresentada. Dessa maneira, a utilizacao da cartilha nao ficara restrita ao seu carater ludico, podendo ser trabalhado os conceitos de acordo com a faixa etaria do trabalho. A...
Research Interests:
Inadequate land use and the overexploitation of natural resources are causing serious impacts on cave environments and therefore works that propose conservation actions become necessary. The objective of the present study was to gather... more
Inadequate land use and the overexploitation of natural resources are causing serious impacts on cave environments and therefore works that propose conservation actions become necessary. The objective of the present study was to gather information on the invertebrate fauna of seven caves in the region of Arinos, in the northwest of Minas Gerais state, proposing priorities and conservation measures. A total of 374 species were registered, seven with troglomorphic traits. The expansion of agricultural practices and the pollution of water bodies are the most worrisome threats. The recovery of the cave surroundings and the awareness of nearby landowners are priority actions to be developed. The creation of reserves and corridors make up alternatives for the conservation of this important heritage.
Research Interests:
Tourism activity affects the cave's physical environment in several ways, such as damaging speleothems, altering the cave structure for ease of access, and the shifting of cave microclimate. Nevertheless, it is less clear how the... more
Tourism activity affects the cave's physical environment in several ways, such as damaging speleothems, altering the cave structure for ease of access, and the shifting of cave microclimate. Nevertheless, it is less clear how the pressure of touristic activities affects the cave fauna. This study aimed to investigate the effects from tourism activities on the cave invertebrate fauna from Gruta de Lanquín Cave (Alta Verapaz, Guatemala). For this, quadrats were placed throughout the cave, where invertebrates were sampled and substrate features were measured. Results showed that the community structure differed among touristic and non‐touristic areas of the cave and the troglobitic species are structured differently than the rest of the invertebrate community in the cave. It was detected that the pathways designated for touristic use have different substrate features than their adjacent areas. In order to maintain the conservation of the invertebrate species, several management rec...
Research Interests:
The region of Lagoa Santa stands out as the cradle of studies on epigean and subterranean ecology in Brazil. The subterranean habitats in the Lagoa Santa Karst area are structurally and biologically diverse, especially due to the wide... more
The region of Lagoa Santa stands out as the cradle of studies on epigean and subterranean ecology in Brazil. The subterranean habitats in the Lagoa Santa Karst area are structurally and biologically diverse, especially due to the wide variety of macro and microhabitats and food resources availability for the fauna. The observed biodiversity is a consequence of the distinct conditions of isolation, atmospheric stability, food availability, and the presence of dry and wet subterranean habitats. In terms of obligate cave fauna, the Lagoa Santa karst tends to present a moderate richness in absolute numbers (41 spp.) but low richness in relative terms (0.48 species per cave). However, such numbers were counted from inventories conducted in approximately 80 out of the 900 caves, so that many other species may still be discovered. The four described troglobites are Brasilomma enigmatica, Tisentnops onix, Charinus taboa, and Spelunconiscus castroi, but 37 other sampled troglomorphic species...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
O presente estudo buscou avaliar a estrutura das comunidades de invertebrados terrestres em quatro cavernas calcarias no municipio de Dianopolis, estado do Tocantins. Alem da composicao da fauna, riqueza, diversidade e similaridade... more
O presente estudo buscou avaliar a estrutura das comunidades de invertebrados terrestres em quatro cavernas calcarias no municipio de Dianopolis, estado do Tocantins. Alem da composicao da fauna, riqueza, diversidade e similaridade temporal e espacial entre as cavernas, foram qualificados os recursos orgânicos macroscopicos e as alteracoes de origem antropica no interior e entorno das cavidades (250m). Em coletas nos periodos de seca e chuva realizadas em junho e novembro de 2012 foram observados 431 especies de invertebrados pertencentes a pelo menos 97 familias. Os taxons Hexapoda (281 spp), Arachnida (112 spp) e Myriapoda (23 spp) apresentaram as maiores riquezas, sendo as ordens Coleoptera (70 spp), Araneae (62 spp), Diptera (54 spp), Hymenoptera (49 spp) e Acari (30 spp) as mais ricas. Dentre as especies de invertebrados encontradas, um Isopoda (Styloniscidae), um Coleoptera (Scydmaeninae), duas especies de aranhas (Nesticidae e Symphytognathidae – Anapistula sp.), uma especie ...
In the last decade, the scientific community brought to the debate gaps that slow down the advance of knowledge regarding global biodiversity. More recently, this discussion has reached subterranean environments, where these gaps are even... more
In the last decade, the scientific community brought to the debate gaps that slow down the advance of knowledge regarding global biodiversity. More recently, this discussion has reached subterranean environments, where these gaps are even more dramatic due to the relict and vulnerable nature of their species. In this context, we tested ecological metrics related to some of these gaps, checking if the biological relevance of the caves would change depending on ecological attributes related to each metric. The study was carried out in caves from southeastern Brazil, located in a region presenting a high richness of troglobitic species restricted to a narrow geographical extent. Thus, we verified: (a) the cave invertebrate communities’ vulnerability with the Vulnerability Index and the Importance Value for Cave Conservation; (b) the distribution and endemicity of the troglobitic species with the Endemicity Index; (c) the phylogenetic diversity of the troglobitic species considering the...
The Brazilian cave fauna began to be more intensely studied from the 1980s, and has since grown the number of publications on the Ecology of caves in the country. In this study we evaluate the composition, richness, abundance, diversity... more
The Brazilian cave fauna began to be more intensely studied from the 1980s, and has since grown the number of publications on the Ecology of caves in the country. In this study we evaluate the composition, richness, abundance, diversity and similarity of invertebrate communities in 11 limestone caves located in Vazante, state of Minas Gerais. 43079 individuals were observed, distributed in 362 morpho-species. Diptera, Aranae and Coleoptera were those taxa with largest richness. Lapa Nova presented the largest richness (157 spp.). Of the total invertebrates collected 2.5% exhibited troglomorphic characteristics. Of total caves collected 45% exhibited species of invertebrates with troglomorphic characteristics. Compared to other studies in Brazil, the caves have high species total richness and troglomorphic species. However, estimates of species (Jack-knife 1) revealed a potential number larger than the presented in this study (63.7% of expected).
The present study aimed to evaluate the distribution of sand fly species in iron ore caves in the State of Para, Brazil and to associate the richness and abundance of these insects with the capacity of leishmaniasis transmission.... more
The present study aimed to evaluate the distribution of sand fly species in iron ore caves in the State of Para, Brazil and to associate the richness and abundance of these insects with the capacity of leishmaniasis transmission. Entomological captures were carried out in the years 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015, throughout active samples with brushes, along the entire caves’ extension, in dry and rainy periods. A total of 9,807 sand flies were counted during the 532 samplings events, being 4,340 in the dry period and 5,467 in the rainy period. A random sample of 802 morphologically identified specimens consisted of 8 genera and 17 species, being 369 males (46%) and 433 females (54%). The predominant species was Sciopemyia sordellii with 60.6% of the total of sand flies collected. Differences in composition and richness were observed between caves located inside of forest and anthropized areas. The mean richness and abundance were different between the wet and rainy periods, with a great...
In karstic environments, water recharge areas are characterized by external features that capture and convey the surface water to subterranean compartments. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the short term... more
In karstic environments, water recharge areas are characterized by external features that capture and convey the surface water to subterranean compartments. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the short term natural water level fluctuations on the composition and abundance of the zooplankton and ichthyofauna inside two limestone caves. Zooplankton was sampled with filterings nets (120μm) and fish, with trawl nets, gillnets, wicker trap and hand nets. In both caves the rainwater is filtered through the exokarst directly above the caves and drips from speleothems. It can also come in flash floods, be filtered by the soil, or come through dolines, partially flooding the floors of the caves on its way to supply the water table. Through flooding clay, trunks, leaves and bovine feces are transported that accumulate on the floor of the caves. Three groups of invertebrate zooplankton were found in the two caves (Copepoda, Protozoa and Rotifera) and 3 benthic/ne...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT The threat addressed to tropical biomes such as the Brazilian Cerrado leads to an urgent need for understanding the natural history of plant-insect interactions within ecosystems. Byrsonima verbascifolia is an evident Cerrado... more
ABSTRACT The threat addressed to tropical biomes such as the Brazilian Cerrado leads to an urgent need for understanding the natural history of plant-insect interactions within ecosystems. Byrsonima verbascifolia is an evident Cerrado plant found to be economically and culturally important. This plant species is commonly found in that biome, showing a close association with insects since their flower buds and inflorescences contain attractive oil glands for a wide variety of them. In this study, we investigated whether communities of flower-visiting insects and ants associated with B. verbascifolia in the flower bud phase differ from those in the flowering phase. The abundance, richness and diversity of insect visitors to flower buds were similar in relation to inflorescences. However, low similarity of the composition of bud/inflorescence-visiting insects was observed. On the other hand, ants associated with plants in the anthesis phase showed a significantly higher abundance in relation to plants with flower buds, although the diversity was similar in both phases. Ant richness was higher in plants containing greater proportions of open inflorescences than buds, although this difference was only marginally significant. The ant community similarity in plants with buds and inflorescences was higher. Results suggest that different available resources (oil, pollen and petals) in buds and inflorescences of B. verbascifolia recruit a community of insect visitors with distinct composition, which was less affected in relation to the ant community. These findings show that visitors and ants do not use the same flower resource, once there are differences in terms of resources available in both flower buds and inflorescence stages.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The definition of priority for conservation becomes an emergency because habitat loss and degradation are among the main impacts on karst landscapes. In this sense, the present study aimed to evaluate the priorities for cave conservation... more
The definition of priority for conservation becomes an emergency because habitat loss and degradation are among the main impacts on karst landscapes. In this sense, the present study aimed to evaluate the priorities for cave conservation through the combination of indexes that use species richness, species distribution, and proportion of the deforested area (PDA). The caves presented 287 non-troglobitic species and 37 species (11.7 %) with troglomorphic traits that are distributed in 50 % of the caves. The caves also present a high phylogenetic and functional diversity of terrestrial, aquatic, and amphibious cave-restricted species, including many predators, scavengers, and one phytophagous species, most of them presenting remarkable specialized traits and restrict distribution in a few caves and in specific biotopes. The PDA were positively related to the distance from the limestone outcrop, because of the restrictive landforms for agropastoral activities. At least two caves present extremely high priority for conservation (Baixao and Baixa da Fortuna caves), while four caves present high priority, and almost all others require at least a conservation action. Suggestively, in this specific case, a coherent strategy was shown to maintain the preserved vegetation around the caves, improving the restoration of small fragments and minimizing alterations. Despite the results of the indices, the singularity of the area regarding the taxonomic and functional diversity of troglobites also reinforces the urgent need for conservation actions.
Research Interests:
Species richness of cave invertebrate communities was analyzed in five caves located in the MambaiBuritinopolis-Damianopolis-Posse Karstic complex, northeastern Goias state, Brazil. The geological and trophic descriptions of each cave are... more
Species richness of cave invertebrate communities was analyzed in five caves located in the MambaiBuritinopolis-Damianopolis-Posse Karstic complex, northeastern Goias state, Brazil. The geological and trophic descriptions of each cave are also presented. At least 81 morpho-species belonging to 65 families of Acarina, Araneida, Opilionida, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpionida, Scorpionida, Isopoda, Symphyla, Scutigeromorpha, Polydesmida, Spirostreptida, Coleoptera, Collembola, Diptera, Dictyoptera, Ephemeroptera, Ensifera, Heteroptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera, Lepidoptera, Megaloptera, Plecoptera, Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Trichoptera, Zygentoma and Tricladida were collected. The caves usually possess high resource availability (since they are hydrologically active). The caves of the area are considerably preserved, with invertebrate communities in varied complexity states. The communities of these caves undoubtedly deserve care, since the area is extremely important in the Brazilian biospele...
Chrestas capigera (Less.) Gardner is an important medicinal herb which, however, has been poorly studied for its biology and ecology. This study aimed to investigate its phenology, floral biology, reproductive biology (self-pollination... more
Chrestas capigera (Less.) Gardner is an important medicinal herb which, however, has been poorly studied for its biology and ecology. This study aimed to investigate its phenology, floral biology, reproductive biology (self-pollination tests), spatial distribution and correlations between phenophases and climatic data in two sites (Cerrado stricto sensu and Campo rupestre) in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. From August of 2012 to August of 2013, we monitored phenophase occurrence for 70 individuals: emission of new leaves, flowering, production of immature fruits, and mature fruits. Floral anthesis occurred during daytime and remained all day until fruit formation. Peak leaf emergence was observed in April, correlating with minimum monthly temperature and mean monthly precipitation. Flowering and green fruit peaked in May and June, respectively, and correlated negatively with all climatic variables. Mature fruits peaked in June, but did not correlate significantly with any of the cli...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Wynberg Cave System, located on the Cape Peninsula, represents one of the most significant sites of cave fauna in southern Africa. However, the continuous increase in cave visitation is severely impacting the system as evidenced by... more
The Wynberg Cave System, located on the Cape Peninsula, represents one of the most significant sites of cave fauna in southern Africa. However, the continuous increase in cave visitation is severely impacting the system as evidenced by graffiti, the trampling and destruction of cave habitats and even a reduction in the sizes of bat colonies. In October 2019, the Wynberg Cave System was visited by a group of scientist, who discovered unregistered troglomorphic species. This, subsequently increased the number of troglobites occurring in the system to 19, which likely means that this system has the potential to become the first hotspot of subterranean biodiversity in Africa. Protecting the Wynberg Cave System is therefore of great importance. Here, we propose short and long-term strategies that include educating local communities on the importance of conserving caves and installing gated entrances.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Several studies have tried to elucidate the main environmental features driving invertebrate community structure in cave environments. They found that many factors influence the community structure, but rarely focused on how substrate... more
Several studies have tried to elucidate the main environmental features driving invertebrate community structure in cave environments. They found that many factors influence the community structure, but rarely focused on how substrate types and heterogeneity might shape these communities. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess which substrate features and whether or not substrate heterogeneity determines the invertebrate community structure (species richness and composition) in a set of limestone caves in Guatemala. We hypothesized that the troglobitic fauna responds differently to habitat structure regarding species richness and composition than non-troglobitic fauna because they are more specialized to live in subterranean habitats. Using 30 m2 transects, the invertebrate fauna was collected and the substrate features were measured. The results showed that community responded to the presence of guano, cobbles, boulders, and substrate heterogeneity. The positive relat...
Research Interests:
Twenty caves located in a high altitudinal quartzite area in Brazil were examined for invertebrate richness and composition and in terms of environmental factors that determine community structure. We evaluate how distance, altitude, cave... more
Twenty caves located in a high altitudinal quartzite area in Brazil were examined for invertebrate richness and composition and in terms of environmental factors that determine community structure. We evaluate how distance, altitude, cave extension, environmental stability, number and size of cave entrances and stream presence can act on species composition and richness. The caves presented a high richness of troglophilic (463 spp.) and troglobitic species (6 spp.) in relation to other siliciclastic caves around the world. The average richness was 39.55 species per cave (sd = 21.87), the quantitative similarity among caves was 41% and turnover was βrepl. = 0.769. Araneae (20% of the sampled species), Diptera (18%) and Coleoptera (14%) were the dominant orders regarding species richness. Only twenty percent of the caves were placed out of the confidence interval of the average taxonomic distinctness (∆+); however, the ∆+ decreased with the increase of environmental stability. Cave ex...
Research Interests:
Figure 5 from: Souza Silva M, Iniesta LFM, Lopes Ferreira R (2020) Invertebrates diversity in mountain Neotropical quartzite caves: which factors can influence the composition, richness, and distribution of the cave communities? Subterranean Biology 33: 23-43. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.33....more
Figure 4 from: Souza Silva M, Iniesta LFM, Lopes Ferreira R (2020) Invertebrates diversity in mountain Neotropical quartzite caves: which factors can influence the composition, richness, and distribution of the cave communities? Subterranean Biology 33: 23-43. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.33....more
Figure 3 from: Souza Silva M, Iniesta LFM, Lopes Ferreira R (2020) Invertebrates diversity in mountain Neotropical quartzite caves: which factors can influence the composition, richness, and distribution of the cave communities? Subterranean Biology 33: 23-43. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.33....more
Figure 2 from: Souza Silva M, Iniesta LFM, Lopes Ferreira R (2020) Invertebrates diversity in mountain Neotropical quartzite caves: which factors can influence the composition, richness, and distribution of the cave communities? Subterranean Biology 33: 23-43. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.33....more
Figure 1 from: Souza Silva M, Iniesta LFM, Lopes Ferreira R (2020) Invertebrates diversity in mountain Neotropical quartzite caves: which factors can influence the composition, richness, and distribution of the cave communities? Subterranean Biology 33: 23-43. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.33....more
The genus Brasilomma gen. nov. is described to include B. enigmatica sp. nov. collected in three caves from the state ofMinas Gerais, Brazil. This genus can be distinguished from the remaining South American Prodidomidae by the malepalps... more
The genus Brasilomma gen. nov. is described to include B. enigmatica sp. nov. collected in three caves from the state ofMinas Gerais, Brazil. This genus can be distinguished from the remaining South American Prodidomidae by the malepalps with large triangular projection, covering the base of the embolus, the distal border of the tegulum projected overthe base of the conductor and median apophysis and by the female epigynum with blind, posterior atrium and anteriorlywidened copulation ducts arising from an internal, mushroom-shaped plate. In addition, aspects of the species natural history are described.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
RESUMO Estudos acerca de comunidades presentes em cavernas areníticas no Brasil são raros. Neste trabalho são apresentados dados sobre a riqueza de espécies, estrutura das comunidades, além da proposição de manejo para utilização... more
RESUMO Estudos acerca de comunidades presentes em cavernas areníticas no Brasil são raros. Neste trabalho são apresentados dados sobre a riqueza de espécies, estrutura das comunidades, além da proposição de manejo para utilização turística de três cavernas da região de Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso. Nestas cavernas foram encontradas 186 espécies, sendo 139 presentes na caverna Aroê Jari, 72 espécies na caverna Kiogo Brado e 8 espécies na caverna Lago Azul. Além disto, foram encontradas espécies troglomórficas na caverna Aroê Jari (3 spp.) e Kiogo Brado (2spp). O turismo nestas cavidades deve ser conduzido em locais restritos, como áreas onde não haja grande riqueza de espécies ou elevada concentração de indivíduos de diferentes espécies. A implementação de manejo em cavernas é importante para a manutenção e preservação da biota presente em sistemas subterrâneos. Palavras-chave: cavernas areníticas, invertebrados, manejo, turismo e conservação. ABSTRACT Studies concerning invert...