Influência da riqueza e composição de espécies de formigas na remoção de sementes em floresta nativa e eucaliptal

• Autor(a) principal: Dornelas, Lucas Gonçalves
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: LOCUS Repositório Institucional da UFV
• Texto Completo: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/3939
• topic: Biodiversidade; Formigas; Remoção de sementes; Floresta nativa; Floresta de Eucalyptus; Pheidole radoszkowskii; Biodiversity; Ants; Removal of seeds; Native forest; Eucalyptus forest; Pheidole radoszkowskii; CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::ECOLOGIA

The intensification and expansion of human activities have increased the loss of species in various habitats, which has directed researches to a new area of knowledge that investigates the influence of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning. This study assessed whether the species richness and composition of ants positively affect the seed removal rate of from native and implanted environments (Eucalyptus forests). Two hypotheses were tested: (i) higher species richness positively affects the ecosystem functioning, increasing seed removal rate; (ii) and there are differences in the ant species composition between the environments, which reflects in the ecosystem functioning by different removal rates of seeds. In the study, Mabea fistulifera seeds were offered to the ants (10 seeds per point) by 10 points in two transects surrounded by wire cages. Associated with the seeds were placed soil pitfalls without bait 2 meters distant, and after 48 hours were recorded and collected the pitfalls removals. The ant species richness and composition similarly affected the seed removal rate in both environments. In native forests, there were 31.82% of seed removal and in the Eucalyptus forest were 31.42%, with the increasing trend of removal rate as increase species richness, suggesting the hypothesis of linearity which relating the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning occur in the studied environments. Thus, comparing both environments, we conclude that the complexity and heterogeneity of vegetation provides benefits (resources and conditions) to establish a greater number of ant species and, consequently, higher removal rate of seeds. The identity of the ants is another factor that should be considered for removal, however, a possible difference between the environments wasn t found in our study.