EFEITOS DE CARACTERÍSTICAS DO MICROHÁBITAT E DA PAISAGEM NA DIVERSIDADE DE FORMIGAS (Formicidae) EM UMA UNIDADE DE CONSERVAÇÃO DO SUDOESTE GOIANO

Abstract

Conservation Units are essential in terms of preserving biodiversity. However, it is necessary to know the diversity of organisms present in those units and how environmental variables can influence these communities. The objective of this work is to inventory the ant species of a Conservation Unit located around agricultural matrices in Quirinópolis -GO, and also to understand how the habitat and landscape characteristics influence their diversity. The studied area was divided into 20 sampling units and, for each one, 5 pitfall traps were installed, spaced at about 20 meters. The specimens were stored in 70% alcohol and identified at the morphospecies level based on specific literature. In addition, data on characteristics such as litter, plant biomass, fallen trunks, canopy cover, number of trees and shrubs, season, number of arthropods and distance to a watercourse were measured for each sampling unit. Shannon and Simpson indices, as well as richness and abundance, were obtained using the Past software. Diversity indices were considered as response variables and environmental data as predictor variables. As a result, we found 69 morphospecies, distributed in 7 subfamilies, namely Myrmicinae (39% of morphospecies), Formicinae (20%), Ponerinae (19%), Ectatomminae (9%), Dolichoderinae (6%), Pseudomyrmicinae (4%) and Dorylinae (3%). The linear models explained the variance of the response variables relatively well, with adjusted R2 > 0.4, except for the Simpson index (R2ajust.= 0,158). Canopy cover negatively affected Shannon richness, abundance, and diversity, probably due to the presence of species that prefer open habitats. It was also possible to observe a lower species richness and lower diversity of Shannon in the dry season. On the other hand, plant biomass showed a significant positive correlation with diversity indices, possibly because it is a food resource for phytophagous and fungus-growing ants. Richness and the Shannon index increased with distance from the watercourse, possibly since some specific species became dominant with greater water availability. We conclude that environmental predictors can have variable effects on ant abundance and diversity indices. We conclude that environmental predictors can have variable effects on ant community diversity. We reinforce the importance of conservation units for the protection of ant communities and indicate that future studies use habitat and landscape characteristics more broadly and to understand their influences on ant communities.