Pedro Aurélio Costa Lima Pequeno

Combining Taxonomic and Functional Approaches to Unravel the Spatial Distribution of an Amazonian Butterfly Community

Abstract This study investigated the spatial distribution of an Amazonian fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage by linking species taxonomic and functional approaches.We hypothesized that: 1) vegetation richness (i.e., resources) and abundance of insectivorous birds (i.e., predators) should drive changes in butterfly taxonomic composition, 2) larval diet breadth should decrease with increase of plant species richness, 3) small-sized adults should be favored by higher abundance of birds, and 4) communities with eyespot markings should be able to exploit areas with higher predation pressure. Fruit-feeding butterflies were sampled with bait traps and insect nets across 25 km2 of an Amazonian ombrophilous forest in Brazil. We measured larval diet breadth, adult body size, and wing marking of all butterflies. Our results showed that plant species richness explainedmost of the variation in butterfly taxonomic turnover. Also, community average diet breadth decreased with increase of plant species richness, which supports our expectations. In contrast, community average body size increased with the abundance of birds, refuting our hypothesis.We detected no influence of environmental gradients on the occurrence of species with eyespot markings. The association between butterfly taxonomic and functional composition points to a mediator role of the functional traits in the environmental filtering of butterflies. The incorporation of the functional approach into the analyses allowed for the detection of relationships that were not observed using a strictly taxonomic perspective and provided an extra insight into comprehending the potential adaptive strategies of butterflies.

Attitudes Towards Scorpions and Frogs: A Survey Among Teachers and Students from Schools in the Vicinity of an Amazonian Protected Area

Abstract Many conservation and management policies adopted in countries with megadiverse forest remnants largely neglect local human communities living in areas surrounding preserves. We investigated the attitudes and knowledge of teachers and students towards scorpions and frogs in the limits between a tropical rainforest reserve and a large Amazonian city. We aimed to identify possible deficiencies in environmental education and the level of knowledge about these animals. Data were collected from 110 students of both genders, aging between eight and 16 years old, representing four different schools located at the periphery of Manaus City, Amazonas State, Brazil. Written responses concerning personal experiences, knowledge, and background about the animals were collected from students and teachers through open- and closed-ended questions. Hand drawn responses were also gathered from the students. Members of the studied population showed more negative than positive attitudes towards scorpions and frogs. We found that gender and sex held similar attitudes in relation to these animals. However, boys tended to be more interested than girls were in the biology of scorpions. In addition, attitudes towards scorpions became more negative as age increased. Most students pictured scorpions and frogs as dangerous, lethal, or aggressive. Such conceptions were also recorded among teachers. We detected a huge lacuna in the knowledge on the importance and about biological and ecological aspects of both groups. Educational activities focused on emotional affinity of students with animals should be associated with traditional lessons, which can enhance conservation strategies.

The scaling of colony size with nest volume in termites: a role in population dynamics?

Colony size is often attributed a key role in social insect population ecology. However, in nest‐building termites, colony size is a power function of nest volume, so that colonies of species with low scaling exponents tend to grow less as their nests are expanded. Thus, in such species, intercolonial differences in colony size may be less likely to develop, and changes in species total biomass may largely reflect those in colony numbers rather than colony sizes. The scaling of colony biomass with nest volume in three termite species, namely Anoplotermes banksiEmerson, Neocapritermes braziliensis Snyder and Labiotermes labralis Holmgren was determined. Then, their nests were counted and their total biomass in plots across an Amazonian rainforest landscape was estimated. Finally, whether the strength of the relationship between total biomass and number of nests reflected species scaling exponents was examined. Scaling exponents were 0.47 for N. braziliensis, 0.57 for A. banksi, and 0.83 for L. labralis. On the other hand, the strength of the relationship between total biomass and the number of nests (r2) followed the opposite trend: 0.93 for N. braziliensis, 0.92 for A. banksi, and 0.53 for L. labralis. It is suggested that the scaling of colony size with nest volume may mediate termite population dynamics: as the scaling exponent decreases across species, changes in total biomass would increasingly reflect changes in colony numbers, with an accompanying increase in the importance of colony births and deaths as opposed to colony growth.

What drives the dynamics of a soil mite population under seasonal flooding? A null model analysis

Floods can inflict high mortality on terrestrial organisms, but may also promote adaptive evolution. In seasonal floodplains, several taxa show flood-related traits that may be important for their long-term persistence, but the available evidence is conflicting. Here, we used a simulation approach to investigate the interplay between seasonal floods and submersion resistance in driving the population dynamics of the parthenogenetic soil mite Rostrozetes ovulum in an Amazonian blackwater floodplain. First, we gathered data from two flood cycles to estimate field survival rate. Next, we used further data from a submersion survival laboratory experiment and a historical flood record to build a null model for R. ovulum’s survival rate under seasonal flooding, and then tested it against field survival estimates. Floods caused marked density declines, but the two estimates of field survival rate were statistically equivalent, suggesting relatively constant survival across years. Submersion survival time varied tenfold among individuals, but its variability was within the range known for life history traits of other asexual invertebrates. Both field survival rates were consistent with the null model, supporting seasonal flooding as the main mortality factor. Surprisingly, though, average flood duration was actually larger than the average mite could survive, suggesting that population persistence relies on relatively rare, super-resistant phenotypes. Overall, the studied R. ovulum population appears to have a mainly density-independent dynamics across years, with its viability depending on mechanisms that buffer flood survival rate against temporal oscillations.

Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspectives on butterfly spatial assembly in northern Amazonia

1. Understanding the causes of the spatial variation of biodiversity is an important goal in community ecology. This study investigated the response of fruit‐feeding butterfly assemblages to environmental gradients resulting from the transition from ombrophilous forests to white‐sand forests in northern Brazil by assessing taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic descriptors of community structure.

Ecology shapes metabolic and life history scalings in termites

1. Metabolic rate (B) is a fundamental property of organisms, and scales with body mass (M) as B = αMβ. There has been much debate on whether scaling parameters should be viewed as constants or variables. However, there is increasing evidence that ecological differentiation can affect both α and β.

The scaling of growth, reproduction and defense in colonies of Amazonian Termites

Phenotypes can evolve through life-history tradeoffs. Termites have been the first eusocial insects on Earth, prompting life history evolution at the colony level. Despite this, termite life-history allocation strategies are poorly known. Here, we addressed this issue using novel data on three common species from the diverse, yet understudied Amazonian termite fauna: Neocapritermes braziliensis , Labiotermes labralis and Anoplotermes banksi . Using Oster and Wilson’s optimal caste ratio theory and Higashi et al.’s termite caste allocation theory as frameworks, we assessed how termite colonies should invest in growth (immatures), reproduction (alates) and defense (soldiers) as they accumulate workers. We also examined whether soldier loss in soil-feeding Apicotermitinae ( A. banksi ) may have affected allocation strategies. We found that: (1) the scaling of immature number was isometric in the three species, contrary to the leveling off expected under resource limitation; (2) colonies of all sizes were equally likely to produce any number of alates, rather than having a size threshold for reproduction; (3) the scaling of soldier number was unrelated to alate production, but varied from isometry in N. braziliensis to negative allometry in L. labralis despite their similar defense strategies; (4) A. banksi had more immatures per worker and a higher maximum alate number per worker than the other species, suggesting that soldier loss may have allowed higher relative investment in colony growth and, possibly, reproduction. Termites can provide novel insights into life-history allocation strategies and their relation to social evolution, and should be better incorporated into sociobiological theory.

Effectiveness of genera as a higher-taxon substitute for species in ant biodiversity analyses is not affected by sampling technique

Survey costs and a lack of taxonomists are often the main impediments to biodiversity inventories. The use of a higher-taxon approach that is efficient in representing species patterns within a short period of time is one way to overcome these constraints, especially if these responses are consistent at various spatial scales and sampling techniques. Here, we evaluated whether the use of pitfall trapping or Winkler extraction influenced the utility of genus as a surrogate to predict patterns of species richness and composition related to environment. The study sites were spread along 10 degrees of latitude, covering phytophysiognomies with different topographic characteristics. We recorded 450 ant species/morphospecies distributed in 70 genera. Pitfall-traps captured a larger proportion of species (77–98%) and genera (71–100%) per site. Genus was efficient in predicting variations in richness, and assemblage composition detected at the species level, using pitfall-traps or Winkler extractors. The higher-taxon approach saved approximately 40% of the surveys costs. The negative effect of the species-genus ratio was detected only on species composition, but it did not affect the quality of predictions using genera. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that genus can be used as a proxy for broader sets of species independent of sampling technique or environmental heterogeneity. The use of pitfall-traps or Winkler extractors for genus-level identification proved to be cost-efficient and time-efficient and should work well in other regions requiring conservation effort and monitoring programs.