Braconidae (Hymenoptera) fauna in native, degraded and restoration areas of the Vale do Paraíba, São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract

This study sampled the diversity of Braconidae (Hymenoptera) in three different ecosystems: a degraded pasture, a secondary forest and an area in recovery process using native tree seedlings. The objective was to verify the use of those insects as a tool to check the local conservation by examining Shannon's diversity index. Ten subfamilies were identified, and Microgastrinae was predominant in a number of individuals. The diversity index calculated varies among the sampled areas, thus showing a correlation with vegetation cover with the number of individuals collected and number of subfamilies found. The results showed changes in the community of Braconidae, in the recovery area between the first and second year of study, thereby leading to the conclusion that they are indicators of environmental quality.Keywords: Braconidae, degraded areas, diversity index, indicator species. Fauna de Braconidae (Hymenoptera) em áreas nativas, degradadas e em recuperação do Vale do Paraiba, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil ResumoEste estudo amostrou a diversidade de Braconidae (Hymenoptera) em três ecossistemas distintos: pastagem degradada, mata secundária e área em processo de recuperação com utilização de mudas de árvores nativas. O objetivo foi verificar a possibilidade de utilização desse grupo de insetos como ferramenta para identificar o estado de conservação local por meio da análise do índice de diversidade de Shannon. Foram identificadas dez subfamílias, com predominância em número de indivíduos de Microgastrinae. Os índices de diversidade calculados permitiram diferenciar as áreas amostradas, apresentando uma correlação da cobertura vegetal com o número de indivíduos coletados e o numero de subfamílias encontradas. O método evidenciou alteração na comunidade de Braconidae na área em recuperação, entre o primeiro e o segundo ano de estudo, demonstrando que são insetos indicadores de qualidade ambiental.Palavras-chave: Braconidae, áreas degradadas, bioindicadores, índice de diversidade.

Differences in the insect fauna associated to a monocultural pasture and a silvopasture in Southeastern Brazil

“…Due to this importance of Hymenoptera, conversion of monocultures to silvopastures, if implemented at larger scales, has the potential to positively influence the number of beneficial insects at landscape scales and benefit not only the silvopasture itself, but also other production systems in the region through spillover effects. There is evidence that different groups of Hymenoptera respond differently to land-use changes 64,65 and some groups are useful indicators of environmental degradation 15,19 .…”

“…The order Hymenoptera is among the most diverse insect groups, with over 154,000 described species 18 . Furthermore, species of Hymenoptera are potential bioindicators, since the abundance and richness of many of the families are spatially and temporally variable and these variations are correlated to changes in environmental structure and diversity of other organisms 11 , 15 , 19 – 22 . Another important order in pastures is Hemiptera.…”

Beta diversity of four braconid subfamilies (Braconidae, Agathidinae, Braconinae, Doryctinae and Macrocentrinae) of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere reserve in Yucatan, Mexico, with some considerations on biological habits

“…Knowledge of the diversity of braconids in Mexico is limited, with only a fraction of the potential species identified (Figueroa-De la Rosa et al 2003), and few studies characterize the faunal composition of any site (Chay-Hernández et al 2006, Pérez-Urbina et al 2011, Ruiz-Guerra et al 2015. In contrast, the composition and phenology of Braconidae has been documented in several regions of Brazil (Cirelli andPenteado-Dias 2003a, b, Scatolini andPenteado-Dias 2003, Barbieri andPenteado 2012, Souza et al 2012).…”

“…The diversity of Braconidae can be used as an indicator of environmental quality in tropical regions (Delfín-González and Burgos 2000, Barbieri and Penteado 2012), however this has never been evaluated in terms of Neotropical Mexican fauna. This research is the first undertaking of Mexican origin to document the diversity, relative abundance and annual distribution of adult activity of four braconid subfamilies in a region, employing a systematic sampling of three vegetative communities.…”