Effects of forest degradation on the sand fly communities of northeast Brazil

Abstract

The richness and abundance of sand fly species were studied in northeastern Brazil in areas of leishmaniasis transmission. The study was carried out in two forest areas with different deforestation times for agricultural and livestock activities: one modified by long‐term settlement (more than 50 years of occupation) and another less impacted by short‐term settlement (10 years). The sand flies were captured with CDC light traps from 18:00 to 06:00 for three consecutive nights, once a month, from May, 2012 to April, 2014. The study captured 21,708 specimens and also 33 species of Lutzomyia and two of Brumptomyia. Species richness and abundance were higher in the more conserved area of short‐term occupation (31 species; 61.7%) than in the more degraded area with long‐term occupation (17 species; 38.3%). In the most conserved area, the species richness was higher in the forest fragment than in the rural settlement, whereas in the degraded area the richness was higher in the peri‐domicile than in the forest. The diversity was higher in the degraded area forest. There were significant statistical differences when comparing the means of total abundance with the intra‐domicile, peri‐domicile, and forest environments. The average abundance was statistically higher in the peri‐domicile compared to the forest (p = 0.009), but there were no statistically significant differences between intra‐domicile‐peri‐domicile (p = 0.11) and forest‐intra‐domicile (p = 0.87). In conclusion, a change in vegetation cover negatively affects the richness and abundance of sand flies in the natural environment.

Ecological Aspects of the Phlebotominae Fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) among Forest Fragments and Built Areas in an Endemic Area of American Visceral Leishmaniasis in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

“…brumpti and Sc. sordellii in forest areas was similar to other studies [42,72,73], and these species are considered bioindicators in some municipalities of the states of Paraná (southern Brazil), Maranhão (northestern Brazil), and Amazonas (north Brazil).…”

“…These differences probably occur due to the conservation status of the disturbed and undisturbed areas. Pinto Moraes et al [42] demonstrated this by comparing a fragment of well-preserved forest with an urbanized zone, with a greater diversity of species in the forest area; however, by comparing a fragment of degraded forest, the urban area had more diversity. Ramos et al richness [71] found that high human population density in combination with large forest cover was the most favorable scenario for maintaining sandfly diversity and richness.…”

“…Comparative studies among forested and human-affected areas in the Brazilian northeast indicate a correlation between diversity decrease in phlebotomine populations and abundance increase of vector species due to the anthropization process, a fact possibly associated with the adaptive capacity of some species such as Lu. longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes and Coutinho, 1939) [40][41][42].…”

Riqueza e abundância de espécies de flebotomíneos em assentamentos humanos e fragmentos florestais degradados na Amazônia Maranhense

“…Until some time ago, it was believed that the diversity of sandflies in the territory of Maranhão was greater in the forest areas in the Amazon [3]. Recent studies show that the sand fly fauna is also diversified in the more open forest areas that mix with the cerrados and coconut groves with a semi-humid climate [4,5].…”