Entomofauna diversity in areas of Caatinga under forest management in the semi-arid region of Ceará

Abstract

The Caatinga is characterised by deciduous plant species. The practice in this ecosystem is the production of firewood which, when carried out with no technical criteria, contributes to a reduction in the biodiversity and degradation of the biome. Forest Management Planning has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment; a lower impact on the environment is expected, as there is still little information on the effect on biodiversity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity of soil fauna in areas that adopt a Forest Management Plan. Five areas were selected that adopt Forest Management Planning: Area T1, unexploited for six months; Area T2, unexploited for 2-3 years; Area T3 unexploited for 5-6 years; Area T4, unexploited for 10-11 years; and the Control Area (unexploited). Four pitfall traps were installed in each area. The Shannon-Weaver (H’) Index, the Pielou Uniformity Index (e) and the Species Richness Index were calculated for the purpose of estimating the existing biodiversity. Total richness varied from 7 to 14 groups for the different collection periods and between the treatments; the highest value for the Shannon Index (0.72) was found during the dry/rainy transition period in the area that had been exploited 5-6 years earlier. The number of specimens is influenced by the various stages of wood exploitation.

Insetos como Bioindicadores de Áreas Degradadas ou em Processo de Restauração no Bioma Caatinga

“…Por fim, os estudos mais recentes de Matos et al (2019) e Maia et al (2019), ambos objetivaram realizar um levantamento da diversidade de artrópodes ou macrofauna (incluindo insetos) do solo em área de Caatinga, onde foi adotado diferentes tipos de manejo florestal. Os dois trabalhos apresentaram resultados similares, onde a comunidade edáfica é influenciada pelas diferentes etapas de exploração da madeira na área, sendo que o corte seletivo, que é um manejo mais conservador da Caatinga, favorece a manutenção do número de indivíduos e grupos de invertebrados.…”

“…Além disso, Maia et al (2019) acrescentou que a sucessão de períodos de pousio contribuiu para o estabelecimento e reestruturação dos grupos de artrópodes, demonstrando a viabilidade de um ciclo de 10 anos de exploração de madeira na Caatinga analisada. Já Matos et al (2019) incrementaram afirmando que o corte seletivo por espécies se mostrou menos impactante para a macrofauna do solo, devido aos valores mais expressivos de diversidade e índice de abundância e à ocorrência de organismos mais exigentes em condições de microclima, que caracterizam áreas preservadas.…”

The Effect of Forest Management on the Avifauna of a Brazilian Dry Forest

“…There are few studies evaluating the effect of forest management in the Neotropics, but most of these studies were conducted in humid forests (Thiollay, 1997;Berry et al, 2008;Hamer et al, 2015;Poudyal et al, 2018;Bousfield et al, 2020). In fact, few have evaluated the effects of either selective or clearcut logging follow by forest regeneration in SDTFs (Shahabuddin and Kumar, 2006;Maia et al, 2019). In this study, we evaluate the effect of a forest management scheme at a privately owned property located in the semi-arid interior of northeastern Brazil, where a network of trails subdivided the area in 22 different forest stands.…”

Oilseeds from a Brazilian Semi-Arid Region: Edible Potential Regarding the Mineral Composition

“…These products contribute to income generation and offer an alternative source of livelihood when crops fail under the erratic and low rainfall conditions. However, human intervention over the years, such as deforestation, livestock pasture, and cropping, has contributed to the loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity, and extensive soil degradation in this biome [3][4][5][6][7][8][9].…”