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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Os artrópodes asseguram serviços ecossistémicos importantes, constituindo elementoschave
no funcionamento da maioria dos ecossistemas. O atual declínio da biodiversidade
deste filo é particularmente preocupante, representando uma grave ameaça para a
sustentabilidade do planeta. No entanto, o conhecimento sobre os artrópodes de muitas
regiões, sobre as suas funções, e sobre os recursos que necessitam para completar os seus
ciclos de vida, é ainda insuficiente. É o caso do Parque Natural de Montesinho. Neste
contexto, os objetivos definidos para este trabalho são determinar a distribuição dos
principais grupos de artrópodes em habitats relevantes nesta área protegida – lameiros,
soutos, matos e azinhais – e avaliar a relação entre as suas funções e os seus habitats, e a
diversidade funcional e taxonómica da vegetação. Para tal, foram amostrados artrópodes
do solo e da vegetação, e respetiva flora, durante a primavera de 2022 (meses de maio e
junho). Os artrópodes foram capturados através de armadilhas de queda (solo) e rede
entomológica (vegetação). Em laboratório, os artrópodes foram identificados até o nível
taxonómico mais detalhado possível, e classificados por grupos funcionais. Foram
registadas a abundância das espécies vegetais e as suas características funcionais mais
importantes para os artrópodes. Posteriormente, foram calculados índices de diversidade
funcional e taxonómica, e avaliada a resposta dos artrópodes ao habitat e às plantas. No
total foram capturados 13081 artrópodes, pertencentes a seis grupos funcionais
(predadores, fitófagos, omnívoros, polinizadores, parasitoides e parasitas) e identificadas
153 espécies de plantas pertencentes a 37 famílias. Nos artrópodes do solo dominam os
predadores e omnívoros e nos artrópodes da vegetação, fitófagos e predadores.
Relativamente à relação dos artrópodes com o tipo de habitat, a diversidade taxonómica
em lameiros e soutos não mobilizados foi superior que em matos e azinhais, onde se
encontraram relações positivas com algumas funções dos artrópodes (i.e., predadores e
fitófagos), demonstrando a importância destes habitats para a sua dinâmica funcional
durante a primavera. Os habitats seminaturais, apesar de uma abundância de artrópodes
menor, revelaram abundâncias significativas em grupos funcionais importantes como
predadores, polinizadores ou parasitoides. Em relação à resposta dos artrópodes à
vegetação, verificou-se uma relação positiva entre a diversidade taxonómica da flora,
mais elevada em soutos e lameiros, e a maioria dos grupos funcionais de artrópodes. Por
outra parte, a abundância de alguns grupos funcionais de artrópodes incrementou com a
dispersão (predadores, fitófagos e tendencialmente polinizadores), vulnerabilidade (predadores) e originalidade (fitófagos) funcional das plantas, sugerindo que certas
caraterísticas (e.g. forma ou cor da flor) poderiam ser mais relevantes para as funções dos
artrópodes do que índices de diversidade funcional agregados. Por outro lado, a menor
redundância e maior vulnerabilidade funcional, da vegetação dos habitats seminaturais é
indicadora da necessidade de uma atenção especial para a conservação da sua diversidade
funcional. Assim, os resultados revelam a vulnerabilidade dos habitats seminaturais, e a
importância dos lameiros e soutos para as funções dos artrópodes na primavera, abrindo
caminho para futuros estudos sobre interações habitat-planta-artrópode numa perspetiva
baseada em características.
Arthropods provide important ecosystem services, constituting key-elements for most ecosystem functioning. The current biodiversity decline of this phylum is particularly worrying, representing a serious threat for the Earth sustainability. However, the knowledge about arthropods, their functions, and the main resources they need to complete the life cycles, in many regions is insufficient. This is the case of the Natural Park of Montesinho. In this context, the goals defined for this work are to determine the main arthropod groups distribution in relevant habitats of this protected area – grasslands, chestnut orchards, scrublands and oak forests – and to evaluate the relationships among arthropod functions, their habitats and the functional and taxonomic plant diversity. For that, arthropods from the soil and the vegetation, and corresponding flora were sampled during spring 2022 (in May and June). Arthropods were captured through pitfall traps (soil) and entomological net (vegetation). In laboratory, arthropods were identified to the most accurate possible level and classified by functional group. Plant species abundance and their relevant functional traits for arthropods were recorded. Then, functional and taxonomic diversity indexes were calculated and the response of the arthropods to habitat and plants analyzed. A total of 13081 arthropods, belonging to six functional groups (predators, phytophagous, omnivorous, pollinators, parasitoids and parasites) were captured and 153 plant species belonging to 37 families identified. Soil arthropods were dominated by predators and omnivores and vegetation arthropods by phytophagous and predators. Regarding the response of arthropods to the habitat type, arthropod taxonomic diversity in grasslands and non-tilled chestnut orchards was higher than in scrublands and oak forests, where some positive relationships were found with some arthropod functions (i.e., predators and phytophagous), indicating the importance of these habitats for its functional dynamic during the spring. Seminatural habitats, despite their lower arthropod abundance, showed significant abundances in important functional groups, such as predators, pollinators or parasitoids. In relation to the response of arthropods to vegetation, a positive relationship between the plant taxonomic diversity, higher in chestnut orchards and grasslands, and most of the arthropod functional groups was verified. On the other hand, the abundance of some functional groups of arthropods increased with the plant functional dispersion (predators, phytophagous and tendentially pollinators), vulnerability (predators) and originality (phytophagous), suggesting that certain traits (e.g., flower shape or color) could be more relevant for arthropods than aggregated functional diversity indexes. Moreover, the lower functional redundancy and higher vulnerability of seminatural vegetation habitats indicates the need of a special attention for its functional biodiversity conservation. Thus, results reveal the vulnerability of seminatural habitats, the significance of grasslands and chestnut orchards and the significance of grasslands and chestnut orchards for the arthropod functions in spring, paving the way for future studies about habitat-plant-arthropod interactions from a traitbased ecology approach.
Arthropods provide important ecosystem services, constituting key-elements for most ecosystem functioning. The current biodiversity decline of this phylum is particularly worrying, representing a serious threat for the Earth sustainability. However, the knowledge about arthropods, their functions, and the main resources they need to complete the life cycles, in many regions is insufficient. This is the case of the Natural Park of Montesinho. In this context, the goals defined for this work are to determine the main arthropod groups distribution in relevant habitats of this protected area – grasslands, chestnut orchards, scrublands and oak forests – and to evaluate the relationships among arthropod functions, their habitats and the functional and taxonomic plant diversity. For that, arthropods from the soil and the vegetation, and corresponding flora were sampled during spring 2022 (in May and June). Arthropods were captured through pitfall traps (soil) and entomological net (vegetation). In laboratory, arthropods were identified to the most accurate possible level and classified by functional group. Plant species abundance and their relevant functional traits for arthropods were recorded. Then, functional and taxonomic diversity indexes were calculated and the response of the arthropods to habitat and plants analyzed. A total of 13081 arthropods, belonging to six functional groups (predators, phytophagous, omnivorous, pollinators, parasitoids and parasites) were captured and 153 plant species belonging to 37 families identified. Soil arthropods were dominated by predators and omnivores and vegetation arthropods by phytophagous and predators. Regarding the response of arthropods to the habitat type, arthropod taxonomic diversity in grasslands and non-tilled chestnut orchards was higher than in scrublands and oak forests, where some positive relationships were found with some arthropod functions (i.e., predators and phytophagous), indicating the importance of these habitats for its functional dynamic during the spring. Seminatural habitats, despite their lower arthropod abundance, showed significant abundances in important functional groups, such as predators, pollinators or parasitoids. In relation to the response of arthropods to vegetation, a positive relationship between the plant taxonomic diversity, higher in chestnut orchards and grasslands, and most of the arthropod functional groups was verified. On the other hand, the abundance of some functional groups of arthropods increased with the plant functional dispersion (predators, phytophagous and tendentially pollinators), vulnerability (predators) and originality (phytophagous), suggesting that certain traits (e.g., flower shape or color) could be more relevant for arthropods than aggregated functional diversity indexes. Moreover, the lower functional redundancy and higher vulnerability of seminatural vegetation habitats indicates the need of a special attention for its functional biodiversity conservation. Thus, results reveal the vulnerability of seminatural habitats, the significance of grasslands and chestnut orchards and the significance of grasslands and chestnut orchards for the arthropod functions in spring, paving the way for future studies about habitat-plant-arthropod interactions from a traitbased ecology approach.
Description
Keywords
Interações habitat-planta-artrópode Serviços ecossistémicos Ecologia funcional Grupos funcionais Parque Natural de Montesinho Conservação da biodiversidade.