Diversidade de invertebrados terrestres na caverna Paraíso, Aveiro, Pará, Brasil: fatores que influenciam a composição e riqueza em distintas escalas de amostragem

Abstract

We evaluated the influence of the diversity of physical, trophic, shelter, and microclimatic components on the composition and richness of terrestrial invertebrates along the largest known cave for the Brazilian Amazon biome. We carried out sampling in 10x3m sectors and 1x1m quadrants to assess differences in faunal response at different scales. The richest taxa were Araneae (13 spp.), Polydesmida (10), Coleoptera (10), Hymenoptera (9), and Acari (9). Among the species found in the cave, 11 of them showed true troglomorphisms and, therefore, were considered troglobites. The faunal similarity was less than 20%, revealing a high replacement of species throughout the cave. For the sectors and quadrants, the diversity of substrates on the cave floor and the distance from the entrance were the determining factors in the dissimilarity of the fauna. However, richness was negatively influenced by the distance from the entrance into the sectors. Inside the quadrants, the distance from the entrance also negatively influenced the richness, but the diversity of substrate influenced positively. The distance from the entrance was related negatively to the diversity of substrate, diversity of shelter, and diversity of organic resources. Thus, it is possible to see that the factors that most contributed to the structuring of the community are linked to the characteristics of the habitats (distance from entry and diversity of substrates), but the fauna responses may vary according to the sampling scales.