Múltiplos usos da paisagem na Amazônia Oriental afetam a comunidade de formigas?

Abstract

Given the importance of increasing knowledge about key organisms within and among landscapes with different disorders, this thesis evaluates the response of ant communities in different land use systems on the eastern Amazonia landscape and conservation value of these uses. This work contributes to a better understanding of the relative importance of landscape effects on ant diversity patterns, since it has genuine replicas on a landscape scale. The mechanized agriculture had lower ant richness than the other systems, showing that agricultural intensification can have negative effects on the biodiversity of these organisms. The species composition proved to be the most consistent metric to assess the differences among the land use systems. Each land use system presented a distinct community of ants. The secondary forest had a conservation value greater than that of non-forest systems, while the primary forest, regardless of having suffered some kind of disturbance, showed great importance for ant biodiversity conservation by presenting a distinct community and sheltering large numbers of unique species. Therefore, we encourage the conservation of remaining primary forests, with and without disturbance, and secondary forests of the Amazon that are not yet within protected areas.