Search

Arthropods, especially insects, are highly sensitive to environmental changes and are considered excellent bioindicators. Therefore, the objective of this research was to know the entomofauna of beetles bioindicators of a forest fragment in the municipality of Abaetetuba-PA and to evaluate the environmental quality of this fragment according to the characteristics of the individuals collected. To collect the specimens, pitfall traps were used as a passive collection method and an entomological net as an active collection method. The sampling effort lasted six months, totaling 21 collections by each method. It was possible to collect specimens from 8 different families, of which six are considered environmental indicators (Curculionidae, Carabidae, Coccinellidae, Scarabaeidae, Cerambycidae and Chrysomelidae), with the Scarabaeidae family (52.87%) being the most abundant. The presence of bioindicator families point to the existence of degradation at the site, but do not show signs of severe environmental disturbance, in addition to indicating a possible recovery of the border vegetation, with a tendency to increase the complexity of the ecosystem. Thus, the study will contribute to future environmental monitoring actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entomofauna occurrence may indicate the environmental quality of an ecosystem and may predict population outbreaks of harmful insects or vegetal stress conditions. Current analysis investigates the fluctuations of wood-degrading coleoptera in a fragment of the Atlantic Rainforest and in two populational groups of Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake, with or without burning. Experiment was conducted in the National Forest Mário Xavier, in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between August 2011 and August 2012. Impact traps Carvalho-47 were used, at 1.20 m above ground level, and at a distance of 50 meters one from another, with three traps in each area, totaling nine traps. Collections were done once a week, followed by information on family and subfamily for certain groups. In the E. urophylla populational group, with burning, the number of insects captured in the first collections was lower than other evaluated environments. However, seven months after burning, a higher number was reported when compared to the others, especially for the subfamily Scolytinae. In the beetle group E. urophylla without the occurrence of fire, a higher number of individuals occurred, especially for the subfamily Scolytinae. Fire influences the coleoptera group with a change of occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]