Ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from areas under the direct influence of two small hydropower plants in Brazil

Junir Antônio Lutinski,Fernanda Emanuela Dorneles,Milton Carlos De Filtro,Cladis Juliana Lutinski,Carin Guarda,Leandro Baucke

doi:10.5327/z217694781030

Abstract

Current energy production has been the subject of studies on environmental impacts and the need to adequately understand that the relationship to biodiversity loss is growing. One of the ways of assessing environmental changes is the use of bioindicator species, and ants represent an alternative in this regard. This study aimed to evaluate ant assemblages occurring in different environments in areas under the direct influence of two small hydropower plants (SHPP). Sampling was carried out using pitfall traps in forest and agricultural fragments, as well as pasture areas, along the Andrada River, municipality of Cascavel, state of Paraná, in July 2016 and March 2017. The sampled ant assemblages were evaluated for richness, abundance, and composition. The rarefaction analysis was used to compare the richness sampled in the two areas under direct influence. Abundance was analyzed based on the number of occurrences. The nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was applied to test whether the abundance and composition of ant assemblages differ at the same site when sampled in both seasons. In total, 63 species belonging to 23 genera and 6 subfamilies were identified. The subfamily Myrmicinae was the most speciesrich (S = 25), followed by the subfamily Formicinae (S = 21). The most species-rich genus was Camponotus (S = 15) followed by Pheidole (S =11). A total of 41.3% richness was registered concurrently in the two assemblages. The study contributes to the expansion of knowledge of the ant fauna occurring in the state of Paraná and serves as a basis for monitoring impacts caused by the implementation of SHPP and other developments.

Highlights

Human activities such as the conversion of forests into agricultural or pasture areas, the expansion of urban areas, and the implementation of projects that result in river damming are the examples that impact the environment, modify the area where they are developed, cause changes in physical and chemical properties of soils, interfere with watercourses, modify the habitat, and impact the flora and fauna (Tsoutsos et al, 2005; Costa et al, 2019)
This study aimed to evaluate the richness, abundance, and composition of ant assemblages occurring in the areas under the direct influence of two small hydroelectric power plants in the southwest region of the state of Paraná
The biodiversity of ants sampled reflects the accumulated knowledge of the ant fauna occurring in southern Brazil (Ulysséa et al, 2011; Franco and Feitosa, 2018)

Summary

Introduction

Human activities such as the conversion of forests into agricultural or pasture areas, the expansion of urban areas, and the implementation of projects that result in river damming are the examples that impact the environment, modify the area where they are developed, cause changes in physical and chemical properties of soils, interfere with watercourses, modify the habitat, and impact the flora and fauna (Tsoutsos et al, 2005; Costa et al, 2019) Environmental impacts, such as the emission of greenhouse gases and, global warming, from the current energy matrix based on fossil fuels, have been the subject of studies and public policies (Laurent and Espinosa, 2015). The impacts resulting from these processes on biodiversity are still less known

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