Communities of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae) in different environments of the Brazilian Pampa

Maicon Toldi,Liana Johann,Vinícius Leão da Silva,Carla Roberta Orlandi,Elisete Maria de Freitas,Júlia Jantsch Ferla,Noeli Juarez Ferla,Monique Caumo,Tairis Da-Costa

doi:10.24349/acarologia/20214413

Maicon Toldi, Liana Johann + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.24349/acarologia/20214413

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Abstract

The Brazilian Pampa presents a high diversity of fauna and flora within a mosaic of environments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the assemblages of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae) in three different Pampa environments: Grassland shrub vegetation, Grazing Exclusions fenced for six years and Riparian Forest with tree vegetation. Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae were evaluated with a total of 324 plant sampled from nine sites in three environments. Twenty-two Phytoseiidae species and six Stigmaeidae species were found. Riparian Forest presented the highest abundance of predatory mites (243) and the greatest species diversity. Mites were more abundant in Grazing Exclusions (64) than in Grassland (25) environments, but species diversity was similar. In Riparian Forest, the most abundant species were Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers, Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant) and Agistemus floridanus González-Rodríguez. Arrenoseius gaucho Ferla, Silva and Moraes and Zetzellia malvinae Matioli, Ueckermann and Oliveira were the most abundant in Grassland environment. Our results demonstrate that the Brazilian Pampa has a high diversity of predatory mites and mite communities seem to be affected by the type of environment, showing the importance of this ecosystem as a reservoir of natural enemies.

Highlights

The Pampa environment is present in several countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and is characterized by vegetation composed mainly of grasses and herbaceous species (Carvalho et al 2009)
The most abundant species were represented by only five species: Neoseiulus tunus (De Leon) (64 specimens), Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers (56 specimens), Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant) (48 specimens), Amblydromalus limonicus (Garman and McGregor) (30 specimens) and Agistemus floridanus GonzalezRodriguez (25 specimens (Table 1)
Amblyseius tamatavensis and A. floridanus were the species with the highest number of interactions within the families Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae, respectively

Summary

Introduction

The Pampa environment is present in several countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and is characterized by vegetation composed mainly of grasses and herbaceous species (Carvalho et al 2009). South Brazilian native pastures occupy about 13.7 million hectares and support very high levels of biodiversity, it provides several environmental services and forage potential for livestock (Pillar et al 2009). In Brazil, the Pampa vegetation comprises a mosaic riparian forests within a dominant grassland habitat (Behling et al 2005). This habitat is under considerable human pressure, with less than 40% of its original native vegetation remaining (MMA 2010). The high diversity of fauna and flora in the Pampa provides environmental services, conserves water resources, pollinators, genetic resources, and foraging for livestock (Pillar et al 2009). Some human activities favor the maintenance of the grassland environment, e.g. grazing

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