Evaluating the Effects of Different Vegetation Types on Necrophagous Fly Communities (Diptera: Calliphoridae; Sarcophagidae): Implications for Conservation.

José Roberto Pereira De Sousa,Fernando Da Silva Carvalho-Filho,Leandro Juen,Maria Cristina Esposito,J Joe Hull

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164826

José Roberto Pereira De Sousa, Fernando Da Silva Carvalho-Filho + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0164826

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Abstract

The present study was conducted in five different phytogeographic zones of the Brazilian state of Maranhão, three of which (the Amazon Forest, Cerrado, and Palm Groves) are more heterogeneous, whereas the other two (Marshlands and Mangroves) are more homogeneous. In each zone, nine sites were visited for the collection of necrophagous flies using bait traps in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The calliphorid and sarcophagid communities observed at each site were compared in terms of species richness, composition, and abundance. The more heterogeneous zones had higher species richness, except in the case of the sarcophagids in the forest habitats. The calliphorids Chloroprocta idioidea (Robineau- Desvoidy, 1830), Mesembrinella bicolor (Fabricius, 1805), Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Rondani, 1850) and Lucilia eximia (Wiedemann, 1819) were more closely associated with the Cerrado, Palm Grove and Amazon Forest zones, and Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 194) with the Mangrove. In the sarcophagids, Peckia (Euboettcheria) subducta (Lopes, 1935) and P. (Pattonella) palidipilosa (Curran & Walley, 1934) were associated with the Amazon Forest, and P. (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiedemann, 1830) and Tricharaea (Sarcophagula) occidua (Fabricius, 1794) with the Palm Grove and Cerrado zones. In the calliphorids, the greatest dissimilarity was recorded between the Amazon Forest and the Mangrove and Lowland grassland zones. In the sarcophagids, by contrast, the greatest dissimilarities were recorded between the Amazon Forest and all the other four zones. In general, then, the phytogeographic zones with the highest environmental heterogeneity were characterized by the greatest species richness and abundance of necrophagous flies.

Highlights

The type of vegetation found in a given area plays a fundamental role in habitat structure, given that the variation in the height, density, and distribution of trees within the environment creates new conditions and habitats with a larger number of subdivisions
This study evaluated the structure of the necrophagous dipteran communities of the Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae families in the five phytogeographic zones of the Brazilian state of Maranhão
The highest calliphorid species richness was estimated for the Cerrado zone (13.96±2.76), followed by the Amazon Forest (13.91±3.81), and Palm Grove (10.98±1.98), but with no significant difference among the zones (Fig 4)

Summary

Introduction

The type of vegetation found in a given area plays a fundamental role in habitat structure, given that the variation in the height, density, and distribution of trees within the environment creates new conditions and habitats with a larger number of subdivisions. In the case of invertebrates, by contrast, and especially for insects, the evidence indicates that patterns of species distribution and diversity are related primarily to the type of vegetation [9], the degree of shade and exposure [16, 17], and temperature and humidity [16] These features may determine the occurrence of different animal species in a given habitat, depending on how they favor behaviors such as reproduction, nest-building, development, and foraging [12, 18, 19]

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