Protocol for collecting Mutillidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) in ecological studies: species–area effects on Mutillidae communities

Abstract

The species–area relationship is one of the most consistent patterns in ecology, and fragmentation is a major cause of habitat loss. Environmental changes in a site can affect the spatial distribution of organisms. Knowledge of Mutillidae ecology is still scarce due to the lack of standardized sampling. Our aim was to: (1) determine the effect of habitat fragmentation on the Mutillidae community and (2) establish a standard method for sampling Mutillidae in ecological studies. Sampling was conducted in four fragments of Brazilian Savanna in an urbanized matrix. We used quadrats with different areas: 25m2, 100m2 and 400m2 to verify sampling effort. Male and female Mutillidae were collected from each of these three treatments. Males were collected using Malaise traps while females were collected through active search. Ecological index, richness, abundance, and percent similarity between fragments were used to analyze the communities. The Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to verify differences between treatments. Nonparametric multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine community composition. Analysis of direct ordination of community with respect to the sample area size was performed. Three hundred individuals were collected; of which 201 were female, 99 male; belonging to 42 species distributed in 13 genera and two subfamilies. The richness, abundance and composition of the community were different between treatments. It was found that a 100m2 quadrat was sufficient for comparison and application of ecological concepts and theories for the group.