Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ALYSSON HENRIQUE ALCÂNTARA LINS

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ALYSSON HENRIQUE ALCÂNTARA LINS
DATE: 30/09/2024
TIME: 16:00
LOCAL: on line
TITLE:

PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SCORPIONS (Arachnida: Scorpiones) TO THE LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE OF FOREST COVERS IN THE CERRADO OF PIAUÍ

KEY WORDS:

Ecophysiology, arachnids, northeastern Cerrado, environmental heterogeneity, community ecology.

PAGES: 38
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUMMARY:

Predators are particularly sensitive to changes in their environment and can exhibit physiological responses to such changes. This is especially true for scorpions, a group of sedentary predators. For instance, the body size of male scorpions Tityus pusillus is directly influenced by environmental structure, with smaller individuals found in habitats with less heterogeneity. Although scorpions are important models for ecological studies, knowledge about this group of invertebrates is still limited in Brazil, particularly in the Cerrado, which is renowned as the savanna with the greatest biodiversity in the world. This biome features various phytophysiognomies, including forested areas surrounded by grassland vegetation. Given the characteristic ‘vegetation islands’ of this biome, forested areas are ideal for studies aimed at evaluating the effects of habitat structure on fauna. Thus, this study aims to assess the body condition of scorpions in forested areas with varying degrees of environmental heterogeneity. We hypothesize that scorpions from areas with lower environmental heterogeneity will exhibit poorer body conditions. The study was conducted in the municipality of Campo Maior, Piauí, Brazil. The environmental heterogeneity of the areas was characterized by variables such as the density and diameter at breast height of trees, canopy openness, depth and dry mass of the litter, area size, and distance between areas. Scorpions were collected over one hour through active nocturnal searches using ultraviolet flashlights in 30 different areas. Following collection, all animals were identified using taxonomic keys from the relevant literature, and only adults had their physiological condition measured. This included metrics such as the length of the prosoma, the mobile finger of the pedipalp, and the 5th segment of the metasoma; the height, width, and length of the chela; as well as fresh and dry mass. This comprehensive approach significantly enhances our understanding of the effects of environmental heterogeneity on the ecophysiology of neotropical scorpions.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - GERALDO JORGE BARBOSA DE MOURA
Externo à Instituição - EVERTON TIZO PEDROSO
Externo à Instituição - FÁBIO CORREIA COSTA - UFPE