Vespas sociais (Vespidae: Polistinae) em fragmento urbano: riqueza, distribuição espacial e redes de interação

Abstract

The social wasps are of great importance in forest ecosystems for their ecological role in regulating the population of other insects. Although many studies on diversity are being published in recent years, there are still many gaps in the Brazilian territory, highlighting the social wasps communities associated with forest canopies that are still largely unexplored. “Urban green areas” or Novel ecosystems are received attention in recent years due to its role of "refuges" for biodiversity. This study aimed mainly at the checklist of species of social wasps in an urban fragment, based on the wealth found was studied seasonality of the spatial distribution of wasps during the seasons, as well as create intersecting networks for the understanding of preferences nesting in man-made substrates and plants. For the study of diversity and stratification, are carried out for 24 months monthly collections using the methods of Active Search, Searching for Nests and Attractive Trap, and for creation of interaction networks were performed 43 months of monthly sampling methodology used Search for Nests. Were found 36 species of wasp of 10 genera, the wealth found is the tenth largest work of the checklist in Brazil and the fifth in the state of Minas Gerais, no method was used to capture covers all species of wasps, shown the need for a consortium of methods. The stratification showed a variation throughout the seasons of the year, showing that the wasps use the canopy layer in the dry season and undergrowth in the rainy season, collecting exclusive species for each stratum, with six exclusive for canopy and two for undergrowth. The interaction network harbored 23 species of social wasps, 35 species of plants and seven man-made substrates. In both, systems asymmetry was observed with a large number of species of wasps, plants and man-made substrates. In general appearance, most wasps had low amplitude site for nesting, founding in two to four species of plants/substrates. The data suggest that differences in environmental structural complexity directly influence the structure of the network of interaction between social wasps and substrates for nesting. The results contribute to increased knowledge about the wealth of social wasps in the southeast region and show the vertical foraging capacity of social wasps according to the season in Novel ecosystems environments.