Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: EVELYNNE LETICIA DOS SANTOS FARIAS CARDOSO DE BARROS

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : EVELYNNE LETICIA DOS SANTOS FARIAS CARDOSO DE BARROS
DATE: 03/07/2024
TIME: 00:00
LOCAL: COM PARECER
TITLE:

How do agroecosystems drive ecosystem services? A field experiment to measure biological control in Amazonian Açaí (Euterpe precatoria) agro-extractive areas

KEY WORDS:

Regulation Ecosystem Services. Natural Enemies. Extractivism. Acai
27 palm.

PAGES: 1
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUMMARY:

Ecosystems underpin life on Earth, promoting human health, well-being, and
2 livelihoods. However, these invaluable benefits face threats from land use changes,
3 which disrupt ecosystem structures and diminish natural processes. The sustainable
4 management of the Açaí palm (Euterpe sp.) offers a promising avenue to bolster
5 conservation endeavors in the Amazon region. Within these agroecosystems,
6 ecological mechanisms such as predation and parasitism by natural enemies play
7 pivotal roles in biological pest control, constituting essential ecosystem services.
8 Through the utilization of artificial caterpillars as proxies for ecosystem service
9 provision, our study seeks to elucidate the extent of biological control within Açaí
10 agroecosystems. Consistent with global trends, our findings reveal arthropod
11 predators as the primary contributors to predation rates, mirroring observations from
12 other studies conducted in the Amazon and tropical forests, where arthropods
13 dominate as the principal predators in understory habitats. Conversely, avian
14 predation emerges as more significant in tropical forests at medium and high
15 elevations. In our analysis of local and landscape variables, we identified forest
16 cover as the sole statistically significant factor influencing total predation rates, as
17 well as arthropod and bird predation rates. Forest cover exhibits a positive
18 correlation with both total predation and arthropod predation, yet displays a negative
19 association with avian predation. While not reaching statistical significance, the
20 abundance of fruit trees demonstrates a negative impact on both total and avian
21 predation rates, whereas the presence of forest fragments positively affects total
22 predation rates. Our study underscores the critical role of forest conservation in the
23 Amazon ecosystem. Furthermore, it underscores the necessity for further

24 investigation into the impact of sustainable human practices on forest maintenance
25 and the preservation of ecosystem services in the Amazon basin.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo(a) à Instituição - ANDRESSA BARBARA SCABIN
Interno(a) - 3882870 - ANA CLAUDIA MENDES MALHADO
Presidente - ***.466.258-** - JOAO VITOR CAMPOS E SILVA - UFAL
Externo(a) à Instituição - JOSE CARLOS MORANTE FILHO