Mirmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) associada aos cultivos de videira na Região da Campanha no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The present study has the objective to contribute to the knowledge of the ant fauna present in agroecosystems of vines in the Pampa biome, more specifically in the physiographic region of Campanha, evaluating the crop effect over the ant assemblages structure besides to verify the effect of the climatic variables over the species richness. For that, it was performed gatherings on three farms with Vitis vinifera cv Cabernet Sauvignon crop, with a mean of seven year old. In each farm, samples were made inside of the vineyards (lines and interline) and in adjacent areas with field vegetation similar to those that preceded the crops. In farms, 20 points on each environment were samples using pitfall traps. After the trial and identification, the material was lodged in the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP) and in the Museu Entomológico Ceslau Biezanko from Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel). It was collected 72 species, distributed in 24 genera and seven subfamilies. This inventory provides the first record of the ant fauna for the Campanha region, besides to contribute with new occurrences for the brazilian territory and for the Rio Grande do Sul State. The analyses allowed verifying that the temperature and rainfall affected the species richness throughout the study, and that the vineyards promoted a significant change in the ant fauna structure related to the native field areas. Therefore, the present study represents an important step to the knowledge of the ant fauna, besides to contribute with useful information for future management and conservation plans for agroecosystems.