Evaluation of environmental quality of Vitório Piassa State Park through the use of bioindicator beetles

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to analyze the environmental quality of a forest fragment of the Atlantic Forest close to an urban area. The study was carried out in Vitório Piassa State Park, located in the municipality of Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil. Beetles from the subfamily Scarabaeinae were collected with pitfall traps in three different areas in the park, between February and March 2015. A total of 945 individuals and 22 species were collected, of which 366 individuals and 18 species were found in the densest vegetation area, 291 individuals and 18 species in the secondary vegetation area, and 288 individuals and 16 species in the most anthropized area. The most abundant species were Dichotomius mormon and Eurysternus parallelus, accounting for more than 50% of the total captured individuals. Diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson) and equitability (Pielou) were higher in the area with secondary vegetation, probably because it is an intermediate area, both in spatial and temporal terms. Similarity analysis based on the Bray-Curtis index showed the formation of two groups: one consisting of the assemblages of regenerating areas and the other only of the densest vegetation area, mainly due to the great abundance of beetles in this area. Thus, it was possible to observe that the Park maintains a habitat quality that allows the sheltering of a great abundance of many dung beetle species, mainly in the most conserved areas.

Keywords

• Coleoptera
• Fragmentação
• Mata Atlântica
• Parque urbano
• Scarabaeinae