Restore it, and they will come : trap-nesting bee and wasp communities (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) are recovered by restoration of riparian forests.
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Date
2018
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Abstract
Riparian forests have been greatly affected by anthropogenic actions with formerly continuous riparian forests being slowly
converted into small and isolated patches. Riparian forests are extremely important habitats for many groups of insects,
including bees and wasps, because they are sources of shelter and food for them and their offspring. There is a growing body
of evidence of success in the restoration of riparian forest plant communities; however, little research has been done on the
associated invertebrate communities. We test whether restoring plant communities is sufficient for restoring the taxonomic
composition of trap-nesting bees and wasps and which functional traits are favored in different sites. We predict that species
richness, abundance, and community composition of trap-nesting bees and wasps of riparian sites undergoing restoration
will converge on the “target” of a reference site with increasing time, since restoration increases habitat complexity. We also
predict that the width of restored patches will also influence the species richness, abundance and community composition of
trap-nesting bees and wasps. Bee richness and abundance, and wasp richness, were strongly related to fragment width, but
not to age since restoration. Our results indicate that although restored sites are relatively small and scattered in a fragmented
landscape, they provide suitable habitat for re-colonization by community assemblages of trap-nesting bees and wasps and
the traits selected captured the responses to the habitat restoration. Hence, restored riparian areas can be considered important
habitats for invertebrates, thus contributing to an increase in local biodiversity and, possibly, the restoration of some of the
ecosystem services they originally provided.
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Keywords
Insect conservation, Native species seedling, High-diversity forest systems, Cavity-nesting hymenopterans
Citation
ARAÚJO, G. J. de et al. Restore it, and they will come : trap-nesting bee and wasp communities (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) are recovered by restoration of riparian forests. Journal of Insect Conservation, v. 22, p. 1-12, 2018. Disponível em: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-018-0058-8>. Acesso em: 11 fev. 2019.