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Lucimar Soares de Araújo

Bio: Lucimar Soares de Araújo is an academic researcher from Universidade Federal de Viçosa. The author has contributed to research in topics: Filter (video) & Band-pass filter. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 14 publications receiving 143 citations. Previous affiliations of Lucimar Soares de Araújo include Federal University of Pernambuco & University of Porto.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that herbivory rates in the transition dry forest‐cerrado may be driven by soil nutrient content, which is thought to influence leaf sclerophylly.
Abstract: This study aimed to compare canopy herbivore diversity and resultant insect damage to vegetation in two distinct and adjacent ecosystems, specifically a dry forest ecosystem and a cerrado (savanna) ecosystem that occur together in an abrupt transition zone in southeastern Brazil. In the dry forest, the canopy was reached using a single rope climbing technique, whereas the shorter canopy of the cerrado was assessed using a 7m ladder. Insect specimens were collected by beating the foliage, and 20 representative leaves were collected to calculate the specific leaf mass (SLM) and leaf area loss through herbivory. Also, we collected ten soil samples from each habitat to determine soil nutrient content. We sampled 118 herbivorous insects from ten families, mostly in dry forest trees (96 individuals belonging to 31 species). A higher abundance of chewing and sap-sucking insects were observed in dry forest trees than in cerrado trees. The same pattern was observed for the richness of chewers, with a higher degree of diversity of chewers found in dry forest trees than in cerrado trees. Herbivorous insects were not affected by SLM regardless of guild and habitat. However, we observed a negative correlation between the herbivory rate and the specific leaf mass (SLM). The cerrado trees showed a higher SLM and lower herbivory rates than trees occurring in the dry forest. These results suggest that herbivory rates in the transition dry forest‐cerrado may be driven by soil nutrient content, which is thought to influence leaf sclerophylly.

61 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is indicated that the fragmentation of Brazilian Atlantic Forest has affected negatively the diversity of beetles associated with wood-decaying fungi, even in relatively large conservation areas.

22 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results showed that ant species richness was higher in pequi trees located in preserved Cerrado, followed by trees in pastureland and Eucalyptus plantation, respectively, and it was concluded that habitats simplified by human activities may result in diversity loss and may change species interactions.
Abstract: Simplification of natural habitats leads to a modification of the community associated with a host plant. Pequi trees (Caryocar brasiliense) are common to find in central Brazil, especially in the middle of monocultures, such as soy, corn, pasturelands or Eucalyptus plantations. On this scenario we hypothesized that habitat modification differentially affects the diversity of ants and herbivore insects associated with this species. The aim of the work was to test if C. brasiliense trees located in human modified habitats, support a lower species richness and abundance of ants, and a greater species richness and abundance of insect herbivores, compared to preserved cerrado habitats. The study was conducted in a Cerrado area located in Northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Ants and herbivore insects were collected monthly during 2005 using beating technique. The results showed that ant species richness was higher in pequi trees located in preserved Cerrado, followed by trees in pastureland and Eucalyptus plantation, respectively. The ant abundance was lower in the Eucalyptus plantation but no difference in ant abundance was observed between trees in pastureland and the preserved Cerrado. Moreover, herbivore insects exhibited lower number of species and individuals in trees located in the preserved Cerrado than in the pastureland and Eucalyptus plantation. We concluded that habitats simplified by human activities may result in diversity loss and may change species interactions.

19 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
11 Mar 2016
TL;DR: Falsocis sooretama sp.
Abstract: Species of Falsocis are very distinct from members of other ciid genera and are relatively uniform morphologically. The genus has been recorded only from well preserved forests in the Neotropical region, from Costa Rica to southern Brazil. We describe Falsocis sooretama sp. nov. based on adult individuals collected at Reserva Biologica de Sooretama (Sooretama, state of Espirito Santo), a conservation unit of the Atlantic Forest biome. Falsocis sooretama sp. nov. is closely related to F. occultus Lopes-Andrade & Lawrence, but differs from it in possessing sparser stout bristles and very minute setae (~0.01 mm) on elytra, and apex of anterior male pronotal plate rounded rather than acute. The male genitalia of F. sooretama sp. nov. and F. occultus are conspicuously different: in the former the penis is enlarged at apex and the apical lobes of tegmen are not emarginated (each lobe has only a small excavation in the outer edge). Individuals of F. sooretama sp. nov. were found inside the basidiomes of an unidentified species of Hymenochaetaceae, possibly belonging to Phellinus . We also provide additional geographic records and an updated identification key to all Falsocis species.

13 citations


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mass rearing of the mealworm Tenebrio molitor is reviewed, focusing on challenges such as the contamination of food/feed products with bacteria from the insect gut and the risk of rapidly spreading pathogens and parasites.
Abstract: The farming of edible insects is an alternative strategy for the production of protein-rich food and feed with a low ecological footprint The industrial production of insect-derived protein is more cost-effective and energy-efficient than livestock farming or aquaculture The mealworm Tenebrio molitor is economically among the most important species used for the large-scale conversion of plant biomass into protein Here, we review the mass rearing of this species and its conversion into food and feed, focusing on challenges such as the contamination of food/feed products with bacteria from the insect gut and the risk of rapidly spreading pathogens and parasites We propose solutions to prevent the outbreak of infections among farmed insects without reliance on antibiotics Transgenerational immune priming and probiotic bacteria may provide alternative strategies for sustainable insect farming

98 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although there were systematic and species-specific differences in dispersal ability (fungi are better dispersers than insects), it seems that for both groups colonization and establishment, not dispersal per se, are limiting their occurrence at management-relevant scales.
Abstract: Limited knowledge of dispersal for most organisms hampers effective connectivity conservation in fragmented landscapes. In forest ecosystems, deadwood-dependent organisms (i.e., saproxylics) are negatively affected by forest management and degradation globally. We reviewed empirically established dispersal ecology of saproxylic insects and fungi. We focused on direct studies (e.g., mark-recapture, radiotelemetry), field experiments, and population genetic analyses. We found 2 somewhat opposite results. Based on direct methods and experiments, dispersal is limited to within a few kilometers, whereas genetic studies showed little genetic structure over tens of kilometers, which indicates long-distance dispersal. The extent of direct dispersal studies and field experiments was small and thus these studies could not have detected long-distance dispersal. Particularly for fungi, more studies at management-relevant scales (1-10 km) are needed. Genetic researchers used outdated markers, investigated few loci, and faced the inherent difficulties of inferring dispersal from genetic population structure. Although there were systematic and species-specific differences in dispersal ability (fungi are better dispersers than insects), it seems that for both groups colonization and establishment, not dispersal per se, are limiting their occurrence at management-relevant scales. Because most studies were on forest landscapes in Europe, particularly the boreal region, more data are needed from nonforested landscapes in which fragmentation effects are likely to be more pronounced. Given the potential for long-distance dispersal and the logical necessity of habitat area being a more fundamental landscape attribute than the spatial arrangement of habitat patches (i.e., connectivity sensu strict), retaining high-quality deadwood habitat is more important for saproxylic insects and fungi than explicit connectivity conservation in many cases.

73 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2017-Ecology
TL;DR: The results indicate that conservation of saproxylic beetles in forested regions should primarily focus on increasing the overall amount of dead wood without considering its spatial arrangement, which means dead wood should be added wherever possible including in local landscapes with low or high dead-wood amounts.
Abstract: The habitat-amount hypothesis challenges traditional concepts that explain species richness within habitats, such as the habitat-patch hypothesis, where species number is a function of patch size and patch isolation. It posits that effects of patch size and patch isolation are driven by effects of sample area, and thus that the number of species at a site is basically a function of the total habitat amount surrounding this site. We tested the habitat-amount hypothesis for saproxylic beetles and their habitat of dead wood by using an experiment comprising 190 plots with manipulated patch sizes situated in a forested region with a high variation in habitat amount (i.e., density of dead trees in the surrounding landscape). Although dead wood is a spatio-temporally dynamic habitat, saproxylic insects have life cycles shorter than the time needed for habitat turnover and they closely track their resource. Patch size was manipulated by adding various amounts of downed dead wood to the plots (similar to 800 m(3) in total);dead trees in the surrounding landscape (similar to 240 km(2)) were identified using airborne laser scanning (light detection and ranging). Over 3 yr, 477 saproxylic species (101,416 individuals) were recorded. Considering 20-1,000 m radii around the patches, local landscapes were identified as having a radius of 40-120 m. Both patch size and habitat amount in the local landscapes independently affected species numbers without a significant interaction effect, hence refuting the island effect. Species accumulation curves relative to cumulative patch size were not consistent with either the habitat-patch hypothesis or the habitat-amount hypothesis: several small dead-wood patches held more species than a single large patch with an amount of dead wood equal to the sum of that of the small patches. Our results indicate that conservation of saproxylic beetles in forested regions should primarily focus on increasing the overall amount of dead wood without considering its spatial arrangement. This means dead wood should be added wherever possible including in local landscapes with low or high dead-wood amounts. For species that have disappeared from most forests owing to anthropogenic habitat degradation, this should, however, be complemented by specific conservation measures pursued within their extant distributional ranges.

69 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, is currently considered as a pest when infesting stored grains or grain products, but is now being promoted as a beneficial insect because their high nutrient content makes them a viable food source and because they are capable of degrading polystyrene and plastic waste.
Abstract: The mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, is currently considered as a pest when infesting stored grains or grain products. However, mealworms might be now promoted as to beneficial insect, because they contain significant nutrient that makes them viable as food and feed, and they were discovered capable of degrading polystyrene and plastic waste. This insect is therefore raising considerable interest for being produced at an industrial scale, which may promote disease transmission within the insect cultures. Disease resistance is of paramount importance for both the control and the culture of mealworms, and several biotic and abiotic environmental factors were found to affect the success of their anti-parasitic defenses, either positively or negatively. After providing a detailed description of the anti-parasitic defenses of T. molitor, we review the main biotic and abiotic environmental factors altering their expression and discussed their implications for the purpose of controlling the development and health of this insect.

61 citations