Estudo ecológico da assembleia de miriápodes (Arthropoda, Myriapoda) em uma planície inundável na região norte do Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brasil

Abstract

In the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, as well as in other humid tropical areas, where alternation between terrestrial and aquatic phases occurs, flooding is considered a determining factor in its ecological processes. In this region, flooding has a limiting role on vegetation, selecting species adapted to seasonal conditions, forming a vegetative mosaic with homogeneous and/or heterogeneous landscapes units, interacting in a complex way. Seasonal floods, in addition to influencing the distribution of vegetation, affect the use of flooded and nonflooded habitats by fauna. In this context, studies in flooded environments have shown that many invertebrates, including myriapods, have developed strategies to withstand and survive flooding time, including temporary shifts between habitats. The Myriapoda are widely distributed on all continents except Antártida, with the greatest diversity concentrated in the tropics and hot temperate regions. Currently, they comprise four taxonomic classes, Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Pauropoda and Symphyla. Considering the importance of studies that address biodiversity and the mechanisms that maintain its pattern and stability, especially in areas prior to its conservation as the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of habitat structure and seasonality on the composition, abundance and richness of the Myriapoda edaphic assemblage in comparative studies between different flooded and nonflooded areas in a floodplain in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso. The results indicated that the species composition and species richness of Myriapoda (Chilopoda and Diplopoda) varied according to the seasonality in the non-flooded and flooded habitats. Some species have developed specific survival strategies, such as temporary displacements between flooded and non-flooded areas, and the timing of their life cycle to adapt to and survive the strong seasonality of this region, as recorded for Promestosoma boggianii (Silvestri, 1898). In relation to the diversity of myriapods in the Pantanal of Poconé, 34 species were recorded, distributed among Diplopoda (20 spp., 58.8%), Chilopoda (11 spp., 32.4%), Symphyla (2 spp.; 5.9%) and Pauropoda (1 sp., 2.9%). It can be inferred that the fauna of Myriapoda in the Pantanal of Poconé is rich and diverse, being its conservation directly linked to the preservation of the different vegetation formations and, consequently, of its biodiversity.