Navegando por Autor "Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira"

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Artigo
Microhabitat selection and niche overlap: Drivers of spider coexistence in a tropical limestone cave
(2024-10-10) Laís da Glória Teixeira Silveira; Thais Giovannini Pellegrini; Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira; Marconi Souza Silva
Stable temperature, humidity, and oligotrophy may be essential in microhabitat selection, shaping niche overlap and species coexistence within cave ecosystems. To explore this hypothesis, we assessed the distribution and microhabitat preferences of four non-obligate cave-dwelling spiders: Loxosceles anomala, Scytodes itapevi, Philoponella vittata, and the exotic Oecobius navus. Using 1-m2 quadrats, we surveyed spider distribution and abundance in a limestone cave, considering environmental conditions and prey availability during wet and dry periods. Significant differences were observed between moist and dry periods regarding light intensity, wind speed, air temperature and moisture, potential prey, and the abundance of L. anomala. The exotic spider O. navus was more specialist, preferred brighter habitats, and showed lower niche overlap. Conversely, the three native species displayed greater niche overlap and preferred darker and more humid environments. Spatial disparities, rather than temporal variation, in species distribution underscored the influence of cave habitat conditions on species segregation. Furthermore, our findings highlighted the limited ability of the non-native O. navus to occupy more illuminated cave areas, thereby potentially safeguarding these habitats against biological invasion by this species.
Artigo
xploring uncharted waters: insights into groundwater zooplankton of the Brazilian semiarid region.
(2024-07-11) Carolina Teixeira Puppin-Gonçalves; Diego Medeiros Bento; Gilmar Perbiche-Neves; Rodrigo Lopes Ferreira; Marconi Souza-Silva; Vanessa Becker; Juliana Déo Dias
The subterranean environments of the Caatinga drylands (Brazilian biome) host a diverse array of aquatic systems and diversity, comprising both lentic and lotic ecosystems. Species diversity in these environmnts has been overlooked and remains poorly understood, especially regarding zooplankton. We studied the species richness and composition of zooplankton living in groundwater of the Caatinga drylands and explored how they vary in relation to habitat type (lentic and lotic) by testing two hypotheses: (1) species richness, gamma diversity, and zooplankton density are higher in lentic environments and (2) zooplankton species composition differs between habitat types. We sampled 12 lentic and lotic groundwater environments quarterly for 2 years, and identified 100 species of zooplankton in groundwater environments, including testate amoebae (50 species), Rotifera (25 species), Copepoda (16 species), and Cladocera (9 species). Rotifer species richness and copepod density differed between lentic and lotic habitats, as did zooplankton composition. Additionally, each habitat was found to harbor distinct indicator species based on their ecology and morphological characteristics. These findings contribute to current understanding of groundwater biodiversity and ecology, providing support for freshwater and speleological management and conservation programs.