The unknown diversity of Cerrado invertebrates

The Cerrado is the second Brazilian ecological region and hosts one of the greatest biodiversity in the world. Covering more than 20% of Brazil and present in ten states, this biome is classified as a Hotspot. Unfortunately, to be considered a Hotspot, an ecoregion must meet two criteria: present at least 1.500 species of endemic vascular plants (that is, that do not occur anywhere else in the world) and be made up of 30% or less of its original vegetation. A Hotspot is synonymous with an irreplaceable area, so the destruction of these regions is inevitably accompanied by extinctions of fauna and flora.

The biodiversity of the Cerrado is still little known. There are few inventories of the most diverse taxonomic groups that make up the biome. And the imminent threat of extinction justifies the urgent need for further investigations into the composition of Cerrado species, their ecosystem contributions and possibilities for bioprospecting (medical and economic applications) and technological innovation.

The main contributions to Tocantins

The arthropodofauna corresponds to the invertebrates of the phylum Arthropoda, which includes many animals known in our daily lives such as butterflies, bees, ants, centipedes, spiders, scorpions and ticks. These animals are essential for maintaining local biodiversity, participating in important ecological processes such as nutrient cycling and pollination.

Little is known about the real diversity of arthropod species present in Tocantins. It is believed that for the Cerrado as a whole, there are more than 10.000 species of butterflies and moths, 130 species of termites, 140 species of social wasps and more than 800 species of bees.

Within this panorama, the Integrated Systematic and Bioprospecting of Neotropical Terrestrial Arthropodofauna research group led by researcher Lidianne Salvatierra aims to fill some gaps in knowledge of the Cerrado fauna, especially that which makes up the state of Tocantins.

The research group is developing projects that address updating the list of species from different groups of invertebrates such as butterflies and spiders, description of new species, ecological studies and also the evaluation of ethnozoological knowledge (beliefs, myths and traditional concepts of the lay community) and applications of results in the teaching-learning process.

An example of ongoing research is the project entitled Araneofauna (Arachnida: Araneae) in an enclave area of ​​Savanna and Cerrado Semideciduous Seasonal Forest in the municipality of Dianópolis (Tocantins). The study is part of student Kássia de Oliveira Madaleno's master's degree, supervised by doctor Lidianne Salvatierra, in the Postgraduate Program in Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation (PPGBec) at the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT).

Preliminary results have already revealed an important spider fauna with the presence of at least twenty-three families of the order (approximately 18% of existing families in the world), new species records for Tocantins and at least three new species.

Possible results

The results of arthropodofauna studies can provide important data on the local fauna and the need for more urgent conservation actions, will support biomonitoring work and increase knowledge about the taxonomy and natural history of Cerrado invertebrate species.

Furthermore, research involving the study of the taxonomy (identification and description) of a species is fundamental for the correct identification of records, predictions of the risk of threats to the species and even the implementation of prophylactic and sanitary measures strategies in order to resolve the incidence of accidents with venomous animals.

By Lidianne Salvatierra Paz Trigueiro, Federal University of Tocantins