Between cultivated and forested environments of the Atlantic Forest: environmental and morphological filters shaping arthropod communities in Heliconia bihai inflorescences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/2447-536X.v32.e323061Keywords:
Biodiversity conservation, Forest fragments, Functional complementarity, Landscape epidemiology, Ornamental plant, PhytotelmataAbstract
The interplay between cultivated areas and forest fragments creates complex landscapes where ornamental plants such as Heliconia bihai (L.) L., 1763 act as microhabitats linking wild biodiversity to human-modified environments. Our goal was to evaluate how biodiversity, functional structure, and morphological traits influence the arthropod communities associated with H. bihai inflorescences in cultivated and forested environments of the Atlantic Forest. We analysed 344 inflorescences, yielding 14,665 arthropod individuals from 65 morphospecies across cultivated and forested sites. Forest fragments sustained richer and more abundant communities, while cultivated areas hosted mainly generalist taxa, revealing functional complementarity. Diptera dominated both habitats, whereas coleopterans and mites were more representative in forest stands, reflecting the importance of detrital input and structural complexity. Seasonality strongly modulated community composition, with aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa restricted to the rainy season. Community assembly was influenced by interacting microclimatic, seasonal, and morphological filters. These findings demonstrate that biodiversity conservation in cultivated landscapes depends on ecological connectivity between cultivated areas and adjacent forest fragments, which act as reservoirs of specialized taxa and sustain key ecological processes.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Thais Ranielle Souza de Oliveira, Vivian Loges, Denise Dias da Cruz, Celso Feitosa Martins
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