Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: CAMILA BRAGA DA CONCEIÇÃO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
DISCENTE: CAMILA BRAGA DA CONCEIÇÃO
DATA: 07/07/2026
HORA: 14:00
LOCAL: online
TÍTULO:

ANT-MEDIATED PREDATION IS MORE SENSITIVE TO LAND-USE CHANGE THAN

SEED DISPERSAL IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

PALAVRAS-CHAVES:

Seed dispersal · Insect predation · Seed cleaning · Foraging behavior · Land-
use change

PÁGINAS: 40
GRANDE ÁREA: Ciências Agrárias
ÁREA: Agronomia
SUBÁREA: Fitossanidade
ESPECIALIDADE: Entomologia Agrícola
RESUMO:

Land-use changes in the Amazon, primarily driven by agricultural expansion and cattle
ranching, have altered biodiversity and compromised key ecological functions, such as
seed dispersal and insect predation. In this context, ants play a key role in these processes
and respond differently to environmental changes. Here, we investigated the effects of
different land-use types on ant-mediated seed dispersal and insect predation in forest,
pasture, shifting cultivation, and agroforestry systems in the Brazilian Amazon. We
evaluated the richness, composition, behavior, and foraging strategies of ants associated
with these ecological functions. We found higher richness of seed-interacting ants in forest
environments, associated with a distinct species composition compared to anthropogenic

environments. In contrast, the richness of predatory ants remained similar across land-
use types, although species composition also varied along the environmental gradient.

Seed removal rates did not differ among environments, suggesting functional stability
despite changes in ant assemblage composition. Conversely, insect predation was higher
in anthropogenic environments, particularly in shifting cultivation and SAFs. Solitary

foraging predominated across all functions and environments evaluated, whereas seed-
cleaning behavior was the most frequent interaction observed between ants and seeds.

Our results indicate that ant-mediated ecological functions respond differently to land-use
change, with seed dispersal remaining relatively stable while insect predation was more
sensitive to environmental alterations. These findings reinforce the importance of
considering not only assemblage composition, but also behavioral traits, to better
understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on Amazonian ecosystems.

MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Interno - CARLA RODRIGUES RIBAS (Membro)
Externo à Instituição - FABRICIO BEGGIATO BACCARO - UFAM (Membro)
Externo à Instituição - FERNANDA MARIA PEREIRA DE OLIVEIRA - UFPI (Membro)
Externo à Instituição - GRAZIELE SANTIAGO DA SILVA - UEMG (Suplente)
Presidente - KHALID HADDI (Membro)
Externo à Instituição - MARIANA AZEVEDO RABELO - UFLA (Membro)