Vespas sociais do campus de Juiz de Fora da UFJF: aspectos ecológicos diante das mudanças climáticas

Abstract

Social wasps are a fundamental part of the urban ecosystem, providing many ecosytem services, such as population control of insects and other arthropods, pollination of certain plant species, recycling of dead organic matter, and may even serve as bioindicators. This study explored the influence of climate change over the populations of social wasps in a section of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora campus. Bimonthly censuses were conducted to evaluate the abundance, diversity and longevity of the colonies in relation to the seasonal temperature variations, while also evaluating the frequency of new foundations and their preferred substracts. The results indicate that species such as Mischocyttarus drewseni and Polistes versicolor exhibit strong correlation with the temperature averages, suggesting a higher sensibility to climatic variations. In contrast, Mischocyttarus cassununga was shown to be resilient and eudominant, possibly due to its behavior, which is adapted to the urban environment. The preferred substract for nidification varied from species to species, with some of them, such as Polybia platycephala and Protopolybia exigua, preferring natural substracts while others, such as Mischocyttarus spp., being found predominantly in artificial structures. Furthermore, it was observed that most of the colonies did not last for more than one census period, suggesting the impact of factors such as predation and anthropic disturbances over their success. This study’s findings highlight the importance of constantly monitoring the populations of social wasps for conservation, and also the importance of implementing conservation strategies in an effort to mitigate the effects that climate change has over these species, primarily considering their habitat preference and their vulnerability to temperature oscillations.