TY  - JOUR
T1  - Diversity of the Epigean Entomofauna in Southern Santa Fe Province, Argentina
A1  - Natacha María Noelia Schanzempch
A1  - Pablo Guillermo Rimoldi
JF  - Entomology and Applied Science Letters
JO  - Entomol Appl Sci Lett
SN  - 2349-2864
Y1  - 2023
VL  - 10
IS  - 4
DO  - 10.51847/vmeMGxgwIg
SP  - 1
EP  - 12
N2  - Biodiversity protection is crucial due to the impact of human activities on ecosystems. Anthropogenic activities, such as advancing agricultural frontier, deforestation, and the introduction of exotic species, are the main drivers of changes in biodiversity. Entomofauna, especially insects, play a vital role in ecosystem indicators of environmental quality and contribute to key functions such as pollination and decomposition. The present research focuses on the understory entomofauna in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences of the National University of Rosario, Argentina. Several samplings were carried out in 2022 in five different microsites regarding herbaceous, shrub, and tree vegetation, using pitfall traps to capture arthropods. A total of 2631 individuals of 68 morphospecies belonging to five classes, 15 orders, and 43 families were captured. The class Insecta was the most diverse and abundant, accounting for 82.35% of the morphospecies and 35.80% of the total abundance. The class Malacostraca, although with only two species, was dominant in abundance (58.57%). Microsite diversity showed that microsites 5 and 1 had the highest biodiversity. The results showed low similarity between microsites, indicating the influence of the landscape on entomofaunal composition. This study provides an essential baseline on understory entomofauna in the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences. The diversity found highlights the importance of this habitat and the identification of key species such as Armadillidium vulgare and Enthomobryidae sp. to their role in ecosystem services. This research lays the groundwork for future comparative studies and highlights the need to consider biodiversity in conservation and environmental management politics agendas.
UR  - https://easletters.com/article/diversity-of-the-epigean-entomofauna-in-southern-santa-fe-province-argentina-mcrnve5s61v8waw
ER  -