Efeitos de alterações antrópicas sobre a comunidade de macroinvertebrados bentônicos no Cerrado

Abstract

The Brazilian Cerrado is a region of great water importance for the country. In addition, it has an enormous wealth of lotic ecosystems, natural lagoons and wetlands, such as sidewalks. Although the Cerrado is recognized as a "water box” of Brazil and a priority area for conservation, knowledge of its aquatic biota and the effects of anthropic changes on this limited biota. Benthic macroinvertebrates are relatively large organisms (larger than 0.5mm) that live in aquatic ecosystems attached to plants, rocks or buried in the substrate. These organisms have been widely used as bioindicators of water quality and aquatic ecosystems due to: a) high taxonomic diversity, b) limited displacement capacity (sessile / sedentary), c) long life cycles, d) easy sampling and Taxonomic identification and, e) because they are sensitive to pollutants in the aquatic environment. These combined characteristics make benthic macroinvertebrates excellent models for assessing the effects of anthropogenic changes on ecosystems and associated organisms. This dissertation sought to evaluate the effects of anthropic alterations on a community of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Cerrado Triângulo Mineiro region. An environmental integrity was studied in areas with a strong presence of livestock and forestry. In both cases, a community of benthic macroinvertebrates and water quality was shown to be related to a habitat integrity. The results showed that the more intact environments have a greater benthic macroinvertebrate richness. The use of soil systems, such as livestock and forestry, as riparian vegetation show great importance in maintaining a habitat integrity, in a way to conserve a community of benthic macroinvertebrates and a water quality. Therefore, the results found in the dissertation help improve / implement conservation policies for aquatic organisms and riparian vegetation in the Cerrado.