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The potential of using Drosophila as bioindicator in a restinga environment

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Abstract

The model organism Drosophila has been used in several areas of biology, and recent studies have suggested the potential of the Family Drosophilidae as an environmental bioindicator. However, the diversity of the family is poorly known, especially in certain environments such as the Restinga, a Brazilian lowland coastal environment. Given this, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the Drosophilidae biodiversity in the Itapeva State Park, in the municipality of Torres, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in different seasons. Although the park is in a conservation unit, there are agricultural and pastoral activities in the area. We made seasonal samplings in 2013 using banana bait traps. Summer and Spring were the seasons with higher abundance, whereas Autumn was the richest. There was a predominance of exotic species, especially during Summer and Spring, and Drosophila simulans and Zaprionus indianus were the main representatives. Our study shows that Itapeva State Park biodiversity is comparable to other restinga surveys. The Itapeva State Park is in an intermediate state of conservation, and our results suggest that the urbanization within the park is possibly affecting the biodiversity, and the massive presence of exotic species may lead to biotic homogenization and loss of endemic species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank CNPq for the financial support. We also thank Ney Alexandre and Paula Dandara Berruti for the precious help with the collections.

Funding

Grant sponsor: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Grant number: CNPq 455101/2014–0 and PRONEX 16/0485–4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Drosophila Laboratory, Genetics Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    B. G. Alexandre, J. L. Poppe, R. Zanini, V. L. S. Valente & M. Deprá

  2. Post-Graduation Program in Animal Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    J. L. Poppe, V. L. S. Valente & M. Deprá

  3. Integrated Regional University of Alto Uruguai and Missões, São Luiz Gonzaga, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    J. L. Poppe

  4. Integrative Biomedicine Laboratory, Nova Medical School, R. Câmara Pestana 6, 1150-082, Lisbon, Portugal

    R. Zanini

  5. Post-Graduation Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    V. L. S. Valente & M. Deprá

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  1. B. G. Alexandre
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Correspondence to R. Zanini.

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Alexandre, B.G., Poppe, J.L., Zanini, R. et al. The potential of using Drosophila as bioindicator in a restinga environment. Int J Trop Insect Sci 43, 677–687 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-023-00983-y

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