Bioindicação, estrutura da paisagem e modelos de distribuição: uma abordagem multiescalar para abelhas Euglossini.

Abstract

Tropical ecosystems harbor high levels of biodiversity but are under strong anthropogenic pressure, such as habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, and climate change, which affect ecological processes and the maintenance of biological communities. In this context, bees play an essential role in pollination and ecosystem dynamics, with Euglossine bees being particularly important due to their strong association with forest environments and their frequent use as environmental bioindicators. Their sensitivity to environmental changes, combined with ease of sampling and wide distribution, reinforces their importance for biodiversity monitoring. The thesis is structured around three complementary axes. The first consists of a systematic review, based on the PRISMA protocol, synthesizing more than five decades of studies on Euglossine bees as bioindicators, identifying patterns and knowledge gaps, including taxonomic, spatial, and ecological deficits. The second axis investigates the effects of landscape transformation in the Cerrado, especially agricultural expansion, on the richness and abundance of these bees, considering the Habitat Amount Hypothesis and landscape metrics across multiple spatial scales. The third axis uses species distribution models to estimate suitable areas and sampling gaps for rare species, supporting conservation planning and guiding future inventories.Thus, the thesis integrates theoretical, empirical, and predictive approaches to understand how environmental changes affect Euglossine bee communities and to support conservation strategies in rapidly changing tropical landscapes.