Biodiversity of Drosophilidae in areas of the Atlantic Forest and population structure of the Drosophila sturtevanti with emphasis on application in conservation programs

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest stands out from all the world's tropical forests rainforests for its long linear distribution along the Brazilian coast , the heterogeneity of habitat, by its isolation from other rain forests of the continent and the high degree of fragmentation that qualify it as one of the 34 hotspots for conservation. Studies on the use of some species of drosophilid as bioindicators have advanced in recent years as a proposal for inclusion in practical and cost effective environmental monitoring methodologies. The present study will assess the biodiversity of Drosophilidae in Atlantic Forest fragments from different regions of Brazil, focusing on various environmental problems such as fragment size, effect and edge size, and condition of the fragment among others. In parallel, a study on the population structure of Drosophila sturtevanti (sturtevanti subgroup, saltans group), which is widely distributed in areas of the Atlantic Forest will be conducted, using morphological markers (aedeagus and wing) and molecular (microsatellite DNA). Both methodologies will allow evaluating the effects of habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of natural populations of this species (AU)