Silviculture can be considered a sustainable alternative to the extraction of wood from natural forests in Brazil. However, the high demand for wood products has decreased the area of natural Cerrado due to land transformation for forestry activities. This transformation could lead to the loss of species, including insects that cannot tolerate the new environment dominated by exotic plant species. This study aims to evaluate whether the presence of an extensive Eucalyptus silviculture in the Brazilian Cerrado decreases the integrity of nearby riparian environments and, consequently, decreases odonate diversity. Thirteen ponds were selected in patches of Cerrado embedded within a matrix of Eucalyptus silviculture in order to assess habitat integrity of ponds and their riparian zones and collect adult odonates. The physical integrity of the study sites was measured using a Habitat Integrity Index (HII) designed to determine the degree of conservation of aquatic environments. The HII of the study sites varied between 0.44 and 0.80, indicating differences in the degree of conservation. Therefore, a positive relationship was found between odonate richness and abundance and HII, and between the abundance of zygopterans and anisopterans and HII. These findings may be due to the fact that these insects are adapted to the natural resources maintained at the most conserved habitats, and which were lost in degraded riparian zones, such as the presence of aquatic vegetation and a diversity of organic debris on pond banks. We conclude that the conversion of natural areas to Eucalyptus silviculture can alter the integrity of nearby riparian zones and, consequently, odonate diversity.

Graphical abstract

在巴西，造林可以被认为是从天然林中提取木材的可持续替代方法。然而，由于林业活动的土地转化，对木制品的高需求减少了天然塞拉多的面积。这种转变可能导致物种的流失，包括无法忍受外来植物物种主导的新环境的昆虫。这项研究旨在评估巴西塞拉多地区是否存在广泛的桉树造林活动，从而降低附近河岸环境的完整性，并因此降低乌多酸盐的多样性。在嵌入桉树基质的塞拉多斑块中选择了13个池塘造林，以评估池塘及其河岸带的栖息地完整性，并收集成年的odonates。研究地点的物理完整性使用栖息地完整性指数（HII）进行测量，该指数旨在确定水生环境的保护程度。研究地点的HII在0.44和0.80之间变化，表明保存程度不同。因此，发现在卵酸盐的丰富度和丰度与HII之间，以及在合子翅虫和反翅翅目与HII之间存在正相关关系。这些发现可能归因于以下事实：这些昆虫适应了保存在最保守的栖息地的自然资源，并在退化的河岸带消失了，例如水生植物的存在和池塘岸上的各种有机碎片。桉树造林可以改变附近河岸带的完整性，从而改变卵酸盐的多样性。

图形概要