Laura Braga

Graduated in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2006). Master's degree in Animal Biology from the University of Brasília (2011). PhD in Ecology from the University of Brasília (2014). Post-doctoral research at the Department of Biodiversity, Evolution and Environment of the Federal University of Ouro Preto, Biodiversity Laboratory, research project on tri-trophic interactions in partnership with the University of Nevada (Reno/USA) (2019). Currently a DA scholarship researcher in the MCTI Institutional Capacity Building Program at the National Institute of the Atlantic Forest. Specialization in lepidoptera ecology, spatial and temporal distribution, plant-caterpillar-parasitoid tri-trophic interactions. Collaborating researcher of the National Plan for the Conservation of Pollinating Insects (PANIP); Interaction with Society Axis of the INCT Pollination (INPol); Research Program in Biodiversity of Eastern Amazonia (PPBio AmOr); Unicamp Butterfly

EDUCATION

Graduated in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2006). Master's degree in Animal Biology from the University of Brasília (2011). PhD in Ecology from the University of Brasília (2014).

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Ecology, Insect Science, Multidisciplinary

Scopus Publications

Monitoring Stresses Caused by Gaseous Pollutants: How Can They Affect a Fruit-Feeding Butterfly Community (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Caatinga?
Gustavo dos Santos Silva, Maicon dos Santos da Silva, Eloito Caires de Mates, Wesley Gil Oliveira Silva, Daniela Ribeiro da Costa, et al.
Stresses, 2025
This study evaluated the effects of gaseous pollutants and vegetation on the structure of fruit-feeding butterfly communities (some subfamilies of Nymphalidae) in a Caatinga area in Brumado, BA, between 2016 and 2018. Two transects were established: Transect “I” (presence of pollutant plumes) and Transect “II” (absence), encompassing a forest fragment and pasture. Bait traps were installed in each transect, and the butterfly communities were analyzed using faunistic indices, including species richness, Shannon diversity index, abundance, and dominance. The canopy opening was also assessed. The composition of fruit-feeding butterfly communities was influenced by both pollutants and vegetation. Gaseous pollutants increased butterfly abundance, diversity, and species richness, though species dominance remained unaffected. Notably, the abundance of Hamadryas februa was particularly sensitive to pollutant exposure. Conversely, increased canopy opening was negatively associated with butterfly abundance and diversity. A relationship between canopy opening and the presence of gaseous pollutants may reflect changes in the abundance and diversity of fruit-feeding butterfly species in the study region. Long-term community monitoring is important, as interannual differences in population fluctuations are common. A better understanding of the patterns found is essential to for devise devising conservation strategies for frugivorous butterfly communities in mining ventures.
Variation in the strength of local and regional determinants of herbivory across the Neotropics
Tara Joy Massad, André Rangel Nascimento, Diego Fernando Campos Moreno, Wilmer Simbaña, Humberto Garcia Lopez, et al.
Oikos, 2024
Insect herbivory can be an important selective pressure and contribute substantially to local plant richness. As herbivory is the result of numerous ecological and evolutionary processes, such as complex insect population dynamics and evolution of plant antiherbivore defenses, it has been difficult to predict variation in herbivory across meaningful spatial scales. In the present work, we characterize patterns of herbivory on plants in a species‐rich and abundant tropical genus ( Piper ) across forests spanning 44° of latitude in the Neotropics. We modeled the effects of geography, climate, resource availability, and Piper species richness on the median, dispersion, and skew of generalist and specialist herbivory. By examining these multiple components of the distribution of herbivory, we were able to determine factors that increase biologically meaningful herbivory at the upper ends of the distribution (indicated by skew and dispersion). We observed a roughly twofold increase in median herbivory in humid relative to seasonal forests, which aligns with the hypothesis that precipitation seasonality plays a critical role in shaping interaction diversity within tropical ecosystems. Site level variables such as latitude, seasonality, and maximum Piper richness explained the positive skew in herbivory at the local scale (plot level) better for assemblages of Piper congeners than for a single species. Predictors that varied between local communities, such as resource availability and diversity, best explained the distribution of herbivory within sites, dampening broad patterns across latitude and climate and demonstrating why generalizations about gradients in herbivory have been elusive. The estimated population means, dispersion, and skew of herbivory responded differently to abiotic and biotic factors, illustrating the need for careful studies to explore distributions of herbivory and their effects on forest diversity.
Distribution expansion of Petrocerus catiena (Hewitson, 1875) (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) and description of the previously unknown female
AUGUSTO HENRIQUE BATISTA ROSA, LAURA BRAGA, RICARDO RUSSO SIEWERT, GUSTAVO RODRIGUES MAGNAGO, ANDRÉ VICTOR LUCCI FREITAS
Journal of Insect Biodiversity, 2023
Petrocerus catiena is a rarely observed Riodinidae butterfly, known from a few specimens from two locations in Serra do Mar (Atlantic Forest) in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. This species was listed as “Endangered” in the Brazilian Red List due to its small area of occupation and isolated populations under strong anthropogenic pressure. Based on scientific collections and citizen science data, the present study provides information about new geographic records of P. catiena and its perspectives on conservation. A total of 19 specimens of P. catiena were found in six public / private collections, as well as six photograph records of live specimens from citizen science reports. A recent photograph from a locality in the state of Espírito Santo (southeastern Brazil) resulted in an increase in both the extent of occurrence and the area of occupation estimates of P. catiena, implying a possible change in its conservation status. Besides providing new geographical information for a little-known species, the present study also highlights the importance of citizen science in contributing to the knowledge of threatened species and their conservation assessments.
A new modified night trap: more selective and less harmful to Heterocera (Insecta: Lepidoptera)
C. Lepesqueur, S. Scherrer, L. Braga, I. Rezende-Diniz
Shilap Revista De Lepidopterologia, 2022
We present one modified collection container to the “Luiz de Queiroz” light trap. This night tent-trap (or NTT) is characterized by being simple, inexpensive, and efficient in several aspects related to the capture of Heterocera: 1) even the fragile insects had few morphological damages; 2) favors selective collection of specimens, avoiding the predatory capture which contributes to the maintenance of local diversity, and 3) does not select any taxonomic groups or body sizes.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Campo Rupestre: A road map for the sustainability of the hottest Brazilian biodiversity hotspot
G. Wilson Fernandes, Lucas Arantes-Garcia, Milton Barbosa, Newton P.U. Barbosa, Eugênia K.L. Batista, et al.
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 2020
Can Saturniidae moths be bioindicators? Spatial and temporal distribution in the Brazilian savannah
Laura Braga, Ivone Rezende Diniz
Journal of Insect Conservation, 2018
Distribution Extension of Godartiana byses (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) and First Record for the State of São Paulo, Brazil
Laura Braga, Renato Rogner Ramos, Tamara Moreira Costa Aguiar, André Victor Lucci Freitas
Journal of the Lepidopterists Society, 2018
The Abundance of Specialist and Generalist Lepidopteran Larvae on a Single Host Plant Species: Does Spatial Scale Matter?
Laura Braga, Ivone Rezende Diniz
Florida Entomologist, 2015
Importance of habitat heterogeneity in richness and diversity of moths (Lepidoptera) in Brazilian Savanna
L. Braga, I. R. Diniz
Environmental Entomology, 2015
Immature stages and ecological characteristics of Idalus lineosus Walker (Erebidae: Arctiinae)
Laura Braga, Cintia Lepesqueur, Neuza A. P. Silva, Érica Sevilha Harterreiten-Souza, Karla Pessoa Tepedino, et al.
Journal of the Lepidopterists Society, 2014