Diet of sympatric canids and their role as seed dispersers in a silvicultural landscape in the State of São Paulo

• Grant number: 12/23897-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Carla Gheler Costa
• Grantee: Carla Gheler Costa
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação. Universidade do Sagrado Coração (USC). Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Luciano Martins Verdade ; Luis Miguel do Carmo Rosalino ; Maria Carolina Lyra-Jorge

Abstract

The State of São Paulo has suffered dramatic environmental changes, mainly as a result of changes in land use since 1850. These changes led to a significant generation of wealth, but also led to the destruction of most natural ecosystems original state (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado). The result was a gradual deterioration in environmental quality, with possible local extinctions of species of flora and fauna. However, there are few documented cases of local extinction of species in the state, which highlights possible adaptive processes and also the need for the insertion of agroecosystems in the context of biological conservation. This project aims to evaluate, through study of the trophic chain, such as changes in land use and cover in an agricultural landscape of the state of São Paulo affect diet and role as dispersers of three sympatric species of canids. (AU)