Diet analysis of two sympatric species of turtles, Podocnemis unifilis and Podocnemis expansa (Testudines, Podocnemidae), on Javaés river in the Araguaia river-basin, Tocantins.

• Grant number: 11/15488-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Plínio Barbosa de Camargo
• Grantee: Neliton Ricardo Freitas Lara
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The freshwater turtles are extreme important to the environments in which they live, where perform several ecological functions. Nevertheless, there are few studies about relationship of coexisting species . A good example is Podocnemis expansa and Podocnemis unifilis, two of major Amazonian species of turtles, which have a wide and sympatric distribution. Therefore, this study aims to compare the diet of these two species in the river Javaés, Araguaia river-basin, Tocantins, study area of the Group CROQUE (from the Laboratory of Ecology and Zoology of the Universidade Federal do Tocantins) and of the Quelônios da Ilha do Bananal project. For this purpose will be used methodology of gastric lavage and analyses of stable isotopes (isotopic ecology), looking for potential intra-specific (sexual and ontogenetic) and interspecific variation, on resource sharing, in this case food items.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

LARA, Neliton Ricardo Freitas. The importance of food dimension to the coexistence of Amazon freshwater turtles. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC) Piracicaba.