Evaluation of niche conservatism of invasive species in the State of São Paulo

• Grant number: 13/25466-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2014
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Giselda Durigan
• Grantee: Augusto Hashimoto de Mendonça
• Supervisor: A. Townsend Peterson
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Kansas, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/05930-0 - Multi-hierarchical modeling of species potential distribution and selection of environmental filters of invasive species in São Paulo, BP.DR

Abstract

The conservationism niche is a hypothesis often accepted without veracity investigation to assess the risk of biological invasions. However, some studies show that some invasive species presented niche changing between native and invaded areas, which would compromise the practical potential for the conservation of potential distribution models to predict invasions based on occurrence data in native areas. In order to assess the existence of niche shift in two invasive species in the state of São Paulo (Pinus elliottii and Urochloa decumbens) we will use points of occurrence collected in the state of São Paulo and data inventoried from secondary databases in the native areas. With the database we will quantify and compare the niches of these species in their native areas and invaded areas in the state of São Paulo by a statistical framework using ordering techniques and ecological niche modeling. This comparison will allow us to quantify the percentage of the niche overlap of species and identify the main bioclimatic factors that enhance or constrain their distribution in native and invaded areas of the state of São Paulo. (AU)