Functional diversity of mammals of medium and large size in landscapes fragmented of the Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 13/21939-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
• Grantee: Gabrielle Cristina Beca
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/23095-0 - Enviromental and landscape influences on functional diversity of mammals in the Atlantic Forest, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The mammal communities have changed dramatically because of the human activities, leading many species to extinction. Although well known the influence species on ecosystem functioning, through its functional and environmental services, the consequences of the loss of these animals is still unknown. Fragmentation and habitat loss processes are identified as threats to biodiversity, especially in landscapes with a long history of human occupation and with little native vegetation cover. Theoretical models suggest the existence of a fragmentation threshold, below which the local richness and abundance become dependent only on the size of the fragments and no more the configuration of the forest landscape. However, little is known how this threshold may affect the functional diversity, especially in groups that have an important role in various ecological processes, such as mammals. The study's goal is (1) identify the richness and relative abundance of mammals of medium and large sized in landscapes in the semideciduous forest in the state of São Paulo, and (2) analyze the effect of landscape structure on community and functional diversity. (AU)

Academic Publications

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

BECA, Gabrielle Cristina. Landscape influence on the persistence of terrestrial mammals in Atlantic Forest fragments. 2016. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro Rio Claro.