Semi-aquatic mammals in anthropic environments: ecological and environmental constrains

• Grant number: 14/08601-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2015
• End date: January 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Luciano Martins Verdade
• Grantee: Nuno Miguel Peres Sampaio Pedroso
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Understanding how natural values persist in anthropic landscapes is essential to assure biodiversity sustainability. Aquatic environments are one of the most sensitive to anthropic induced changes. Riparian mammals are suitable models to address animal persistence as they face multi-cause anthropic influences: ecological (agriculture, forestry and livestock productions affecting riparian integrity and surrounding habitat permeability) and environmental (pathogenic agents influencing human and wildlife health).Top priority research and conservation issues (land use change, water availability) will be addressed as well as emerging worldwide concerns (antimicrobial resistance dissemination) in anthropic environments in São Paulo state, Brazil, and in Portugal, using as models the Neotropical and Eurasian otters. We aim to assess otters' adaptation to production forests, agriculture and free grazing livestock production areas and propose guidelines for biodiversity conservation to be conveyed by agriculture, livestock and forest managers, namely by: characterizing otters spatial ecology in anthropic environments under different management schemes; determining water reservoirs influence on otters ecological patterns and structure; and evaluating antimicrobial resistance dissemination pathways between environment and wildlife.State of the art methods will be used such as telemetry and molecular analyses (in captured otters), stable isotope analyses (to characterize otter diet) and microbiological techniques (applied to otters' and livestock faecal samples and surface water) that combined with habitat data (e.g. land use, landscape heterogeneity, grazing intensities) and up-to-date statistical tools, will provide answers on how otters respond to constrains in anthropic environments and effectively contribute for management plans adjustments to natural resources sustainability. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

OLIVEIRA, M.; FREIRE, D.; PEDROSO, N. M.. Escherichia coli is not a suitable fecal indicator to assess water fecal contamination by otters. Brazilian Journal of Biology, v. 78, n. 1, p. 155-159, FEB 2018. (14/08601-6)

CURVEIRA-SANTOS, GONCALO; PEDROSO, NUNO M.; BARROS, ANA LUISA; SANTOS-REIS, MARGARIDA. Mesocarnivore community structure under predator control: Unintended patterns in a conservation context. PLoS One, v. 14, n. 1, JAN 17 2019. (14/08601-6)

SEMEDO-LEMSADDEK, T.; PEDROSO, N. M.; FREIRE, D.; NUNES, T.; TAVARES, L.; VERDADE, L. M.; OLIVEIRA, M.. Otter fecal enterococci as general indicators of antimicrobial resistance dissemination in aquatic environments. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, v. 85, p. 1113-1120, FEB 2018. (14/08601-6)

GUERRA, FLAVIA; GRILO, CATARINA; PEDROSO, NUNO M.; CABRAL, HENRIQUE. Environmental Impact Assessment in the marine environment: A comparison of legal frameworks. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW, v. 55, p. 182-194, NOV 2015. (14/08601-6)

OLIVEIRA, M.; FREIRE, D.; PEDROSO, N. M.. Escherichia coli is not a suitable fecal indicator to assess water fecal contamination by otters. Brazilian Journal of Biology, v. 78, n. 1, p. 5-pg., 2018-02-01. (14/08601-6)