Snakes diversity in native and eucalyptus forests in Monte Verde region, Camanducaia, MG: subsidies for conservation

• Grant number: 17/11478-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal researcher: Marcio Roberto Costa Martins
• Grantee: Gabriella Neves Leal Santos
• Home Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest has a rich fauna of snakes, sheltering 40% of the species that occur in Brazil. Due to the intense loss of natural vegetation of the Atlantic Forest, the diversity of snakes is threatened by the loss of their natural habitats. A large part of the biome has been converted into productive areas and little is known about the effect of this modification on the fauna of snakes. A better understanding of the mechanisms that structure snake taxocenoses can be obtained by knowing the diversity of species, functional and phylogenetic, aiming at the elaboration of measures for the conservation of this fauna. Thus, this study intends to know the effects of substitution of native Atlantic Forest by eucalyptus forest on the snake’s diversity of Monte Verde region, MG. More specifically the following objectives are proposed: i) to comprehend how snakes communities structure itself in both forest kind, through the diversity of species (composition, richness and abundance), functional and phylogenetic; ii) to verify which species of snakes are able to persist in modified areas and which species are more dependent of native forests; iii) test the hypothesis that eucalyptus forest act like an environmental filter for some snake species of this region; iv) provide subsidies for management in both native and modified forests, in order to preserve thus, this study intends to know the effects of substitution of native Atlantic Forest by eucalyptus forest on the snakes diversity of Monte Verde region, MG. More specifically the following objectives are proposed: I) to comprehend how snakes communities structure itself in both forest kind through the diversity of species (composition, richness and abundance), functional and phylogenetic; II) to verify which species of snakes are able to persist in modified areas and which species are more dependent of native forests; III) test the hypothesis that eucalyptus forest act like an environmental filter for some snake species of this region; IV) provide subsidies for management in both native and modified forests, in order to preserve the greatest possible diversity of snakes. (AU)