Land gastropod diversity on mountain tops of southern and South Brazilian Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 17/21611-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Ricardo Bornschein
• Grantee: Larissa Teixeira de Andrade
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Gastropoda is the most diverse class among mollusks, showing great variability of habits, sizes, shapes and colors. Mollusks of this class are predominant in terrestrial environment, where they are abundant. Besides the growing knowledge about these animals, it is estimated that for each described species there are still another two undescribed. The mountain tops of Atlantic Forest could be among the possible diversity hotspots of the group, housing specific altitude environments insulated by lowland environments. The mountain tops insulation could make this type of environment act as sky islands, favoring speciation of groups with limited dispersion capacity. such as land gastropods. The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the land gastropod diversity of mountain tops, and to potentially identify new micro endemic species. During a year, we will sample cloud forests and campos de altitude on 12 mountains of Serra do Mar, six of Southern Brazil (São Paulo State) and six of South Brazil (Paraná and Santa Catarina State by active search and systematized leaflitter sample We will count individuals by species obtained by timing active search and area footage with leaflitter sampled. There are no similar studies made so far in Brazil, and our results could help future conservation actions.

Scientific publications

(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)

BORNSCHEIN, MARCOS R.; NADALINE, JUNIOR; RIBEIRO, LUIZ FERNANDO; SANDRETTI-SILVA, GIOVANNA; RIVAS, MARIA FERNANDA FERREIRA; GUERRA, BRUNO DE MORAIS; TEIXEIRA, LARISSA. n estimate of the area of occupancy and population size of Brachycephalus tridactylus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) to reassess its conservation status, with a proposal for conservation measure. PeerJ, v. 9, DEC 22 2021. (17/21611-9)