The role of disturbance occurrences on processes of biological invasion and biodiversity maintenance on dynamics landscapes

• Grant number: 19/06223-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Reigada Montoya
• Grantee: Igor Augusto Felipe
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The disturbance occurrences resulting in habitat destruction and fragmentation can limit the species' movement on the landscape and facilitate the invasion of exotic species with high competitive abilities. The biological invasion can reduce the native species diversity when native species present low fitness to explore different patch qualities on the post-disturbance landscape. However, the coexistence of native and exotic species can be possible when species respond differently to changes in patch qualities through to disturbs/restoration events on habitats of the landscape. Using mathematical modeling as analytic tool, this present study has the following aims: (I) to evaluate the impact of different spatial patterns for disturbance occurrence on landscape on the probability of exotic species invasion, coexistence or native species displacement; (II) to evaluate the occupation and distribution of species (exotic/native) on the landscape considering different times for restoration of habitats after disturbance occurrence; (III) to evaluate if there is a critical period between the disturbance occurrence and the restauration of the affected area in which invasion, coexistence or native species displacement is most likely to occur.