Frugivory, seed dispersal and home range of reintroduced jacutingas (Aburria Jacutinga) in the Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 19/24315-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2020
• End date: December 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Animal Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Pizo Ferreira
• Grantee: Patricia dos Santos Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Jacutinga (Aburria jacutinga) is an important seed disperser in the Atlantic Forest which, due to the high hunting pressure, fragmentation and habitat loss, is threatened with extinction. Considering the risks that this species has been suffering over the years, the program for the Conservation of Game Birds in the Atlantic Forest - Project Jacutinga was created in 2010 with the purpose of reintroducing and monitoring this species in the wild. In this project, we will follow captive-born birds that have recently been reintroduced into the Serra da Mantiqueira to analyze the diet, homer range area and seed dispersal distances to assess whether these birds are playing their important ecological role as seed dispersers similar to wild species.