Movement ecology of the Atlantic forest jararacas

• Grant number: 21/10402-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marcio Roberto Costa Martins
• Grantee: Eletra de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/12658-4 - Challenges to the conservation of amphibians and squamate reptiles, with emphasis on the Brazilian fauna: from basic information to conservation actions, AP.BTA.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/10626-3 - Integrative protocol for monitoring long-term movement and activity in snakes: a validation study with lanceheads from the Atlantic Forest, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Foraging, mating and migration are behaviors made possible by the ability of organisms to move, being movement an ecological process with a high energy cost, and fundamental in the fitness and evolution of populations and species. The processes involved in movement ecology are better understood from an integrated approach of ecological, behavioral and biomechanical parameters of organisms. The main goal of this study is to investigate the movement ecology of two species of snakes of the genus Bothrops, integrating natural history and physiology in the search for patterns of movement and activity, under natural conditions in an Atlantic Forest region in the State of São Paulo. To this end, we will combine animal tracking devices and regular collections of blood sample, integrating continuous activity data and long-term spatial data with hormone concentration assessment. The results of this work will allow us to elucidate which mechanisms, biotic and/or abiotic, act in the definition of movement and activity strategies in these snakes, opening the way for future research with conservation implications. In addition, we also hope that this study will contribute to future policies for the mitigation of snakebites in the studied region.