Evaluation of the presence, richness and association among alien invasive species in Conservation Units located in São Paulo state, Brazil

• Grant number: 21/13723-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Lucíola Santos Lannes
• Grantee: Luiz Miguel dos Santos Barbosa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Invasion by exotic species is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. In the State of São Paulo, the process of reforestation of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado in the 20th century was based on the use of exotic species, which contributed to the loss of biodiversity and facilitated the establishment of other invasive species. In the Conservation Units (CUs) of São Paulo, there is a high diversity of exotic invasive species, but there are no studies checking patterns of co-occurrence between species or whether there are differences in the invasive flora present in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest CUs. By investigating the management plans of the CUs in São Paulo and by applying questionnaires to their managers, this work aims to (I) investigate the occurrence of alien invasive species in the CUs of São Paulo, (II) compare the richness and identity of invasive species among the existing CU in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes in the State of São Paulo, (III) test the occurrence of correlation and similarity between invasive species present in the different CU of São Paulo and whether the type of biome influences these possible associations and (IV) prepare distribution maps of alien invasive species present in Conservation Units in the State of São Paulo. Since alien invasive species can favor the establishment of others causing serious consequences to the environment and this process can be influenced by the place of occurrence, this work can help with strategies to be adopted for the management of alien invasive species in the Conservation Units in São Paulo present within the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest domains.(AU)