How do the occupation patterns of medium and large mammals influence conservation in the Caatinga?

• Grant number: 22/09930-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: September 26, 2022
• End date: December 25, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Milton Cezar Ribeiro
• Grantee: Daiana Jeronimo Polli
• Supervisor: Luis Miguel do Carmo Rosalino
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/01982-8 - Effect of seasonality and human activities on functional groups of terrestrial mammals in the caatinga, BP.MS

Abstract

The fauna of the Caatinga has suffered for centuries with population declines and, consequently, with the loss of ecosystem functions. Understanding how mammal occupancy patterns are influenced in this biome is fundamental to understanding the ecology and basic prerequisites for effective wildlife management. The objective of this work is to understand how anthropic, environmental and seasonal factors influence the occupancy of medium and large mammals, which species are most affected by these factors, and how the results can influence the conservation of species of these groups in the Caatinga by understanding population declines and ecological changes. Professor Rosalino is a renowned researcher in the area of mammalian ecology and conducts relevant research whose results are published in high impact journals. The internship will contribute to the occupancy analyses, to the understanding of the results and how these results can influence the conservation status in the biome, because assessing the occupancy of medium and large mammals is fundamental to understand which factors can cause declines and ecological changes. It will also allow the student to improve her knowledge in statistical analysis with Professor Rosalino's research group. Occupancy models will be generated for all species of medium and large mammals, the best models will be selected using Akaike's criterion, and it will be verified which species are most affected by the variables. If the project is approved, the student will actively participate in the realization of the proposal under analysis and will participate in the activities of Professor Rosalino's research group, which will allow the professional and intellectual growth of the student. It will also reinforce the partnership between two renowned institutions. (AU)