Effects of environmental and anthropic factors on the occupation of Grallaria varia and Chamaeza sp. in Atlantic Forest Protected Areas: contributions to the use of birds as bioindicators.

• Grant number: 24/11038-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Grantee: Maria Luísa Ferreira Furcolin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Terrestrial insectivorous birds of the genera Grallaria and Chamaeza belong to a guild of birds with very restricted habitat specificities, which are sensitive to changes in the environment and tend to avoid secondary forests, preferring primary forests. As such, they are species with high potential for use as bioindicators of environmental quality, which is, however, still underexplored. This group of birds has been studied in the Amazon, but there are still many gaps when it comes to the Atlantic Forest biome. To better understand the ecology of these birds in the Atlantic Forest and evaluate their potential as bioindicators, this study aims to identify the environmental and anthropic factors that have influence on the occurrence of these genera in two Protected Areas (PAs) of integral protection, category II of IUCN submitted to different types and intensities of anthropic impacts. The study areas are located in the east of the state of São Paulo, one with less human modifications, the Carlos Botelho State Park (PECB), and the other with more human modifications, the Serra do Mar State Park, Santa Virgínia Nucleus (PESM-NSV). The data analysis will involve single species/single season occupancy modeling, using data already available from camera traps, to evaluate the effects of factors such as successional state of vegetation, land use, altitude, distance from roads, buildings, water and the edge of the PAs. In addition to its contribution to the knowledge of the ecology of the taxa under study, the results are important for identifying the main impacts, thus contributing to the management of the aforementioned PAs.