Influence of resource availability on medium and large terrestrial mammals in campinaranas of Central Amazonia

• Grant number: 24/18392-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: December 10, 2024
• End date: January 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Clarissa Alves da Rosa
• Grantee: Sara Silva Fernandes
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Manaus , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Amazon is a complex and diverse ecosystem, particularly characterized by campinaranas, which are sandy-soil forests that are nutrient-poor and subject to periodic flooding. These areas represent 7% of the Brazilian Legal Amazon and are essential for maintaining biodiversity, yet they lack focused studies on mammals, which play crucial ecological roles such as nutrient cycling and structuring food webs. The year 2024 presents a challenge, with rivers reaching lower-than-expected flood levels, alongside a forecast of prolonged drought until January 2025. This scenario offers a unique opportunity to investigate the impacts of extended droughts on fauna, particularly mammals. In this context, the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) is developing a research project in the Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) of the Rio Negro. The goal is to understand how the structure of campinarana ecosystems and food availability influence mammalian biodiversity. So far, two sampling efforts have been conducted in 2024, and a new sampling is scheduled for the peak of the drought, between December 2024 and January 2025, in partnership with the Aristides Pacheco Leão Program. The research will utilize the RAPELD method, with 48 sampling plots distributed throughout the RDS Rio Negro. Camera traps will be installed in each plot, operating continuously for 30 days, allowing for the identification of present mammal species. Fruits and seeds will also be collected for biomass analysis, which will help assess food availability. The collected data will be compared with information obtained during previous sampling efforts in rainy periods and the beginning of the dry season. The program beneficiary will have her research supervised by Dr. Clarissa Alves da Rosa and will receive support from a team of researchers at the Center for Integrated Amazon Biodiversity Studies (CENBAM). This will ensure a comprehensive field research experience, covering everything from planning to data analysis. At the end of the project, the beneficiary will produce an informative booklet aimed at local communities and schools, addressing the ecological importance of campinaranas, the mammals that inhabit these ecosystems, and their relationship with fruits and seeds. The material will aim to raise awareness about the threats facing campinaranas due to climate change and highlight the importance of conserving local biodiversity. Initially, the booklet will be made available in digital format, but a printed version will be distributed free of charge to schools in the region, with the ongoing support of Dr. Clarissa's research team. Thus, the project will not only contribute to scientific knowledge but also to environmental education and community awareness regarding the importance of conservation in the Amazon. (AU)