Impacts of urbanization over time on multiple animal taxa in a neotropical metropolis

• Grant number: 25/07291-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Luís Fábio Silveira
• Grantee: Ana Beatriz Navarro
• Host Institution: Museu de Zoologia (MZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Historically, human activities, including urban expansion, have resulted in habitat loss and declines in species richness. Although urban areas often provide unsuitable environments for most biodiversity, cities can also serve as habitats for generalist species, creating a complex landscape where ecological interactions and evolutionary processes unfold over a long timescale. This study aims to fill gaps in knowledge regarding the impacts of urbanization on the ecological patterns of organisms from the Global South by analyzing stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen of specimens from scientific collections using a multi-taxonomic, multi-trophic, and large-timescale approach. The main objectives of this study include examining how urbanization, over recent decades, has changed the ecological patterns, diet, habitat use, and isotopic niche of various animal groups (insects, birds, and mammals). Through the findings of this project, we intend to shed light on the ecological-evolutionary processes of the urban animal community that inhabits an area of significant representative importance in Brazilian, Neotropical, and global contexts: the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. The project aims to enhance scientific understanding in urban ecology and provide crucial information for planning wildlife-friendly urban areas in the Neotropics. (AU)