Land use and land cover changes and their effects on the activity patterns of mammals

• Grant number: 25/13739-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Grantee: Sofia Marcela Morro Pozo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Cerrado, the second largest biome in Brazil, has undergone intense transformation in recent decades due to the expansion of agriculture and livestock, especially in the Central-West and Northeast regions. With approximately 100 million hectares already converted to agricultural use, this intensification has led to significant changes in landscape composition and configuration, reducing environmental heterogeneity and impacting local biodiversity. The homogenization of the landscape can directly affect medium- and large-sized mammals through both habitat loss and behavioral changes, such as shifts in daily activity patterns.This project aims to understand how variables related to landscape composition and configuration, as well as indirect human presence (through domestic dogs), influence the activity patterns of mammals in a region of northeastern São Paulo State, which is heavily dominated by sugarcane monocultures, pastures, other crops, and silviculture. The research is based on data collected from camera traps installed at 55 sampling sites, analyzing 10 native species representing different trophic guilds. Circular statistical analyses will be used to determine the mean activity times of the species and the concentration of these activities throughout the day.In addition, Bayesian models for circular data will be applied to evaluate the effects of landscape variables at multiple spatial scales on changes in mean activity times. The study also aims to identify the most relevant spatial scale at which landscape effects are significant. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral plasticity of mammals in response to anthropogenic pressures and support the development of more effective conservation strategies in human-modified landscapes. (AU)