Wealth and abundance of the medium and large fauna in three models of protected area in the south Brazil

Author(s)

Marcos de Souza Fialho

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia
• Defense date: 2007-02-28

Examining board members

Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz; Armando Muniz Calouro; Luiz Octavio Marcondes Machado; Peter Gransden Crawshaw Junior; Wesley Rodrigues Silva

• Advisor: Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz

Abstract

Fragmentation and loss of habitats are the main threats to biological diversity conservation, especially in the "megadiverse¿ countries, where forecasts signal a great number of extinctions. Medium and large fauna, given their inherent needs in terms of area and resources, become particularly vulnerable to extinction events. However, the group is vital in the ecosystems¿ functionality. Animals play important roles in forests, for example, in dispersion, scarification and predation of seeds; pollination, herbivory, and population regulation, among others. Therefore the impoverishment of forest fauna, in terms of richness and abundance, triggers changes in its structure and flora composition, possibly even leading to the disappearance of plant species. Countless works in the field of conservation biology have been developed with the objective of understanding how fragmentation acts on the species and the ecosystems and how these effects could be minimized. The present study approaches three situations in different contexts, yet directly involved in the conservation of medium and large fauna, namely: (1) the conservation of this community in a Protected Area, but under intense use by humans, i.e. indigenous territory or land; (2) this community's in a landscape partially built in a National Forest; and, finally, (3) the effectiveness of different models of Protected Areas in the conservation of medium and large mammals, always maintaining as parameters the richness and abundance of the community. In the indigenous land, richness and abundance of the medium and large fauna were lower than expected. In the National Forest, due to the peculiar characteristics of the landscape, which provides a certain degree of heterogeneity and the existence of corridors, it was not possible to detect a diferential fauna use between the natural and constructed ecosystems. Furthermore, all the Protected Areas, although different models, presented at least one extinction event. The other two units, subject to direct human use, Indigenous Land and National Forest, presented 4/5 and 3/4 of the expected species richness (AU)