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| Author(s): |
Sarah Cristina Piacentini Pinheiro
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Piracicaba. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2009-06-25 |
| Examining board members: |
Jaime Aparecido Bertoluci;
Ricardo Jannini Sawaya;
Monique van Sluys
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| Advisor: | Jaime Aparecido Bertoluci |
| Abstract | |
The present study was conducted on the Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso, a preserved area belonging to the Atlantic Forest Domain, where many types of coastal vegetation compose a rich mosaic of environments and an invaluable biological diversity. This study aimed (1) to determine the composition and abundances of leaf litter anuran fauna of five localities along an altitudinal gradient and across different plant formations, (2) to verify the influence of certain environmental variables on species richness and abundances and (3) to test the effectiveness of 5×5m plot sampling on two periods (day and night) and with or without the aid of fences. I used ten sampling units by locality, consisting of four equidistant plots relative to a central point, totaling 40 plots per locality and 200 plots for the entire study site. I captured 286 individuals of 10 species belonging to seven families: Brachycephalidae (3 species), Bufonidae (2), Craugastoridae (1), Hylidae (1), Leptodactylidae (1), Leiuperidae (1), and Microhylidae (1), but only nine species were considered regular inhabitants of leaf litter. Thirty-nine individuals were captured in the Restinga Baixa, 65 in the Restinga Alta, 71 in the Planície, 53 in the Encosta de Baixa Altitude, and 58 in the Encosta de Elevada Altitude. Higher density was found in the Planície, followed by Resting Alta, Encosta Alta, Encosta de Baixa Altitude, and Restinga Baixa. Leptodactylus bokermanni was the most abundant species, followed by Physalaemus cf. spiniger. The use of fences delimiting plots was responsible to an increase of 21% in the number of individuals captured and 72.3% of individuals were captured during the night. For the entire study site density was 5.75 individuals/100m². Humidity of the Air Trapped in the Litter was positively correlated to species richness and abundance, and two types of topsoil (sandy and clay) were positively correlated to abundance. Altitude was not correlated to species richness. The curve for the accumulated number of species does not reach the asymptote in none of the localities sampled, and the estimators of richness suggested an increase of 0 to 2 species for the entire study period. The Encosta de Elevada Altitude was the most dissimilar environment in terms of species composition. (AU) | |