Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MARIA LUISA DE MEDEIROS FALCAO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : MARIA LUISA DE MEDEIROS FALCAO
DATE: 02/02/2023
TIME: 13:30
LOCAL: Google Meet
TITLE:

ECOLOGY OF MEDIUM AND LARGE MAMMALS IN THE LARGEST SEASONALLY DRY FOREST IN SOUTH AMERICA

KEY WORDS:

Seasonality ; Mammals ; Caatinga ; Ecology ; Activity patterns ; Abundance ; Composition ; Conservation Units.

PAGES: 31
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUMMARY:

The Brazilian seasonally dry tropical forest (Caatinga) is a semi-arid environment shaped by strong seasonality in rainfall distribution, dividing it into rainy and dry periods, with high and low availability of resources for fauna. It suffers from the lack of research and the low coverage of Conservation Units (UCs), which are the main strategy used for the persistence of biodiversity. Medium to large mammals (MMGP) are usually the group most threatened by human activities such as hunting and habitat loss. Due to their sensitivity to environmental disturbances, they can be considered bioindicators, indicating the level of biotic integrity of the environment. The objective of this work was to investigate the ecology of the MMGP community of Furna Feia National Park (Parna), northeastern Brazil, by characterizing the richness, frequency of records, simple occupation and activity pattern of the species. We collected data throughout the rainy and dry seasons of 2018, using camera traps at 38 and 40 sampling points, with an effort of 2267 and 1639 camera-days, respectively. We obtained 485 records of 11 MMGP species distributed in six orders and nine families, including two endangered species (Leopardus emiliae and Herpailurus yagouaroundi) and the first photographic record of  free-living Dicotyles tajacu for Rio Grande do Norte. Species with the highest frequency of records include Subulo gouazoubira, Euphractus  excinctus, and Sapajus libidinosus. Meanwhile, Leopardus pardalis, H. yagouaroundi, and D. tajacu were the least recorded. We evaluated the changes in activity pattern of the species according to seasonality, we found that species such as S. gouazoubira changes, from rain to drought, from diurnal to nocturnal. While others  trategically distributed their activity peaks to avoid the hottest periods of the day in the drought. The species composition did not change, but the abundance was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season for most species, except for D. albiventris which showed the opposite trend. This work represents the first  ystematic survey for an important UC in the Caatinga, providing relevant information for the management of the unit and the monitoring of the mammal community. The Furna Feia National Park is home to a relevant portion of the MMGP mammal fauna of the Caatinga, including endangered species and large frugivores that are locally extinct in much of the semi-arid region of Brazil. The results of this research will improve understanding of animal ecology in seasonally dry environments.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1718346 - EDUARDO MARTINS VENTICINQUE
Interno - 1678202 - CARLOS ROBERTO SORENSEN DUTRA DA FONSECA
Interno - 1439088 - MAURO PICHORIM