Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: OLYANA DA SILVA FURTADO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : OLYANA DA SILVA FURTADO
DATE: 02/06/2023
TIME: 14:30
LOCAL: Videoconferência: https://meet.google.com/bjz-mysb-fft
TITLE:

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF GYMNODACTYLUS SPECIES (SQUAMATA: PHYLLODACTYLIDAE) IN ATLANTIC FOREST AND CAATINGA AREAS FROM NORTHEAST BRAZILIAN

KEY WORDS:

lizards; diet; morphology; niche overlap

PAGES: 59
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUBÁREA: Ecologia de Ecossistemas
SUMMARY:

The Gymnodactylus genus currently includes five species occurring in Brazil, with two of them recorded in Rio Grande do Norte: Gymnodactylus geckoides, predominant in the Caatinga biome, and Gymnodactylus darwinii, endemic to the Atlantic Forest. In some areas of northeastern Brazil, such as the Atlantic Domain (sand dunes and coastal vegetation) in Rio Grande do Norte, these species occur in sympatry, which makes it relevant to understand how they coexist and/or segregate in their ecological niches, comparing their niche usage to areas where only G. geckoides occurs. This study aimed to analyze the feeding ecology and habitat use of G. geckoides and G. darwinii in two areas of the Atlantic Forest Domain and one in the Caatinga biome. In the first Atlantic Forest area, the Parque Estadual Dunas do Natal (PEDN), the species occur in sympatry, while in the Jenipabu Environmental Protection Area (APAJ), only G. geckoides is found, similar to the Caatinga area of the Seridó Ecological Station (ESEC Seridó). Specimens were manually captured for stomach content analysis, and data on the habitat and microhabitat where they were first sighted were recorded. A total of 105 stomachs were analyzed: 37 from G. geckoides in ESEC Seridó, 23 from G. geckoides in APAJ, 14 from G. darwinii, and 31 from G. geckoides in PEDN. In ESEC Seridó and APAJ, termites (Isoptera) represented the most important prey in the diet of G. geckoides. In PEDN, however, the diet of G. geckoides was mainly composed of Hemiptera, while for G. darwinii, Isoptera and Formicidae were the most important prey. As for the electivity index, out of the 27 available prey categories in ESEC Seridó, the preferred ones for the G. geckoides population were Dermaptera, Diplopoda, and Isopoda, while the other categories were considered rejected. In the APAJ population, out of the 20 available prey categories, Blattodea, Coleoptera, Isoptera, Insect Larvae, Pseudoscorpiones, and Scorpiones were considerably preferred, Araneae and Hemiptera were slightly preferred, and the remaining categories were rejected. In PEDN, among the 20 available categories, the G. geckoides population showed a preference for Hemiptera, Insect Larvae, and Lepidoptera, while G. darwinii showed a preference for prey such as Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, and Isoptera.A high degree of dietary niche overlap and complete spatial niche segregation between the two sympatric species was observed in PEDN: G. darwinii inhabits both high and low forest areas, while G. geckoides is restricted to the beach dune areas. The G. geckoides population in APAJ was recorded in the coastal vegetation and anthropized areas, while in ESEC Seridó, the arboreal-shrub vegetation and rocky outcrops were the most used habitats. Due to their restricted occurrence in soil-associated microhabitats, both species were considered terricolous, but in sympatry, they segregate in terms of habitat use.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1121066 - ELIZA MARIA XAVIER FREIRE
Externo à Instituição - JAQUEIUTO DA SILVA JORGE
Externo à Instituição - ROBSON WALDEMAR ÁVILA