Name: ARTHUR MACHADO GONÇALVES
Type: PhD thesis
Publication date: 28/09/2020
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| Sérgio Lucena Mendes | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| Andressa Gatti | External Examiner * |
| Danielle de Oliveira Moreira | External Alternate * |
| Karen Barbara Strier | Internal Examiner * |
| LUANA D`AVILA CENTODUCATTE | External Alternate * |
| Luiz Fernando Silva Magnago | External Examiner * |
| MARIA CECILIA MARTINS KIERULFF | External Examiner * |
| Sérgio Lucena Mendes | Advisor * |
Summary: Habitat loss of tropical forests causes fragmentation,
decline, and isolation of species populations. This process has
reduced the original cover of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest by
almost 90% and, together with other factors, has allowed the
northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) to become one of the
most endangered primates in the world. We have been monitoring
northern muriqui populations in the central highlands of the
state of Espírito Santo (ES) since 2002. In addition to
population and genetic studies, we have been studying landscape
ecology, seeking to understand how isolated muriquis populations
can survive in such a fragmented region. Our data indicate that
the muriqui population consists of at least 120 individuals
distributed in 13 forest fragments in the municipality of Santa
Maria de Jetibá. Using landscape parameters and fragments with
the presence of the species, we modeled which fragments would be
appropriate for their persistence. We verified that the species
is present only in part of the fragments considered adequate. In
the present study, we intend to investigate if the
presence/absence of the species is conditioned to the structure
of fragments and landscape parameters. We used logistic
regression, t-tests and Mann-Whitney U test to compare parameters
of fragments inhabited by muriquis with those considered
suitable but not inhabited by muriquis. Our results showed
that tree height and diameter, number of fallen/ dead trees, and
surrounding initial forest cover are different in both groups of
fragments and help explain their pattern of occurrence. The
analyzed variables, even the non-significant ones, obtained
values very similar to the values of the variables measured in
other locations of occurrence of the species. This indicates
great similarity between fragments not inhabited by muriquis and
fragments inhabited by muriquis in Santa Maria de Jetibá and
other locations.
Key words: habitat, occurence, primates
