ESTRUTURA DA COMUNIDADE DE PEQUENOS MAMÍFEROS EM UMA PAISAGEM FRAGMENTADA DO ECÓTONO CERRADO-FLORESTA ATLÂNTICA

Abstract

Brazil is among the richest countries in mammal species, with 701 species distributed in 243 genera, 50 families and 12 orders. Many species populations are declining as a result of environmental degradation, as a result of local extinctions. The Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest have been experiencing a period of intense fragmentation and degradation, since extensive areas have been used for extensive livestock breeding and agricultural development, which triggers habitat loss and fragmentation. Many studies on the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation are focused more on forest biomes, so little is known about how the population and the community of small mammals behave in open and more heterogeneous biomes, and this information is essential for the conservation of these species . In this study we describe the structure of the community of small mammals of the southern state of Goiás, in 13 forest fragments of enclave between Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. We evaluated the influence of fragment size and isolation on composition, resource availability, richness and abundance of marsupials and rodents. In general, our results show that although the South of Goiás is highly fragmented, it still supports a large variety of small mammal species, but there is a lack of more precise studies for the Cerrado with Atlantic Forest enclave, since there are almost no studies focused in habitat quality mainly for the Cerrado biome. This study contributes with a list of occurrence data of two forest species that had not been described for the southern portion of Goiás. Several good habitat indicator species that can be used as a criterion for environmental monitoring and conservation.