Mamíferos de médio e grande porte em fragmentos florestais na Serra do Carrapato, Lavras/MG

Abstract

This work was carried out in a matrix of agricultural fields and pastures where small fragments of forest are connected by vegetation corridors inserted in transitional Mata Atlântica and Cerrado landscape, in Lavras/MG. The area of research is composed by five forest fragments denominated F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5, with a 35 ha total area. This work was conducted during 85 sampling days, between March to November/2007. The objectives were to know the faunal composition of the medium and large-sized mammals of these fragments and to establish relation of its richness, diversity and equitability. The main methodology was trap of footprints in squares of sand, associated to photographic traps and direct visualization. It was obtained a 70% sampling success for mammals, from an effort of 4.920 traps/night. It was registered 17 species of medium and large-sized mammals, where 13 species were native and the others were domestic. The numbers of registered footprints were 956, 441, 433, 755 and 882 respectively. Didelphis was the most abundant, genera represented for two species D. albiventris and D. aurita, corresponding to 92,7% of the records. It was recordeds 4 species of carnivores (C. thous, C. semistriatus, L. pardalis and N. nasua). As soon as the samples of the fragments were different sized, it was made a rarefaction analysis in order to compare their diversity. The result showed that F2 had the greater diversity compared to the others. This fragment is the larger and offers better conditions for faunal surviving. The cluster analysis over presence and absence data of species and fragments resulted in two groups, F1-F2 and F3-F4, and the fragment F5 presented similarity to the second group. The accumulation curve of species demonstrated that effort was suficient. The dominance of the genera Didelphis pointed that the faunal community of Serra do Carrapato presented disturb in its composition, which cause is likely the fragmentation and the lost of habitat as a consequence of human activities.