Biotemas (Sep 2012)
Composition and relative abundance of terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals of Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Abstract
Three northern areas of Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro (PESB) were sampled for terrestrial medium- and large-sized mammals, using camera traps, for twelve months. Nine wild species and one domestic species were registered, through 49 records. The community’s composition was based on an exponential series with dominance of few species. In contrast, there was a relatively high proportion of species that might be “rare” in the community observed, with dominance of puma (Puma concolor) over the other ones. The results show that the area named Vale Perdido is the most important one for the conservation of mammals, because the estimated species richness is higher there (13.99 ± 2.23) when compared to that of the other two areas, which had a richness of 6.00 ± 1.41 and 6.00 ± 1.00, respectively. It’s possible that the structural and spatial characteristics of Vale Perdido favored the use of this area by the species. The structure of the community of medium-and large-sized terrestrial mammals of PESB is unstructured or in a structuring phase. Possibly, this model was caused by negative historical effects of the occupation and extraction that the region underwent in the 1960s.
