Mamíferos de médio e grande porte em um agroecossistema na região do Alto Paranaíba, MG, Brasil

Abstract

In Brazil, approximately 35% of its territory is covered by agricultural landscapes or agroecosystems, these can be understood as ecosystems reorganized for the purposes of agriculture. The Cerrado biome occupies an area of 2,036,448 km, about 22% of the national territory and its great ecological importance, as well as the great number of endemic species and the rapidity with which it has been devastated, has made it a Brazilian hotspost with high conservation priority. Ecological approaches involving the characterization of the richness, diversity, activity and habitat use of the medium and large size mastofauna have been increasingly frequent in the biome, but few studies have been carried out in agroecosystems, including in the Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba region. The main objective of this work was to raise the composition of the community of medium and large mammals of an agroecosystem, also to identify target species, to verify the distribution of the species associated with the availability of habitats and to establish conservation strategies. The study was carried out at Fazenda Santa Lúcia, a rural property located in the municipality of Perdizes, mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaíba, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Through the methods of photographic trapping, active search and reports, 26 species of medium and large mammals were recorded, of which 25 were native and one exotic. Eight target species related to their relevance to the ecosystem have been identified, such as herbivorous, frugivorous and carnivorous species, as well as being endangered at the state, national and international levels. In order to compare the mammalian communities between the Cerrado, Cerrado, Cerrado, Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest Montana and Matas Ciliares, we used an ordering by NMDS and then a Similarity Analysis (ANOSIM), both based on the similarity index of BrayCurtis, being that the greater dissimilarity was found between the rural formations and the forest for the analysis of NMDS and for the ANOSIM, the sample obtained non-significant results. Conservation strategies such as environmental education, encouraging compliance with legislation, definition of priority areas for conservation, mitigation of trampling and control of invasive species were established for the conservation of medium and large mammals. Agroecosystems are very important for the conservation of medium and large species of mammals of the Cerrado, sheltering several endangered species and performing functions essential for the balance of ecosystems. Thus, knowing the community, establishing strategies and seeking the creation of specific public policies for this type of ecosystem is fundamental for the conservation of medium and large mammals of the Cerrado biome.