Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-01-10T15:45:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BrunnoFreireDantasDeOliveira_TESE.pdf: 6640940 bytes, checksum: ad49d75685e2ea80ce1bd97392f6f888 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-01-11T16:14:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 BrunnoFreireDantasDeOliveira_TESE.pdf: 6640940 bytes, checksum: ad49d75685e2ea80ce1bd97392f6f888 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-11T16:14:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BrunnoFreireDantasDeOliveira_TESE.pdf: 6640940 bytes, checksum: ad49d75685e2ea80ce1bd97392f6f888 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-26 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Determinar os mecanismos respons?veis pelos padr?es espaciais de biodiversidade t?m sido um dos maiores desafios para ec?logos e bioge?grafos. Durante a ?ltima d?cada houve um grande aumento no n?mero de estudos documentando padr?es de biodiversidade em larga escala. Atualmente, padr?es globais de riqueza de esp?cies s?o bem conhecidos para v?rios grupos de organismos. Entretanto, biodiversidade inclui v?rias dimens?es al?m da riqueza de esp?cies, como a diversidade filogen?tica e a diversidade funcional. Estas dimens?es s?o mais informativas do que simples medidas de riqueza de esp?cies e, consequentemente, podem permitir testes mais poderosos acerca de teorias de biodiversidade. Particularmente importante, conservar a biodiversidade em suas m?ltiplas dimens?es ? necess?rio para garantir a resili?ncia dos servi?os ecossist?micos e manter as hist?rias evolutivas das esp?cies. Neste contexto, a presente tese se configura na interface entre macroecologia e conserva??o, utilizando uma abordagem integradora que considera a conex?o entre mais de uma dimens?o da biodiversidade. No primeiro cap?tulo foram avaliadas hip?teses que invocam din?micas de equil?brio ou n?o-equil?brio para explicar a riqueza de esp?cies e diversidade funcional de mam?feros globalmente. Integrando informa??es sobre riqueza de esp?cies e diversidade funcional, eu abordo estas quest?es e clarifico os mecanismos que geraram e mant?m a diversidade de mam?feros e suas hist?rias de vida. O segundo cap?tulo representam uma base de dados sobre caracter?sticas biol?gicas de anf?bios globalmente: AmphiBIO. Esta base de dados centraliza informa??es sobre 19 caracter?sticas relacionadas ? ecologia, morfologia e reprodu??o de anf?bios. Os dados foram agregados a partir de mais de 1.500 fontes, e t?m potencial para auxiliar pesquisas mais amplas em ecologia de comunidades, evolu??o, biogeografia e conserva??o de anf?bios. No terceiro cap?tulo, utilizando o AmphiBIO, testo a suposi??o de que a perda de diversidade filogen?tica estaria associada ? perda de diversidade funcional. Para isso, a extin??o de anf?bios amea?ados foi simulada, as perdas de diversidade filogen?tica e funcional calculadas, e sua correla??o verificada. As perdas de diversidade foram analisadas atrav?s da filogenia dos anf?bios e do espa?o geogr?fico global. Esta tese contribui para um melhor entendimento dos mecanismos que originaram e mant?m os gradientes globais de riqueza de esp?cies, servindo de est?mulo para estudos futuros em ecologia e evolu??o, e para auxiliar decis?es pol?ticas visando a minimiza??o dos efeitos das extin??es sobre a perda de biodiversidade. / Determining the mechanisms underlying spatial variation in biodiversity has long been the main challenge for ecologists and biogeographers. The past decade has seen a veritable explosion of studies documenting broad-scale spatial patterns in biodiversity. Nowadays, broad-scale patterns of species richness (SR) are well documented for several groups. However, biodiversity encompass variation in several aspects beyond SR, such as phylogenetic diversity (PD) and functional (or trait) diversity (FD). These dimensions have been argued to aid more powerful tests of biodiversity theories because they can capture the diversity of life better than simple measures of SR. Particularly important, the conservation of biodiversity and its multiple dimensions have been advocated as necessary to ensure the resilience of ecosystem services and maintain important evolutionary history. The present thesis is set on the interface between macroecology and biodiversity conservation, and uses integrated approaches that consider the connection between more than one dimension of biodiversity. In the first chapter, I we evaluate four prominent hypotheses which invoke either equilibrium (more individuals, niche diversity) or non-equilibrium dynamics (diversification rate, evolutionary time) to explain species richness and functional diversity of mammals worldwide. While equilibrium and non-equilibrium hypotheses have received considerable attention in the literature and some empirical support, it remains unknown whether they can explain the diversity of species and their traits alike. By integrating information on species richness and functional diversity, I address these issues and shed light on the mechanisms that generated the diversity of mammals and their life histories. The second chapter represents a database on natural history traits for amphibians worldwide: AmphiBIO. This database centralizes information on 19 traits related to ecology, morphology and reproduction features of amphibians. Data were assembled from more than 1,500 sources, and has potential to support a more comprehensive research in evolution, community ecology, biogeography and conservation of amphibians. The third chapter uses information from AmphiBIO to test the assumption that loss of PD is associated with loss of FD. We simulated species extinction scenarios based on IUCN criteria, calculated the loss of PD and FD, and verified the correlation. Analyzes were carried out across the complete amphibian tree and across worldwide amphibian assemblages. This study highlights for the possible negative consequences of local amphibians extinctions that may impact the continuous provision of ecosystem services. This thesis adds to better understand the mechanisms on the origination of global gradients of species diversity. Finally, I hope this thesis can be used to stimulate future studies on ecology and evolution, and support political decisions on minimizing the effects of projected species extinctions on biodiversity loss.