Impacts of ecological competition are reduced when organisms play different roles in their environment. More individuals can survive on varied but finite sets of resources when organisms eat different kinds of prey, live in different places, or are active at different times. Species within an assemblage of small fossorial snakes have ecologies that vary mostly by diet. Different species eat very different things. Species live in different habitats on sand ridges, but the differences are less dramatic than in diet. Disparity in resource use typically varies the most according to species, so that individuals of the same species are more similar to each other than they are to individuals of other species. However, variation exists in resource use within species over time and space. Wide variation exists in dietary resource use in four well-sampled species of comb-eared skinks. However, where species occur at the same study site there are clear distinctions in resource use between species despite the wide variation in diets observed between individuals of the same species. Additionally, strict ecological distances in diet between species are maintained during five censuses that were conducted over a 16-year period. These results illustrate the basic ecological principals of fundamental and realized niches. Here, individuals ate many different food items and species have the potential to overlap in diet but that overlap is reduced because of realized ecological boundaries between species within a single place and time, which result in decreased competition for resources. / text

No description available.

The degree to which biotic interactions influence invasion success may partly depend on the evolutionary relationship between invaders and native species. In particular, since host-use by enemies such as invertebrate herbivores and fungal pathogens tends to be phylogenetically conserved, exotic plants that have close native relatives in the invaded range should be more likely to interact with enemies. In this thesis, I explore this idea using a series of experiments and field surveys at nested taxonomic levels. My results indicate that exotics from multiple plant families experience lower damage if their average phylogenetic distance from locally co-occurring native family members is higher. I then demonstrate that within the Asteraceae, foliar and capitular damage are lower on exotic compared to native species. Both damage types had a relatively large phylogenetic component, but did not decline with phylogenetic distance to native or exotic confamilials. Finally, I show that communities with versus without close relatives are unlikely to differ in resistance to the novel invader, Solidago virgaurea: biotic resistance imposed by competitors, generalist vertebrates, and specialist invertebrates resulted in similar patterns of damage and mortality regardless of the presence of congeneric natives. In some cases, effects of biota were positive: growth of S. virgaurea seedlings in soils collected near congeneric natives was enhanced more than in soils from communities where congenerics were absent. Overall, these results suggest that biotic interactions between exotic and native species can be phylogenetically structured, although trends based on distance measures tend to be weak. In some cases, damage does decline with phylogenetic distance to native species; however this trend is unlikely to be a strong force limiting invasion or structuring plant communities. These results have significant implications for current theories of invasion biology including the "Enemy Release Hypothesis" and "Darwin's Naturalization Hypothesis", as well as for community phylogenetics.

Bacteria are ubiquitous to marine living surfaces, taking on a broad spectrum of roles from mutualistic to pathogenic. Despite their universality, much remains unknown about their basic ecology and interactions with higher organisms. To address this gap, this thesis firstly examines the bacterial communities associated with three co-occurring marine eukaryote hosts from temperate Australia: the demosponge Cymbastela concentrica, the subtidal red macroalga Delisea pulchra and the intertidal green macroalga Ulva australis. Molecular characterisation of the bacterial communities was undertaken using 16S rRNA gene library analysis to compare within-host (alpha) and between-host (beta) diversity for the three microbial communities. This study highlights the potentially substantial contribution host-associated microorganisms could have on marine microbial diversity. The remaining focus for this thesis was on the bacterial community associated with D. pulchra. This alga produces a suite of biologically active secondary metabolites (furanones) that non-toxically inhibit acyl homoserine lactone (AHL)-driven quorum sensing in bacteria, affecting a range of phenotypes including colonisation and virulence traits. The ecology of D. pulchra???s epiphytic bacteria was investigated using a mechanistic approach to explain bacterial colonisation patterns. In particular, concepts and models of ecological succession founded in eukaryote ecology were investigated. The thesis concludes with a study investigating the effect of furanones and elevated temperature on bacteria-induced disease and thallus bleaching of D. pulchra. In the presence of furanones colonisation and infection of two Roseobacter isolates from D. pulchra???s epiphytic bacterial community were inhibited. Ruegeria strain R11 was demonstrated to have temperature regulated virulence, which caused thallus bleaching in furanone-free algae. The implications of elevated sea temperatures resulting from global warming for algal health are discussed.

Les écosystèmes tropicaux, en particulier les écosystèmes amazoniens, sont connus pour abriter une importante diversité d'organismes, terrestres ou aquatiques. Cependant, les causes et les processus responsables de cette grande diversité dans les assemblages de poissons d'eau douce restent encore peu connus, et leur identification est un fort enjeu dans l'évaluation future des impacts des perturbations humaines qui sont grandissantes dans ces milieux. Nous avons étudié les processus qui façonnent la diversité et la structure des assemblages de poissons d'eau douce de Guyane dans les petits cours d'eau et les fleuves non impactés par les activités humaines. La diversité au sein des assemblages de petits cours d'eau augmente le long du gradient amont/aval et dans les milieux où l'habitat est plus diversifié. L'identité des espèces change le long de ce gradient, définissant des zones le long du cours d'eau. Les relations spatiales entre les assemblages et leur isolement ont aussi un fort effet sur les assemblages. En incorporant les informations sur les traits des espèces (diversité fonctionnelle) et leur relation de parenté (diversité phylogénétique), nous avons montré que la diversité au sein des assemblages n'était pas influencée par l'environnement ou les interactions entre les espèces. Nous avons aussi confirmé le fort effet de la limite à la dispersion entre les assemblages, en lien avec l'histoire passée des bassins versants, dans les petits cours d'eau et dans les fleuves. De telles études sur les processus structurant les assemblages nécessitent l'acquisition de données biologiques plus complètes, et donc le développement d'une nouvelle méthode d'échantillonnage qui soit exhaustive et non invasive. Pour cela, nous avons testé le metabarcoding environnemental (l'identification moléculaire des espèces présentes à partir d'un échantillon d'eau). Cette méthode donne des résultats complémentaires aux pêches traditionnelles et nécessite encore un travail de développement et des tests supplémentaires pour améliorer son efficacité et permettre son utilisation pour identifier les processus structurant les assemblages. Ces travaux, aussi bien pratiques que théoriques, sont nécessaires au développement d'un meilleur cadre conceptuel sur la structure des assemblages de poissons tropicaux, et dans la construction d'indicateurs d'impacts d'activités humaines sur les écosystèmes. / Tropical ecosystems, especially Amazonian ecosystems, host a great diversity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms. However, the causes and the processes behind this high diversity for freshwater fish assemblages are little known, but their identification will be an asset in the assessment of anthropogenic impacts that are increasing in these regions. We studied the processes that shape the diversity and the structure of freshwater fish assemblages of non-impacted streams and rivers located in French Guiana. Within-assemblage diversity increased along an upstream/downstream gradient and was higher in sites where the habitat was diversified. Species identity changed along this gradient, which created zones along the stream. Spatial relationships between assemblages and their isolation also greatly impacted species assemblages. Using information about species traits (functional diversity) and their phylogenetic relationships (phylogenetic diversity), we showed that within-assemblage diversity was not influenced by the environment or by species interactions. We also confirmed that dispersal limitation, linked with the past history of drainage basins, had a strong effect on assemblage structure in both streams and in rivers. Future investigations on the processes structuring fish assemblages will need to acquire more exhaustive biological data, and therefore to develop an efficient, and non-destructive sampling method. To this aim, we evaluated the efficiency of environmental metabarcoding applied to aquatic assemblages (the molecular identification of species present from a water sample) and compared it to traditional sampling methods. Currently, metabarcoding gives complementary information to traditional sampling. It thus needs developments and further tests to increase its efficiency and allow its use for assembly processes studies. Pursuing the formalization of a conceptual framework to investigate assembly rules together with the development of an efficient fish sampling protocol are now needed to better understand the structure of tropical fish assemblages. Those theoretical and practical developments will contribute to better evaluate anthropogenic disturbances on aquatic ecosystems.

Os afloramentos rochosos ferruginosos denominados bancadas lateríticas podem ser considerados uma paisagem peculiar no Centro-Oeste do Brasil, próximos às cidades de Corumbá e Ladário, MS. Embora situada em uma região populosa, próxima a fazendas e sítios urbanos, esta vegetação ainda é desconhecida. Neste estudo avaliamos a composição florística e a estrutura da comunidade, bem como suas relações florísticas com outros afloramentos rochosos. O levantamento foi conduzido em três locais - Banda Alta (19°08´S, 57°34´W, 85 m altitude); São Sebastião do Carandá (19°06´S, 57°31´W, 90 m) e Monjolinho (19°16´S, 57°31´W, 65-150 m). A vegetação encontrada nestes afloramentos rochosos ocorre como uma cobertura contínua sobre o substrato rochoso ou como ilhas de solo. Para o estrato contínuo, a vegetação foi amostrada em parcelas de 1 m² distribuídas aleatoriamente. A própria ilha de solo foi considerada uma unidade amostral. A composição de espécies e os valores de cobertura foram avaliados em cada parcela ou ilha de solo. Avaliaram-se 199 parcelas e 164 ilhas de solo neste estudo. Além da abundância das espécies o tamanho e outras características das ilhas de solo foram incluídas neste levantamento. Os dados foram explorados através de tabelas fitossociológicas e de técnicas estatísticas de classificação e ordenação. As relações florísticas foram exploradas nos níveis taxonômicos de famílias e gêneros pela comparação de listas de espécies publicadas de outros afloramentos. Foram amostradas 188 espécies pertencentes a 58 famílias nas três bancadas lateríticas. Deste total, 66 espécies foram encontradas nas parcelas e 181 nas ilhas de solo. A estrutura da comunidade é influenciada, principalmente, pela presença de fina camada de substrato e pela área insular. Processos envolvendo competição exclusiva e diferentes respostas ao regime hídrico aparentemente podem ser as maiores fontes da separação espacial e padrões de abundância. A flora das bancadas lateríticas mostrou similaridade com a flora de afloramentos graníticos da Caatinga, em nível de famílias e gêneros. Condições climáticas e outros fatores podem influenciar as disjunções florísticas observadas mas o substrato rochoso parece ser o fator determinante, com exceção das bancadas lateríticas. Esperava-se que as bancadas fossem similares a outros afloramentos ferruginosos mas isto não ocorreu, sugerindo um importante efeito da história paleoclimática da plataforma continental nos padrões de composição e abundância de espécies da comunidade vegetal das bancadas lateríticas. / The ironstone outcrops called bancadas lateríticas can be considered a peculiar feature of the Central Brazil landscape nearby the cities of Corumbá and Ladário (MS). Although situated in a populated region, near farmlands and cities, the vegetation occurring on these outcrops is completely unknown. In this work we aim to explore the species composition, the floristic relations with other rock outcrops and the community structure of the vegetation thriving on the ironstone surface of the bancadas. The survey was conducted in three outcrops - Banda Alta (19°08´S, 57°34´W, 85 m altitude); São Sebastião do Carandá (19°06´S, 57°31´W, 90 m) and Monjolinho (19°16´S, 57º31´W, 65-150 m). The vegetation found on the rock outcrops occurred as a continuous cover or in groups called soil-islands. In the continuous formation, the vegetation cover was sampled by random Quadrats of 1 m2. A single soil island was taken as a sample unit. The species composition and correspondent cover value was evaluated for each quadrat and soil island. A total of 199 random quadrats and 164 soil islands was used in this work. Along with the abundance of species, the size and other features of each soil islands were included in the survey. The data was explored by the construction of phytosociological tables and statistical classification and ordination techniques. The floristic relations were explored at the level of families and genera by comparisons with published species lists from other outcrops. We detected 188 species belonging to 58 plant families on the three Bancadas outcrops. From this total, 66 species were found in random quadrats and 181 in soil islands. The community structure is primarily influenced by the substrate thickness and the soil island area. Processes involving apparent species competitive exclusion and different responses to water regime can be major sources of the overall spatial disjunction and abundance patterns. The bancadas flora showed similarities with the flora of granite outcrops in the Caatinga formation at the level of genera and families. Climate and other factors can play a role in the floristic disjuntions observed but the rock substrate poses as a dominant factor with the exception of the Bancadas. The departure from the expected similarity with other ironstone outcrops suggests an important effect of Paleoclimatic history of the continental shelf in the patterns of species composition and abundance in the Bancadas plant community.

abstract: Identifying the ecological role, or niche, that a species occupies within their larger community elucidates environmental adaptability and evolutionary success. This dissertation investigates the occupied niche of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) living in an open, dry savanna-woodland environment by examining patterns of resource use and interspecific interactions. Data were collected October 2010--November 2011 at Issa, in the Ugalla region of western Tanzania, which is one of the driest, most open, and seasonal habitats inhabited by chimpanzees. Unlike most primatological studies which employ methods that include focal follows, this study focused instead on observing 'resource patches' for chimpanzees. Patch focals allow for the observation of all animals within a study area; capture resources that are not used by the study species; and are particularly well suited for unhabituated communities. In order to better understand relationships between environment and behavior, data collected at Issa are compared with published data from other chimpanzee populations. Issa chimpanzees were expected to have broader resource use than forest chimpanzees, as well as increased competition with other fauna, due to fewer available resources. However, in contrast to the assumption of food scarcity in dry habitats, dietary resources were available throughout the year. Like other populations, the diet of Issa chimpanzees consisted of mostly fruit, but unlike at other sites, the majority of plants consumed were woodland species. Additionally, although chimpanzees and other fauna shared spatial and dietary resources, there was only nominal overlap. These results point to extremely low levels of indirect competition between chimpanzees and other fauna. Despite extensive study of forest chimpanzees, little is known about their role within their faunal community in open, dry habitats, nor about how greater seasonality affects resource use. This project addresses both of these important issues and fosters novel approaches in anthropological studies, especially in reference to chimpanzee ecology and evolution. Understanding current chimpanzee behavioral relationships with their environments shapes hypotheses about their pasts, and also informs predictions about behaviors of similar taxa in paleo-environments. Lastly, examining the ecological role of chimpanzees within their larger communities will influence the formation of, as well as evaluate, conservation strategies. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Anthropology 2013

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No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese Rodrigo Assis de Carvalho -2014.pdf: 3328420 bytes, checksum: a1e02cfe43c98e24427c7466b7570d2d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Species richness became a classical descriptor of biological communities, however, this concept does not encompass functional differences among species which may be linked to the functioning and the maintenance of ecosystem processes. For example, species with similar ecological traits should play similar ecological functions while species with distinct traits should play different functions. Understanding functional patterns of communities and how ecological processes act on their structuring is a challenge to ecologists, mainly in environments poorly known as tropical freshwater systems. In this context, the main goals of this thesis are to: i) test if the functional structure of headwater fish assemblages are influenced by drainage area and/or environmental components of basins; ii) comprehend the functional structure of river and headwater stream fish assemblages and evaluate the role of environment and spatial components on this structure; iii) test if functional diversity and species diversity patterns, besides spatial priorities for their conservation, are spatially congruent. The first objective was evaluated with a set of 25 headwater streams distributed in the Araguaia (13) and Tocantins (12) River basins. We tested for (dis)similarities among Araguaia and Tocantins fish assemblages with an analysis of similarities (ANOSIM), and we evaluated the role of space and environment on fish assemblages functional structure with RLQ and Fourthcorner analyses. We found a functional dissimilarity between fish assemblages of Araguaia and Tocantins (R = 0.09, p = 0.03) and RLQ was significant for trait/environment relationships (p = 0.005), although spatially structured environment also seems to be relevant. Altitude, channel depth, water temperature, turbidity and conductivity are environmental variables that influenced: body mass, water column position, substrate preference, parental care, foraging location and migratory habits. In this ways, fish assemblages' functional structure of Araguaia and Tocantins River basins are delimited is influenced by both space and local conditions of the environment. For evaluating the second objective, we calculate the net relatedness index (NRI) of 22 rivers and 27 headwater stream of Tocantins-Araguaia basin and related them with environmental variables of each watercourse. We used a variation partitioning for understanding how much of NRI variation could be explained by environment and/or space. The spatial pattern of NRI indicated that fish assemblages from headwater streams tend to be functionally clustered and from rivers overdispersed, and their separation is associated with four environmental variables: depth, width, water velocity and dissolved oxygen. However, variation partitioning indicated a lower influence of the environment on NRI variation when compared with the spatial components. Therefore, the functional structure of rivers and headwater streams is associated with neutral processes such as the dispersal limits of each species through the space. We evaluated the third objective using 21 units formed by the combination of one river and one headwater stream. Utilizing null models, we verified if units with higher species richness also have higher functional diversity. We created conservation scenarios for species richness and functional diversity with an algorithm of complementarity. No unit had higher functional diversity than expected by it species richness, which might indicate the possibility of developing a single conservation strategy for them. However, the congruence between conservation scenarios for species richness and functional diversity seems to be the result of the algorithm used that selects areas harboring species with restricted spatial occurrence, independently of other criteria used. / A riqueza de espécies é um descritor clássico das comunidades biológicas, porém, seu conceito não engloba as diferenças ecológicas entre as espécies que podem estar ligadas à manutenção de processos ecossistêmicos. Por exemplo, espécies com características ecológicas semelhantes devem desempenhar funções ecológicas similares enquanto as de características distintas desempenhariam funções diferentes. Entender os padrões funcionais das comunidades e os processos que atuam sobre a sua estruturação é um desafio para os ecólogos, principalmente em ambientes pouco conhecidos como os de água doce tropicais. Dentro deste contexto, os objetivos desta tese são: i) testar se a estrutura funcional das assembleias de peixes de riachos pode ser influenciada pelos limites da área de drenagem e/ou pelos componentes ambientais das bacias hidrográficas; ii) compreender a estruturação funcional das assembleias de peixes em rios e riachos de cabeceira e avaliar o papel do ambiente e do espaço sobre esta estruturação; iii) testar se os padrões de diversidade funcional e de riqueza de espécies das assembleias de peixes, além das prioridades espaciais para sua conservação, são congruentes espacialmente. O primeiro objetivo foi testado com um conjunto de 25 riachos distribuídos nas bacias hidrográficas dos Rios Araguaia (13) e Tocantins (12). Testamos as (dis)similaridades entre as assembleias de peixes do Araguaia e Tocantins com uma análise de similaridades (ANOSIM), e avaliamos o papel do espaço e do ambiente sobre a sua estrutura funcional com análises de RLQ e Fourthcorner. Encontramos uma dissimilaridade funcional entre as assembleias do Araguaia e Tocantins (R = 0.09, p = 0.03) e a RLQ foi significativa para as associações entre atributos/ambiente (p = 0.005), embora o ambiente espacialmente estruturado também pareça ser relevante. Altitude, profundidade do canal, temperatura da água, turbidez e condutividade são as variáveis do ambiente que influenciam: massa corporal, posição na coluna d'água, preferência pelo substrato, cuidado parental, local de forrageio e migração. Desta forma, a estrutura funcional das assembleias de peixes das bacias dos Rios Araguaia e Tocantins é influenciada tanto pelo espaço quanto pelas condições locais do ambiente. Para avaliar o segundo objetivo, calculamos os índices de parentesco líquido (NRI) de 22 rios e 27 riachos de cabeceira da bacia Tocantins-Araguaia e os relacionamos com as variáveis ambientais de cada curso d'água. Utilizamos ainda uma partição de variância para compreender o quanto da variação do NRI é explicada pelo ambiente e/ou pelo espaço. O padrão espacial do NRI indicou que as assembleias dos riachos de cabeceira tendem a ser funcionalmente agrupadas e as de rios sobredispersas, e a sua separação está associada a quatro variáveis ambientais: profundidade, largura, velocidade e oxigênio dissolvido. Porém, a partição de variância indicou um papel menor do componente ambiental na variação do NRI em relação aos componentes associados ao espaço. Portanto, a estruturação funcional de riachos e rios está associada a processos neutros, como os limites de dispersão intrínsecos de cada espécie. Avaliamos o terceiro objetivo utilizando 21 unidades formadas por: um rio e um riacho de cabeceira. Por meio de modelos nulos, verificamos se as unidades com maior riqueza de espécies possuíam maior diversidade funcional do que o esperado ao acaso. Criamos ainda cenários de conservação para riqueza de espécies e diversidade funcional com um algoritmo de complementaridade. Nenhuma unidade apresentou maior diversidade funcional do que o esperado pela riqueza de espécies, o que pode indicar a possibilidade de desenvolver uma única estratégia de conservação para ambos. Entretanto, a congruência entre os cenários para a riqueza de espécies e diversidade funcional parece ser resultado do algoritmo utilizado, selecionando áreas com espécies de ocorrência restrita, independente dos demais critérios utilizados.

A caracterização da biodiversidade de comunidades bentônicas resume-se, no litoral brasileiro, a pouco mais de uma dezena de trabalhos estudando, na totalidade, uma área aproximada de apenas 3400 m2. Pretendeu-se aqui propor um novo método, inédito para comunidades marinhas de substrato consolidado, baseado na amostragem de unidades de heterogeneidade da paisagem, denominados povoamentos, visando um aumento na velocidade e abrangência das amostragens neste ambiente. Este estudo foi realizado em um trecho de 260m do costão leste da Praia do Presídio (Enseada das Palmas, P. Est. de Ilha Anchieta, Ubatuba, SP) e divididiu-se em quatro abordagens: 1) identificação e descrição dos povoamentos presentes e spécies neles dominantes; 2) mapeamento da repartição horizontal geo-referenciada de cada povoamento e determinação de sua amplitude vertical máxima; 3) quantificação de seus recobrimentos percentuais médios a partir de imagens; 4) avaliação da composição específica e da variação espacial de povoamentos selecionados. Trinta povoamentos, incluídos nas categorias Banco, Colônia, Crosta e Tapete, além de um atributo não-biológico incluído na categoria Região, foram identificados e descritos e as informações serão disponibilizadas em um banco de dados na internet. O mapeamento foi realizado em apenas 6 mergulhos, em cada estação, de 50 a 80 minutos. A maior parte os povoamentos ocorreu pontualmente. O número de povoamentos e a repartição horizontal dos mesmos praticamente não se alteraram entre verão e inverno. A análise da freqüência relativa dos povoamentos evidenciou que Banco de Sargassum (BSG) apresentou maior valor no verão (25,3%) e Tapete de Amphiroa e Jania (TAJ), no inverno (21,3%). Quanto à distribuição vertical, foram delimitadas quatro principais zonas baseadas na freqüência relativa: uma mais rasa definida por BSG, outra intermediária superior definida por TAJ, outra intermediária inferior definida por Tapete de Ectoprocta (TEC) e uma mais funda definida por povoamentos variáveis com a estação. Foram obtidos 84 elementos amostrais fotográficos no verão e 100 no inverno, os quais evidenciaram 26 e 28 povoamentos, respectivamente. Foram realizadas análises de repartição espacial nos modos R e Q e avaliação de heterogeneidade dos agrupamentos formados. BSG apresentou maior valor de recobrimento percentual médio tanto no período de verão (26,1%) quanto de inverno (32,0%), seguido de TEC (19,7% no verão e 24,2% no inverno), significativamente maior que a maioria dos demais povoamentos (p<0,05). Os povoamentos fitobentônicos foram mais representativos na área (62,2% de recobrimento médio no verão e 61,8% no inverno). Quando consideradas as categorias de povoamentos, os bancos fitobentônicos foram mais representativos (31,2% no verão e 37,0% no inverno). Se somados animais e algas, a categoria ?tapete? foi a mais representada (46,3% no verão e 41,4% no inverno), com grande contribuição dos povoamentos TAJ e TEC, indicando uma possível influência da sedimentação na área. A análise de repartição espacial em Modo R evidenciou a existência de seis grupos no verão e cinco no inverno, sugerindo povoamentos com as mesmas exigências ecológicas. Já em Modo Q observou-se que a comunidade da área é bastante heterogênea, apresentando um padrão em manchas, sendo os povoamentos BSG, Região de Substrato Inconsolidado, TAJ, TEC (e algumas de suas variações) e Tapete de Gelidiopsis e Hypnea (TGH) os responsáveis pela formação dos grupos com o Índice de Similaridade de Morisita-Horn. A análise da composição específica dos povoamentos BSG, TAJ, TEC e TGH evidenciou que os mesmos podem ser considerados homogêneos ou apresentam-se na forma de fácies na área de estudo, podendo ser utilizados como unidades operacionais de forma consistente. Entretanto, estudos em outras áreas são necessários para fornecer suporte aos dados obtidos, principalmente em relação aos dois últimos povoamentos, que carecem de estudos ecológicos. A análise espectral evidenciou suficiência amostral para todos os povoamentos em relação aos pontos Calleja adotados. Os espectros de riqueza foram diagonais e os de diversidade foram retangulares. Para os quatro povoamentos, o Índice de Diversidade de Shannon ficou entre 1,6 e 2,2 e o de Diversidade de Simpson, entre 2,6 e 5,7. O povoamento TGH foi o mais rico e o mais diverso. A comunidade estudada no presente estudo pode ser considerada característica da região sudeste do Brasil. O método dos povoamentos, tanto a partir da Abordagem 2 quanto da 3, possibilitou a caracterização estrutural da comunidade de forma rápida. A análise da micro-heterogeneidade de 4 povoamentos evidenciou que podem ser utilizados como unidades ecológicas consistentes. / The biodiversity characterization of benthic communities in the Brazilian coast is limited to a few works, which studied an area of about 3,400 m2. The objective of this study was to propose a new method, unprecedented in hard bottom marine communities, based in the sampling of landscape heterogeneity units, named physiognomies and settlements, aiming at an increase in sampling speed and covering in this environment. This study was performed in a 260 m infralittoral stretch of Presidio Beach eastern coast (Palmas Bay, Anchieta Island State Park, Ubatuba, SP) and was divided in four approaches: 1) identification e description of settlements and their dominant species; 2) georeferenced spatial repartition mapping of each settlement and determination of maximum vertical amplitude; 3) mean percent cover quantification from digital images; 4) evaluation of specific composition and spatial variation of selected settlements. Thirty settlements, included in Bed, Colony, Crust and Turf categories, besides a non-biological attribute included in Region category, were identified and described and the information will be available in a database in the internet. Mapping was performed in only 6 dives of 50 to 80 minutes in each season. The major part of the settlements occurred punctually. Settlements number and horizontal repartition practically did not change between summer and winter. Sargassum Bed (SGB) was more frequent in the summer (25.3%) and Amphiroa and Jania Turf (AJT) in the winter (21.3%). In relation to vertical repartition, four main zones were delimited based in relative frequencies: a shallower one defined by SGB, another upper intermediary defined by AJT, another lower intermediary defined by Ectoprocta Turf (ECT) and a last one, deeper, defined by variable settlements according to season. Eighty four sampling units were obtained in summer and 100 in winter, from which 26 and 28 settlements could be recognized, respectively. Cluster analysis in R and Q modes and heterogeneity evaluation of the obtained groups were made. SGB showed the highest mean percent cover as much in summer (26.1%) as in winter (32.0%), followed by ECT (19.7% in summer and 24.2% in winter), significantly higher than most of the other settlements (p<0.05). Phytobenthic settlements were the most representative in the area (62.2% of mean cover in summer and 61.8% in winter). When settlements categories were considered, phytobenthic beds were the most representative (31.2% in summer and 37.0% in winter). With animals and algae altogether, the category ?turf? was the most represented (46.3% in summer and 41.4% in winter), with great contribution of AJT and ECT, indicating a possible sedimentation influence in the area. The cluster analysis in R Mode showed the existence of six groups in summer and five in winter, suggesting settlements with the same ecological exigencies. In Q Mode a highly heterogeneous community could be evidenced, showing a patchy pattern. The settlements SGB, Unconsolidated Substrate Region, AJT, ECT (and some of its variations) and Gelidiopsis and Hypnea Turf (GHT) were the responsible for group formation with the use of Morisita-Horn Similarity Index. Specific composition analysis of SGB, AJT, ECT and GHT showed that these settlements can be considered homogeneous or present themselves as facies in the study area and can be consistently used as operational units. However, studies in other areas are necessary in order to give support to the obtained data, mainly regarding ECT and GHT, which lack ecological studies. Spectral analysis made evident sampling sufficiency for all settlements in relation to Calleja points adopted. Richness spectra were diagonal and diversity spectra were rectangular. For the four settlements, Shannon?s Diversity Index was between 1.6 and 2.2 and Simpson?s Dominance Index, between 2.6 and 5.7. GHT was the richest and most diverse settlement. The community studied in the present work can be considered typical of Brazilian south eastern region. Settlements method, through approaches 2 and 3, facilitated community structural characterization in a fast way. Micro-heterogeneity evaluation of four settlements showed that they can be used as consistent ecological units.

Orientador: Ricardo Jannini Sawaya / Texto em português e inglês / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T04:49:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiz_AmomMendes_M.pdf: 2403224 bytes, checksum: ec7b481911e3e7c360533c1254330aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Indivíduos e espécies não são distribuídos aleatoriamente no espaço. Consequentemente, as metacomunidades formadas por tais organismos também apresentam uma organização espacial. Associado a isso, poucas espécies conseguem se distribuir na maioria dos ambientes possíveis. Portanto, as metacomunidades possuem uma variação em sua composição que pode ser espacialmente organizada, ou seja, existem locais que são mais similares em termos de composição de espécies do que outros. Robert Whittaker nomeou esse fenômeno como o componente beta da diversidade, ou simplesmente, diversidade beta. Entender quais processos geram e mantêm os padrões espaciais da diversidade beta é, portanto, uma questão central em ecologia de comunidades, além de auxiliar na proposição de formas apropriadas de manejo e conservação. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever padrões de diversidade beta de anfíbios anuros das planícies costeiras do Sudeste do Brasil e investigar os possíveis processos que influenciam os padrões de diversidade detectados. A dissertação está dividida em dois capítulos. No primeiro capítulo, descrevo a diversidade beta de anuros da região de estudo e avalio como esses padrões estão protegidos atualmente, por unidades de conservação. No segundo capítulo, busco entender como múltiplos preditores poderiam estar relacionados com a variação na composição de espécies da região de estudo, dado o embasamento teórico e empírico da potencial influência de tais preditores sobre a diversidade de anuros. Os resultados do primeiro capítulo mostraram que existe um padrão claro de organização espacial na diversidade beta, estruturada em três áreas de forma congruente com a história geomorfológica da região. Os resultados evidenciam ainda, que a atual rede de unidades de conservação inclui padrões de diversidade beta semelhante às áreas não protegidas. No entanto, a representatividade dessas unidades em termos de área (~ 4000 km²) é pequena (11.3%). Os resultados do segundo capítulo demonstram a importância de diferentes preditores, incluindo clima, história geomorfológica e processos espaciais em diferentes escalas, para explicar a variação espacial da composição de espécies de anuros. Dentre esses preditores, as unidades geomorfológicas foram predominantemente importantes para explicar a diversidade beta. No entanto, outros processos que foram também importantes para a estruturação das comunidades, como o gradiente climático presente dentro das unidades geomorfológicas, possivelmente gerados pela estrutura geomorfológica da região e pela presença da Serra do Mar. Nossos resultados podem apresentar implicações práticas relacionadas à escolha de potenciais áreas para a conservação das planícies costeiras do Sudeste brasileiro. Tendo em vista a conservação dos padrões de diversidade beta e de seus processos subjacentes, associado à falta representatividade de em termos de tamanho de áreas protegidas na porção central do litoral paulista, sugerimos que tais áreas sejam priorizadas no planejamento e implementação de novas unidades de conservação / Abstract: Individuals and species are not randomly distributed in space. Hence, the communities composed by these species also show a spatial organization. Moreover, only few species can occur in many of the available environments. Therefore, the communities present a variation in their composition which can be spatially structured, that is, there are sites more similar each other in terms of species composition than other ones. Robert Whittaker named this phenomenon as the beta component of diversity or, simply, the beta diversity. The understanding of which processes generate and maintain beta diversity is a central question of the community ecology, also helping in the proposing and applying proper ways to its conservation and management. The aims of this study were to describe the anuran beta diversity patterns of coastal plains from southeastern Brazil and assess potential processes which influence such patterns. This study comprises two chapters. In the first one, I described aspects of the anuran beta diversity in the study region and evaluated how these patterns are protected in conservation units. In the second one, I seek to understand how multiple predictors could be related with the variation in species composition, given the theoretical and empirical framework on the influence of such predictors upon anuran diversity. The results of the first chapter showed a clear spatial pattern in the variation of species composition divided in three main areas that are congruent with the geomorphological history of the region. Still, we showed that the actual network of protected areas include similar beta diversity patterns to unprotected areas. However, the representativeness of these conservation units defined as the covered area (~ 4000 km²) is very small (11.3%). The results of the second chapter demonstrated the relative importance of distinct predictors, including climate, geomorphological history and spatial scales, to explain the spatial variation of the anuran species composition. The beta diversity is mainly associated with spatial structure of geomorphological units. However, other processes are also important in structuring anuran communities, such as climatic gradients possibly related to the geomorphological structure and the presence of Serra do Mar range and also broad scale processes. Our results have practical implications related to the choice of potential areas to coastal plains conservation in southeastern Brazil. In order to conserve the beta diversity patterns and their related processes, associated to unequal representativeness defined by the size area of protected areas, mainly on the central portions of São Paulo state coast, we suggested these areas as priorities in the planning and implementing of new conservation units / Mestrado / Ecologia / Mestre em Ecologia