Esse estudo teve como objetivo investigar os fatores estruturantes das taxocenoses de aves que utilizam remanescentes de vegetação campestre na região da Fronteira Oeste do Rio Grande do Sul. Através desse estudo busquei compreender os efeitos da estrutura espacial dos remanescentes (área, formato e proximidade entre remanescentes) e também os efeitos exercidos pela estrutura do habitat no uso desses pelas aves campestres. Amostrei quantitativamente por pontos de contagem a avifauna em 21 manchas de vegetação campestre com diferentes áreas, formas e estrutura da vegetação. Utilizei ferramentas de sensoriamento remoto para avaliar a estrutura espacial dos remanescentes e caracterizei o habitat dessas manchas através de medidas da estrutura da vegetação. Utilizei o método analítico de partição da variância através de análises de regressão múltipla e análise de correlação canônica parciais para quantificar a porção da variância explicada por cada grupo de variáveis (estrutura da vegetação e estrutura espacial dos remanescentes) na variação total da abundância, composição e riqueza da avifauna nas manchas. Registrei um total de 33 espécies de aves campestres, sendo três dessas categorizadas em algum grau de ameaça de extinção: Circus cinereus, Cisthotorus platensis e Sporophila cinnamomea. Meus resultados indicaram que a estrutura espacial das manchas não exerce efeito significativo sobre a avifauna campestre e a essa responde principalmente à estrutura e características da vegetação. Dessa forma, meus resultados sugerem que as assembléias de aves que utilizam os remanescentes de vegetação campestre da região estudada são estruturadas a partir das características do habitat e são fracamente influenciadas pela estruturação espacial desses. Assim, a permanência de manchas próximas de vegetação campestre em meio às áreas de cultivo, mesmo que pequenas, poderá favorecer a permanência de uma alta diversidade de espécies de aves na região estudada. / The goal of this study was to investigate the factors that structure bird assemblages in grassland patches in Campos Biome of Fronteira Oeste region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Thus, I searched for the effects of the spatial structure of native vegetation patches and the effects caused by their vegetation structure on the avifauna that makes use of them. I utilized remote sensing techniques to evaluate the spatial structure of the patches (area, shape, and proximity among patches) and I characterized the patches’ habitat by measuring the vegetation structure (vegetation height, dead standing vegetation, soil covered by vegetation, percentage coverage by grasses, herbs, and shrubs). I used the variation partitioning method to quantify the portion of variation explained by both spatial and vegetation group of variables in the total avifauna’s abundance, composition, and richness variation. I registered 33 grassland bird species and among them, three are threatened with extinction: Circus cinereus, Cisthotorus platensis, and Sporophila cinnamomea. My results denote an insignificant effect of spatial structure of patches on the grassland birds and a high response to the vegetation structure. In this way, my results suggest that the grassland bird’s assemblages that use native vegetation patches are mainly structured by the habitat characteristics (vegetation structure), and are weakly influenced by the patches spatial arrangement. Thus, the maintenance of neighbour patches, even though small ones, into the arable fields may favour the persistence of a high diversity of grassland birds in the region studied.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biology / Kimberly A. With / The loss, fragmentation, and degradation of grasslands have resulted in widespread declines in grassland birds. Nest predation is the leading cause of avian reproductive failure; therefore minimizing nest predation can lessen the severity of bird declines. Snakes are important predators of bird nests, but little is known about how snakes may enhance predation risk. To address this issue, I studied the habitat use, movement behavior, population genetic structure, and connectivity of snakes in the grasslands of northeastern Kansas. I addressed the connectivity of eastern yellowbelly racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) populations by using a landscape genetics approach at a broad scale (13,500 km2). I also radio-tracked the yellowbelly racer and Great Plains ratsnake (Pantherophis emoryi) at Konza Prairie Biological Station to understand their spatial ecology while simultaneously evaluating nest survival in grassland birds. Individual racers had limited dispersal (<3 km), but substantial admixture occurred within 30 km and populations were in migration-drift equilibrium and had high allelic diversity; therefore, racers must be abundant and continuously distributed for gene flow to be fluid throughout the region. Racers may be more likely to encounter bird nests, as they had more frequent movements and traversed greater distances on average than ratsnakes, which exhibited long periods of inactivity between directed movements. As for grassland birds, nest survival rates decreased with increasing shrubs and decreasing vegetation height. Discriminant function analysis revealed that successful nests were likely to occur in tall vegetation but reduced shrub cover, whereas higher shrub cover characterized snake habitats. Because snakes often use shrubs, nests in areas of increased shrubs may be at higher risk of predation by snakes. Targeted removal of shrubs may increase nest success by minimizing the activity of predators attracted to shrubs. Although predator removal is often a strategy for protecting bird populations, it may not be feasible in this instance, especially since snakes are a native component of the grassland community. Efforts to reduce snake predation on grassland bird nests should therefore focus on managing habitat within grasslands (i.e., shrubs) that influence snake activity, as no natural or anthropogenic habitat barriers currently limit snake movement across the landscape.

Submitted by Livia Mello (liviacmello@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-09-15T12:31:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseMGR.pdf: 2131208 bytes, checksum: b36415a6c84dfe47d1989b5ba8da4dcd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-21T18:29:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseMGR.pdf: 2131208 bytes, checksum: b36415a6c84dfe47d1989b5ba8da4dcd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-21T18:29:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseMGR.pdf: 2131208 bytes, checksum: b36415a6c84dfe47d1989b5ba8da4dcd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-21T18:29:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseMGR.pdf: 2131208 bytes, checksum: b36415a6c84dfe47d1989b5ba8da4dcd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-27 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Fire is an ecological factor which seasonally affects fire-prone ecosystems, such as grasslands and open savannas of the Cerrado, and changes some patterns of the biota. This study aimed to investigate the influence of fire on birds that directly use food resources in grasslands of the Serra da Canastra National Park. From December 2012 to January 2015, sampling efforts were carried out in areas burned by wildfires, prescribed burnings (environmental management strategy) and in areas with no influence of fire, in order to record birds in foraging activities, their diet and the use of microhabitat for foraging. The 92 bird species recorded throughout the study exhibited specific results of the occurrence, abundance and response to fire. Considering all birds, the wildfires exerted a deeper and longer (3 - 4 months) influence on assemblage structure, than the prescribed burnings (2 - 3 months). The fire effects on some species of birds were observed in the proportion of food categories consumed, in the diversity of diet items and the microhabitats selected for foraging. The fire response models for birds of prey that occupy the top of the food chain in grasslands indicated a more intense use of food resources in the first post-fire months. Environmental management towards the conservation of grassland ecosystems depends on understanding the effects of recurrent disturbances on native species. / O fogo é um fator ecológico sazonal de ecossistemas pirofíticos, como os campos e savanas abertas do Cerrado, que altera as características do meio biótico. O presente estudo objetivou investigar a influência do fogo nas aves que forrageiam nos campos do Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra. Entre dezembro de 2012 e janeiro de 2015, foram amostradas áreas atingidas por fogo natural, por queimadas prescritas (para manejo) e também áreas sem influência do fogo, para monitorar as aves que fazem uso direto de recursos alimentares, a dieta e seus micro-habitats de forrageamento. Foram registradas 92 espécies em todo o estudo, com diferentes resultados específicos de ocorrência, abundância e resposta às queimadas. O fogo natural exerceu influência mais profunda e de maior duração (3 - 4 meses) na estrutura das assembleias, do que as queimadas prescritas (2 - 3 meses). Para algumas espécies de aves, os efeitos das queimadas incluíram variação da proporção de tipos de alimentos consumidos, ampliação da diversidade de itens da dieta e alterações de micro- habitats preferenciais de forrageamento. Com relação às aves que ocupam o topo de cadeia alimentar, os modelos de resposta ao fogo apontam para um melhor aproveitamento de recursos alimentares nos primeiros meses pós-fogo. O manejo ambiental para a conservação de ecossistemas campestres depende da compreensão dos efeitos de distúrbios recorrentes na fauna. / CNPq: 141653/2011-6

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