Abstract

GODOI, Mauricio N; CUNHA, Nicolay L. da  and  CACERES, Nilton C. Effect of the forest-savanna-grassland gradient on the small mammals of the high Urucum Mountains, west of Brazil. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2010, vol.17, n.2, pp.263-277. ISSN 0327-9383.

The Urucum Mountains comprehend a hilly region in western Brazil which lies in the western edge of the Pantanal wetlands, being characterized by the contact among forests, savannas and grasslands. It is usually known that the community structure of small mammals is strongly influenced by the habitat diversity. Based on this, we determined the influence of the forest-savanna-grassland gradient in the structure of the small mammal community in the Urucum Mountains. For sampling small mammal species, pitfall traps were installed within semideciduous forests, savannas and grasslands. In total, 10 species were recorded, nine in semideciduous forest, four in savanna and five in grassland. However, there is no significant difference between habitats in relation to abundance, richness and species diversity. Four species were recorded exclusively in the semideciduous forest, and only one was exclusively recorded in the grassland. There was no strong influence of the forest-savanna-grassland gradient on the structure of local small mammal community, since nine species (90%) occurred in semideciduous forest. A reason for this was a probable edge effect on forested habitats with regard to open habitat species. Finally, species recorded in this study were divided in two groups: the generalist species recorded simultaneously in forest and open habitats, and the apparently specialist species recorded only within forests or grasslands.

Keywords : Marsupials; Pitfall traps; Rodents; Species composition; Use of habitats.

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