Diversity and conservation of the reptile fauna in the Southeastern Atlantic Forest

Abstract

This project proposes to study the reptile diversity in the southeastern Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The reptile fauna in this portion of the Atlantic Forest is quite distinct from the other Brazilian tropical forests. Extending over a mountainous continental area and in several coastal islands, the Atlantic Forest is characterized by an accentuated degree of endemism. In all its extension, the faunistic composition is still poorly documented, especially in relation to the latitudinal and altitude variations. The field work will focus in disjunct areas separated by geographic barrier. Morphological, cytogenetic, enzymatic, molecular and toxicological data will be employed to characterize the populations. Ecological studies will characterize each species natural history. The reptile communities will be characterized by its faunistic composition, relative abundance of species, resource use, and reproductive patterns. The comparative analysis of several parameters will be employed to evolutionary and biogeographical inferences. The results will be used to define priority areas to conservation, as well as to produce non-scholarship publications and public exhibitions. (AU)