EFFECTS OF ROADS AND TRAILS IN THE VEGETATION STRUCTURE AND AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES FOR THE ATLANTIC FOREST FRUGIVOROUS BIRDS

Abstract

Impacts of roads and trails may alter vegetation structure and consequently the availability of fruits, contributing to possible variations in community composition of frugivorous birds. The main objective of this project is to investigate the effect of different types of roads and trails in the relationship between resource availability - fruits - and community structure of frugivorous birds in the Atlantic Forest. For this, the vegetation and birds will be sampled in three paths with different characteristics in the width and use (roads and trails), along the edge and away from the edge, and in continuous mature forest. In each one the floristic composition, seasonality and quantified fruit production will be considered. For each path, ofursampling points will be set on the edge and away from the edge. The sampling of the vegetation and the quantification of fruit production will be carried out in an area of 100m ² (plots) at each sample point. Birds will be sampled using the method of fixed points with unlimited radius. The bird communities will be compared in relation to richness, species composition, relative abundance and diversity. The identification of fruiting patterns and their relationships with the avifauna associated with these environments can provide important information on how the dynamics of clearings imposed by roads and trails and the use of these infrastructures affect the context of the interactions between birds and plants. These data can eventually help the management of conservation areas crossed by roads, searching for a balance between human action and biodiversity conservation.