Influence of altitude and climate on species richness and endemism: A study case with non‐volant small mammals in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Abstract

AbstractElevational gradients usually help to explain the potential factors underlying global biodiversity, as changing altitude leads to strong habitat changes in a relatively small area. We tested the influence of the altitude gradient on the small non‐volant mammal’s community along the regional landscape of the Atlantic Forest located of the Espírito Santo state, Brazil. We trapped non‐volant small mammals from January 2017 to October 2018 in 12 locations distributed along an altitude gradient ranging from sea level to 2100 m above sea level (asl). We ordered the non‐volant small mammal species by using a Non‐Metric Multidimensional Scaling analysis using the Bray–Curtis metric. To understand how the altitude, vegetation types and climate variables influence the richness and abundance of species, we fitted generalised linear model. We observed that small mammal species composition differed according to altitude, with higher richness in locations with intermediate altitude between 500–1500 m asl. In locations with higher altitude, between 1501–2200 m asl, we recorded a lower species richness, but higher endemism. Our results suggest altitude influenced the community of non‐volant small mammals. However, altitude direct influence on other variables is not evaluated in the present study, such as food availability. In addition, we found a high endemism in higher altitude areas, pointing out the importance of conserving these mountain areas for the preservation of endemic species. Thus, highlighting the importance of this study to suggest areas that deserve greater attention in the development of management and conservation plans.