Abstract
The Upper Paraná River floodplain (UPR) represents the last stretch of the Paraná River in Brazilian territory where a river-floodplain ecosystem still exists. However, the region had been subjected to intense deforestation in previous decades, and more than half of the original floodplain has been lost due to the construction of the Porto Primavera dam, which may have resulted in the local extinction of species. In the present study, we compared the list of bird species recorded before the construction of Porto Primavera dam (1926-1996) to that gotten afterwards (1999-2007) under the Long-Term Ecological Research program (LTER-site 6). We aim to investigate biogeographical and ecological traits of species potentially lost in the UPR. Endemism, proximity to the edge of species' geographic range, low tolerance to human-altered habitats and habitat specificity were associated to the potential extinction of birds in the UPR. The region represents an important opportunity for conservation, and should be target of conservation efforts to avoid further loss of species and ecological processes.
Highlights
The rate at which humans are changing natural landscapes, in general terms, is much higher than that seen through the dynamics of disturbance in natural ecosystems (Tabarelli and Gascon, 2005), and habitat loss and fragmentation are perhaps the main factors associated to loss in biodiversity (Marini and Garcia, 2005; Tabarelli and Gascon, 2005; IUCN, 2008)
From the total of 372 bird species recorded to the Upper Paraná River floodplain (UPR), 77 (21%) were not recorded in the period from 1999-2007
The rates of endemic/non endemic species were significantly different for the CR and PL bird species groups (Chi-square = 14.2; DF = 1; P < 0.0001); endemic species are more likely to become extinct, as they were better represented in the PL group (Table 1)
Summary
The rate at which humans are changing natural landscapes, in general terms, is much higher than that seen through the dynamics of disturbance in natural ecosystems (Tabarelli and Gascon, 2005), and habitat loss and fragmentation are perhaps the main factors associated to loss in biodiversity (Marini and Garcia, 2005; Tabarelli and Gascon, 2005; IUCN, 2008). The floodplain located at the border of the States of Paraná and Mato Grosso do. Sul (Brazil), is within the last non-dammed section of the Paraná River in Brazil. This area, called in the present study as the Upper Paraná River floodplain (UPR), represents the last stretch of the Paraná River in Brazilian territory where a river-floodplain ecosystem still exists, and is one of the last well preserved areas of the Paraná River wetlands (Agostinho et al, 2004).
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