Pattern of elevational distribution and richness of non volant mammals in Itatiaia National Park and its surroundings, in Southeastern Brazil

D E P Bossi,L Geise,L G Pereira,H G Bergallo

doi:10.1590/s1519-69842004000400007

Abstract

Itatiaia National Park (PNI) and its surroundings present a unique fauna due to different forest formations with well-defined climatic and vegetation bands. The Itatiaia massif has four vegetation types that follow an altitudinal gradient: lower montane forest, montane forest, upper montane forest, and Campos de Altitude. Hence, this region is ideal for studying geographical variation in biological diversity. The main objectives of this study were to report on nonvolant mammal species known to occur in Itatiaia National Park and its surroundings and to determine if their distributional pattern is related to elevation. A review of the literature and a complete survey of specimens deposited in museums, as well as small-mammal trapping were carried out in order to obtain a complete record of the species from the region. Precise locality data were obtained for all specimens recorded, allowing the inclusion of each collected or observed individual in an altitude and vegetational class. We made a direct ordination gradient of marsupial, primate, and rodent species abundance with the altitude. Sixty-nine mammal species were collected or reported for the Itatiaia massif, belonging to seven orders and 20 families. Of these, 33 species (47.8%) are included in the official list of threatened or believed-to-be threatened species in Rio de Janeiro State. The orders Rodentia, Carnivora, and Didelphimorphia had the highest species richness, with 25, 14, and 13 species respectively. When species were grouped according to the vegetation, 16 species occured in the lower montane, 56 in the montane forest, five in the upper montane, and 21 in the high-altitude fields (Campos de Altitude). The communities of marsupials, primates, and rodents have an ordination pattern related to the altitude. Species richness was higher between 500 m and 1,500 m above sea level in montane forest, which is in agreement with recent studies showing that species richness can reach its maximum at mid-elevations.

Highlights

Rio de Janeiro State has been largely ignored as far as the study of its mammals is concerned
Specimens listed with other symbols refer to records from: * Ávila-Pires & Gouvêa (1977), # Miranda-Ribeiro (1905), and ♦ Oliveira (1998)
The number of species recorded for the Itatiaia massif is similar to the first list for the whole of Rio de Janeiro State (Tribe, 1987)

Summary

Introduction

Rio de Janeiro State has been largely ignored as far as the study of its mammals is concerned. Pereira et al (2001), studying nonvolant terrestrial mammals, listed 43 species from the southern coastal region of Rio de Janeiro State while Bueno (1998) found 21 species in Tijuca National Park. According to Ururahy et al (1983), the Itatiaia massif has four vegetation types that follow an altitudinal gradient: lower montane forest (from 400 to m in the study area); montane forest (from to 1,499 m); upper montane forest (from 1,500 to 1,999 m), and high-altitude fields (more than 2,000 m). Safford (1999) compared the high-altitude fields of some localities in southeastern Brazil (Itatiaia, Serra da Mantiqueira, Serra do Caparaó, Serra dos Órgãos, and Serra do Mar) with the páramos of the Andes, and showed a floristic similarity that extends to climate and soil

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