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Small mammals in high altitude phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil: are heterogeneous habitats more diverse?

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Abstract

The Chapada das Perdizes is considered a region of high biodiversity, but there are few studies that describe the small mammals in the region, mainly in higher portions of the area. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the richness and abundance of terrestrial small mammals within three different vegetation types in the high altitude region of southern Minas Gerais and to evaluate the relationship between the community composition of terrestrial small mammals and the heterogeneity of phytophysiognomies. Pitfall and cage trap grids were arranged in natural field, semi-deciduous and cloud forests. A total of 26 species was recorded. The compositions of the three phytophysiognomies were significantly different. The expansive study area is located in a region of tension between the Cerrado and Atlantic Forests and should be preserved due to high diversity and ecological importance.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to Mr. Edgar Cortez that allowed us to conduct the study on his property, to A. R. Percequillo, J. A. Oliveira and Y. R. L. Leite for their assistance in identifying specimens, and Gustavo Libardi by the map. Also thank you to Ivan Lima, Aloysio Moura, Guilherme Alvarenga, Leone Lacerda, Henri Pecora, Vitor Lombardi, Kassius Santos and Ligiane Moras for their assistance in the fieldwork. This study received financial support from the Brazilian Agency for the CAPES, FAPEMIG and CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Caixa-Postal 3037, Lavras, MG, CEP 37200-000, Brazil

    Felipe Santana Machado

  2. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras (UFLA), Caixa-Postal 3037, Lavras, MG, CEP 37200-000, Brazil

    Renato Gregorin & Paula Salomon Bezerra Mouallem

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  1. Felipe Santana Machado
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  2. Renato Gregorin
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  3. Paula Salomon Bezerra Mouallem
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Correspondence to Felipe Santana Machado.

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Machado, F.S., Gregorin, R. & Mouallem, P.S.B. Small mammals in high altitude phytophysiognomies in southeastern Brazil: are heterogeneous habitats more diverse?. Biodivers Conserv 22, 1769–1782 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0511-7

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