Aves Acuáticas de la Estación Ecológica Taiamã: Variación Estacional de la Estructura Comunitaria y la Importancia de las Áreas Protegidas en el Pantanal

• Autor(a) principal: Kantek, Daniel Luis Zanella
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Melo, Roselaine Carvalho de, Miyazaki, Selma Samiko, Castilheiro, Welvis Felipe Fernandes, Filho, Manoel dos Santos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biodiversidade Brasileira
• Texto Completo: https://revistaeletronica.icmbio.gov.br/BioBR/article/view/1513

As the largest floodplain in the world, the Pantanal plays an important role in maintaining biological diversity. Taiamã Ecological Station (TES) is a protected area located in the north Pantanal; it is considered an important area for bird conservation. The species composition of these areas must be studied and known for the development of specific management plans. Besides, waterfowl are important in assessing quality and are highly sensitive to environmental changes. Thus, we investigated the aquatic bird composition at the TES and surrounding area and evaluated the richness and abundance levels among sites and the river level during one year of sampling. We performed a total sample effort of six campaigns, with four sites sampled: two at the TES and two in the surroundings. We identified a total of 45 aquatic bird species, divided into nine orders, 20 families and 36 genera. The large number of individuals observed in February 2012 can be related to a natural phenomenon that occurs in Pantanal, called ‘dequada’, which is associated with the processes of decomposition of submerged plant biomass at the beginning of the flood. By analysing the most common species in this study, we found that Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Ardea alba and Butorides striata abundances also increased during this period. We observed the highest abundance and the largest number of species in the sites located within the TES, so the existence of this protected area for conservation is an important factor for the maintenance of bird communities in the region. Thus, we highlight the importance of protected areas for bird conservation in the Pantanal. Currently, a very small portion (5.37%) of the biome is protected, so increasing this proportion should help to maintain existing habitats. Subsequent research may be conducted to corroborate or refute the seasonal trends observed in this study.