Taxonomic and functional diversity of birds in the
floodplain of the Brazilian Pantanal.
Avian, Conservation, Ecology, Flood pulse, Wetlands
Birds can be effective indicators of ecological conditions in wetlands, because constitute
one of the most diverse biological groups, have high mobility, and provide fundamental
ecological functions that guarantee the maintenance of ecosystem support and regulation
services. In this research, we evaluated the taxonomic and functional diversity of birds
through distinct approaches, using the group as a potential ecological indicator to
contribute to conservation actions and environmental planning in the Brazilian Pantanal
floodplain. For this, we structured the document into four chapters, corresponding to two
published articles, one submitted and one in preparation. The first chapter is an overview
of scientific knowledge about birds in the Pantanal based on publications from the last 30
years, which made it possible to direct and substantiate future research. In the second
chapter, we carry out an inventory and consolidate a list of bird species that occur in a
protected area of the Pantanal which is recognized as a wetland of international
importance, which can contribute to the knowledge of the distribution and occurrence of
birds in this floodplain. In the third chapter, we researched how the richness, abundance
and functional structure of birds with different degrees of wetlands dependence are
influenced by the flood pulse dynamics of the Pantanal. We expected to find different
ecological responses for each birds group in relation to hydrological cycle. In the fourth
chapter, we propose to investigate whether the modification of habitats across the
hydrological cycles affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of birds, in order to
access environmental changes in a tropical floodplain. We expect to contribute to the
knowledge of the taxonomic and functional diversity of birds in floodplains, as well as
towards advances for wetlands conservation