Drivers of reptile diversity in Serra de Bocaina National Park and surrounded agriculture areas, SE Brazil

Bc. Jaroslav Karhánek

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The Atlantic Forest is pristine forest and it is also one of areas with the highest biodiversity, it is included in hotspots of the World with high percentage of endemicfauna and flora. It is also one of the most threatened environments with more than 90 % of total area already destroyed. In the area of states Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo it is possible to find largest remnants of forest, which is called Serra do Mar. The main aims of the thesis were to describe the herpetofauna of the Serra da Bocaina NP. The study was conducted in the private parts in buffer zones of Serra da Bocaina National Park,state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In this study we were using visual encounter survey method via diurnal and nocturnal transects. The study sites were chosen in 3 different altitudes and environments. Study sites included disturbed open areas presented by pasture, wetland, agriculture land near households. The forest areas were mostly represented by secondary forest with connection to primary forests.During the study I found a total of 87 individuals of 10 reptile species, belonging into 8 families: (1) Viperidae; (2) Dipsadidae; (3) Leiosauridae; (4) Tropiduridae; (5) Teiidae; (6) Gekkonidae; (7) Chelidae. Species diversity was given according to heightelevation and preserved forest area. The highest diversity was in mid elevation (700 m a.s.l.) and the lowest in the highest elevations of the study (1,100 m a.s.l.).

Keywords

biodiversity, reptiles, ecology, Atlantic Forest, conservation, forest

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 22. 4. 2016

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Pavla Hejcmanová, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / Wildlife Management in the Tropics and Subtropics