Assimetria flutuante em aves de ambientes florestais no Cerrado mineiro

Abstract

Antropic actions cause drastic alterations on forest s structure and composition, directly affecting the fauna that depends on this vegetation to obtain theirs food resources. Birds can be excellent indicators of environmental quality and an important tools to understand and to monitor environmental changes. One of the techniques used to monitor environmental changes is fluctuating asymmetry (FA) - morphologic alterations in bilateral characters caused by genetic and/or environmental stress. The objectives of this study were: to determine which birds captured in the areas of fragments of semideciduous forest in the Cerrado of Minas Gerais; to exhibited FA for wings and tarsi, to examine if the environment influenced the levels of FA and test the potential use of the species of birds as biomonitors of environmental quality. The results showed that eight populations (Antilophia galeata, Basileuterus flaveolus, Basileuterus hypoleucus, Basileuterus leucophrys, Leptopogon amaurocephalus, Tolmomyias sulphurescens, Lanio penicillatus and Turdus leucomelas) exhibited FA for wings or tarsi. They are forest-dependent species and therefore might suffer more with environmental changes. The FA for wings and tarsi were higher in birds captured in more degraded areas. Antilophia galeata and Basileuterus flaveolus exhibited variations in FA for wings among the areas, whereas B. hypoleucus exhibited verified differences in FA for tarsi. Therefore, these species have characteristics that allow their use as biomonitors in fragmented and degraded areas.