Caracterização e uso do habitat pela avifauna associada a uma vereda no Cerrado mineiro

Abstract

The veredas, essential wetlands for the biodiversity of the Cerrado biome, are fundamental to its environmental heterogeneity, offering unique habitats, especially for birds. This study investigated the seasonal diversity of the avifauna associated with the vereda located in the Reserva Caça e Pesca Itororó in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, using 8 sampling points along the microhabitat gradient. Data was collected weekly for 13 months, with a focus on characterizing the avifauna, its habitat use, and the temporal and spatial occurrence patterns of the species. 126 species belonging to 21 orders and 39 families were sampled in approximately 188 hours of observation. The most representative family was Thraupidae, followed by Tyrannidae, Psittacidae, and Picidae. A small proportion of the species sampled (23) showed some constant association with the vereda, being dependent on the wet environments, especially palustrine birds. Insectivorous species were predominant, as expected for flooded areas, and the high proportion of omnivores was also an expected result, due to the landscape with great anthropogenic influence in the surroundings. The use of the sampling points varied, with those with some form of water available having the highest number of species using them. Fourteen (16) species were spotted using all the sampling points, 20 more than half of them and 27 exclusively using only one of the points. Almost 70% of the species were spotted using up to two areas of the vereda, with eighty-four being spotted using the edge areas, followed by 48 in the middle and 33 along the cerrado-vereda transition. It was noted that species from the Psittacidae and Picidae families were present constantly and essentially on buritis, the main plant species characteristic of the vereda environment, whether foraging on the trunk, leaves, or fruit. As for the vertical occupation of space, the birds used arboreal (87) and shrubby (64) spaces, followed by aerial (32), herbaceous (33), and finally aquatic (18) space, with 90 species occupying at least two different strata. The species richness in the veredas reflects their function as a habitat for birds from other phytophysiognomies. This demonstrates a high degree of inter- and intrahabitat complementarity since most of the species found are forest and grassland dwellers. The study highlights the importance of veredas wetlands for biodiversity conservation and the need to protect these wetlands from environmental impacts, which could compromise the dynamics present there and, consequently, the ecosystem services provided.