Title of current research project (maximum 25 words):
Patterns of beta diversity in Atlantic Forest: determinants of community composition and implications for conservation
Why would you like to come to the conference? (maximum 200 words):
Participate in the Student Conference on Conservation Science, 2019, would be important gain to my career as conservation scientist. This program offer a great opportunity to network with others young researchers, discussing science and learning from the experiences of scientists from various backgrounds. Likewise, I hope to share my scientific experts to contribute for projects of others participants. As a Doctorate student, experiencing such Conference is certainly important to consolidate ideas and get insights for my current thesis and future publications, furthermore start networking with renowned experts in SCCS turn enable to build links with them. I am excited about the short course “Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in conservation Science”, once classes working with map and survey geospatial data cover a portion of difficulties present in my proposed intership project. Finally, I would love to present to SCCS participants some of results I am working on, and debates conservations science.
Title of talk/poster (maximum 20 words): The negative effects of habitat fragmentation on communities of Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot
Talk/poster short title (maximum 5 words): Fragmentation on Atlantic Forest communities
1. What conservation problem or question does your talk/poster address? (maximum 50 words)
My investigation addresses to conservation of species diversity in fragmented forests of megadiverse tropical Atlantic Forest. I developed a model to predict the effects of fragmentation in fauna and flora communities, which evidences new knowledges for conservation and restoration of tropical forests.
2. What were the main research methods you used? (maximum 50 words)
I used a structural equation modelling to separate the independent effects of habitat loss (forest cover) and fragmentation (number of patches and edge density) on species richness of fragmented landscapes. Those analyses are based on SAFES group database, which compile forest-dependent species richness in more than 3,000 samples of landscapes.
3. What are your most important results? (maximum 50 words)
I found that both habitat loss and fragmentation have relatively strong and negative impact in species richness, however the magnitude of the effect depends on the amount of forest cover in landscape. I propose a conceptual framework to evidence outcomes deep-rooted linked with conservation and restoration of tropical forest landscapes.
4. What is the relevance of your results to conservation? (maximum 50 words)
This study innovated by incorporating independent effects of variables into a concept framework, which have important implications for conservation of high biodiversity forest patches. Moreover, the model explicitly offers predictions to be tested for others tropical forests, impacting globally the conservation of species.
Your proposed internship project:
1. A short title for your proposed internship project (maximum 10 words):
Modelling homogenization of communities in fragmented Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot
2. What will you do? Please cover all of these questions in your text (maximum 150 words):
What questions will your internship address?
Do you already have some data you plan to use in the internship?
What new skills or methods do you hope to learn?
Will there be a written outcome from the internship, such as a published paper or research plan?
I intend to use an extent empirical dataset of fauna and flora communities to identify patterns of biotic homogenization in fragmented forest. It will undertake the first formal use of beta diversity metrics at landscape scale, to evidence the importance of forest remnants to maintain heterogeneity of communities, which has implications for management and restoration of human modified landscapes. Participate in this intership was strategically planned to enable Dr. Cris collaboration in data analysing, once her abilities for R codes development will ensure the best performance of statistics analysis. Currently I ready have enough data for pilot analysis and I’ll complete the database prior to intership in order to finish the program having all outcomes ready for writing a scientific paper.
3. How would you benefit from doing your internship project? Please tell us how it will benefit your professional development, and/or conservation science or practice in your country (max 100 words):
The intership will support both professional and conservation benefits. First, this period immersed in working with Cris will allowing me to network with other renomed researchers from her research group of conservation science. Also, this work cover a critical point of my Doctorate project, in order that acquiring new knowledge’s in the R programming language will be crucial to run script versions addressed major questions in the Doctorate thesis. Second, since 2016 the SAFES Group was idealized to be useful for scientific community to support decision makers in Atlantic Forest conservancy. I am sure that expected intership will give opportunity to bring new insigths for conservation of Atlantic forest biome.
4. Bursary (This will appear on the online form ONLY if you have chosen “Bursary” option tick box)
Please state the reasons why you feel you should be given a bursary (max 200 words):
During last year I was working on primary SAFES database, which I hope to present the results at the Conference. During that period I met Dr. Cris and we started to exchange emails about the next step which is the use of composition database for my Doctorate thesis. When I invited her for intership opportunity she was very enthusiastic to host me in her institution, once she also helped to build such database. However, she is unable cover the costs of hostage and Brazilian currency have had incredible devaluation that turns impossible to finance by myself. Because the reasons state above, to concrete this project will only be possible if I am awarded a bursary.