Atributos funcionais como características distintivas de comunidades: o que diferencia anuros do Cerrado e da Caatinga?

Abstract

Environmental conditions influence the distribution of organisms and modify functional characteristics. These characteristics may be morphological, behavioral, and physiological with a function. We evaluated the taxonomic and functional diversity of anurans in Cerrado and Caatinga environments in Piauí, Brazil. The anurans were collected in Floriano Municipality in the Cerrado area with cerradão phytophysiognomy and in Alvorada do Gurguéia municipality in the Caatinga with a arboreal caatinga phytophysiognomy. The sampling method was visual encounter and acoustic survey between January and April of 2018. We established six plots at least 500 meters distant between them in each location. The species composition was verified by PCoA and PERMANOVA analysis. For functional diversity, it was used the Rao’s quadratic entropy. The RLQ and the fourth-corner method related the traits to the environmental characteristics. The results showed separation and difference in the composition of the species according to the different areas. Cerrado and Caatinga phytophysiognomies showed differences in functional diversity values of anurans. Cerrado area had relation with the temperature and precipitation and the Caatinga area with the litter. The anuran composition was affected by environmental variables, but the influence on functional traits composition was not significant. Then, the composition was influenced by the environment and the distinctions between phytophysiognomies, such as the rainy season and quantity of microhabitats, were important for the differences in functional traits of anurans species, and consequently on functional diversity