Efeitos da altitude, longitude e latitude na composição histórica e ecológica dos anfíbios da Floresta Atlântica brasileira.

Abstract

Identify the biotic or abiotic factors that influence species richness and dispersion, are important tools for understanding the ecological processes to maintain of the species. The Atlantic Forest was highly devastated leaving few fragments of its original forests. Amphibians are considered the most threatened group of vertebrates and about 90% of the species that occur in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, are endemic to this biome. We evaluate amphibian species that occur in the Atlantic Forest as its ability to dispersion and adaptation. We attempted to understand the abiotic processes that influence the richness and endemism of species as well as the functional traits and phylogenetics features that influence the distribution of species. We evaluate ecosystem and evolutionary refuges for the present and future, helping conservation strategies in the future. Traced the evolutionary history of antipredator mechanisms and their importance in the distribution of species. The results showed that more adapted species to anthropogenic changes have greater geographic distribution. The temperature, topography and areas altered by humans are an important geographical barrier. Altitude areas will be the new refuges during the Antropocene age and repeat the same areas that were used as refuge during the Pleistocene age. Antipredator mechanisms may have origin purely phylogenetic may determine new or adjustments of existing mechanisms, species with the greatest diversity of mechanisms also have greater ability to dispersion.