{"id":144869,"date":"2014-02-19T13:33:32","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T16:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=144869"},"modified":"2017-03-10T13:32:16","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T16:32:16","slug":"asphalt-jungles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/asphalt-jungles\/","title":{"rendered":"Asphalt jungles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Group

LUCIANO M. VERDADE<\/span>Group of Guira Cuckoos (Guira guira) perched on a power line in rural Angatuba, SP LUCIANO M. VERDADE<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In University City eight kilometers from the S\u00e3o Paulo city center along the banks of the Pinheiros River live dozens of bird species. \u201cThe species diversity is greater than in some European countries,\u201d commented biologist Elizabeth H\u00f6fling of the Biosciences Institute of the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (IB-USP) in her lecture, delivered on September 21, 2013 in S\u00e3o Paulo at the final meeting of the Biota-FAPESP Education Conference Cycle\u2014an initiative of the Biota-FAPESP Program in partnership with Pesquisa FAPESP<\/i>. The subject of the lecture was biological diversity in environments altered by human activity. Since 1984, H\u00f6fling and her team have identified 161 species of birds in the wooded areas of University City, including the Dusty-legged Guan (Penelope obscura<\/i>), a typical Atlantic Forest bird measuring 70 centimeters high whose call resembles the clucking of hens.<\/p>\n

Nearby Ibirapuera Park, the city\u2019s largest, boasts an equally impressive diversity of species. In all, 142 species of birds have been identified, such as the Western Great Egret (Ardea alba<\/i>), the noisy Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis<\/i>), the rare Blond-crested Woodpecker (Celeus flavescens<\/i>) and the Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata<\/i>). Someone taking a quiet stroll through the city\u2019s parks might also see an Ingram\u2019s squirrel (Sciurus ingrami<\/i>), the Brazilian version of Northern hemisphere squirrels, or a Gray Brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira<\/i>). In a recent survey, a team from the Municipal Department of Green Areas and the Environment (SVMA) identified 433 species of wild animals scattered across the city, from tamarins to howler monkeys.<\/p>\n

\"From

Eduardo Cesar<\/span>From left: Elizabeth H\u00f6fling, Luciano Martins Verdade and Roseli Buzanelli TorresEduardo Cesar<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The diversity of birds and other animals in urban environments depends on certain factors, mainly the variety of plants that will provide food in the form of seeds and fruit, and branches and trunks for nest-building. In addition, air pollution and noise from cars can make life difficult for the animals in these environments. According to H\u00f6fling, the excessive noise of large cities can trigger loss of hearing, raise stress and change the behavior of certain species, and artificial illumination can impair day\/night perception, which is essential for regulating an animal\u2019s activities. As a result, as residents of S\u00e3o Paulo have already seen, thrushes\u2014one of the species that has adapted to urban spaces\u2014freely inhabiting residential areas begin to sing at three in the morning, annoying residents who would rather sleep and literally giving life to the saying about the city that never sleeps.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Black Vulture (<\/span>Coragyps atratus<\/i>), another well-adapted species, can be easily found near Greater S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s two principal rivers, the Tiet\u00ea and the Pinheiros. Although it is not always welcomed by urban residents, this species of vulture helps clean up the city by feeding on fish, rodents, birds and other animals decomposing along the riverbanks. In these areas, one might also catch sight of sparrows (<\/span>Passer domesticus<\/i>), Rock Pigeons (<\/span>Columba livia<\/i>) and a red-beaked bird known as the Common Waxbill (<\/span>Estrilda astrild<\/i>)\u2014all of them exotic species but well-adapted to the city. \u201cInsects such as bees, wasps, butterflies and moths, birds such as hummingbirds, and even mammals such as bats are vital to the reproduction of plants in cities because they act as pollinators,\u201d H\u00f6fling pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

One major problem for the survival of these urban animals is the fact that wooded areas are increasingly shrinking due to unplanned growth in cities, among other factors. In Brazil, 85% of the population now lives in urban areas. \u201cOur development model and consumption pattern have created a growing demand for natural resources and endangered the remaining native areas in the state of S\u00e3o Paulo,\u201d said biologist Roseli Buzanelli Torres of the Campinas Institute of Agronomy (IAC), in her presentation on plant diversity in landscapes altered by humans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Honeybees

PAULO C\u00c9SAR FERNANDES<\/span>Honeybees on a sunflower PAULO C\u00c9SAR FERNANDES<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The Campinas Metropolitan Region, for example, which comprises 19 municipalities, is experiencing a critical situation, according to Torres, inasmuch as less than 6% of the native Atlantic Forest vegetation remains intact. \u201cThe remaining vegetation area covers less than 1% of the total area in the municipality of Hortol\u00e2ndia, near Campinas,\u201d Torres said. \u201cThe same declining trend can be observed in cities like Nova Odessa, Santa B\u00e1rbara d\u2019Oeste and Sumar\u00e9, each having less than 1% of its area covered by wooded remnants of Atlantic Forest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Torres coordinated a socioenvironmental analysis of the Anhumas River Basin in a densely populated area of Campinas, in partnership with the University of Campinas (Unicamp), the University of Bras\u00edlia (UnB) and the Forestry Institute of S\u00e3o Paulo, as well as experts from the Campinas municipal government. On the basis of aerial photos and satellite images, they were able to observe an exponential expansion of urban areas into rural and native vegetation areas\u2014which have been left considerably fragmented but still host a large diversity of tree species such as <\/span>gua\u00e7atonga<\/i> (<\/span>Casearia sylvestris<\/i>), <\/span>pau-jacar\u00e9<\/i> (<\/span>Piptadenia gonoacantha<\/i>) and <\/span>marinheiro-do-brejo<\/i> (<\/span>Guarea macrophylla<\/i>), among others. Torres also emphasized the importance of tree planting in cities as a tool for preserving biodiversity in isolated remnants of vegetation in the urban landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the state of S\u00e3o Paulo,\u201d said agronomist Luciano Martins Verdade of the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture at USP, \u201cmost of the forest remnants and animal diversity can be found in agricultural landscapes, not in conservation units.\u201d In his presentation on the diversity of animal species in agricultural regions, he showed that areas devoted to agriculture can host a wide variety of wild animals\u2014mammals, fish, amphibians and birds\u2014usually unappreciated, like the ones in cities and conservation units.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some birds are already adapted to wooded areas near plantations, such as the Blue-fronted Parrot (<\/span>Amazona aestiva<\/i>), the Buff-necked Ibis (<\/span>Theristicus caudatus<\/i>) and the Whistling Heron (<\/span>Syrigma sibilatrix<\/i>). \u201cIt is estimated that up to 60% of the bird species that originated in these environments also live in altered agricultural landscapes,\u201d Verdade said. In the few forests in inland S\u00e3o Paulo State, which features vast sugarcane and eucalyptus plantations, he himself has come across a cougar (<\/span>Puma concolor<\/i>), \u201can animal more and more commonly seen in environments altered by human activity.\u201d According to Verdade, the Crab-eating Fox (<\/span>Cerdocyon thous<\/i>) is another species adapted to the agricultural landscape and can be seen relatively easily in the midst of sugarcane plantations.<\/span><\/p>\n