Macroecologia de mamíferos neotropicais com ocorrência no cerrado

Abstract

The macroecological approach has been used recently to analyze corre lations between ecological variables in large taxonomic groups, at continental scales. A positive relationship between body weight and geographic range size has been described as a poligonal space envelope form, that can be explained by ecological and evolutionaty constraints. However, these variables can be disturbed by spatial and phylogenetic autocorrelation effects. In this work, the relationship between body weight and geographic range size was analyzed for 80 species of Neotropical mammals present in lhe Brazilian "cerrado". Spatial and taxonomic effects were tested using a linear trend surface analysis and an ANOVA (at leveI of order), combined in a generalized model. Around 61 % of variation in geographic range size and 69% of variation in body weight in mammals of the "cerrado" can be explained simultaneously by spatial and taxonomic effects. The analysis of residuaIs of the generalized model showed that positive correlation between variables persist even atier removing these effects. Thus, variation and covariation or traits in the mammals or the brazilian "cerrado" agree with the general macroecological pattern proposed for another laxonomic groups such as mammals, birds and snakes worldwilde.