Community of small mammals along an elevational gradient in Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi, municipality of Jundiaí‐SP, Brazil

Studies of elevational gradients in forests are particularly interesting for the considerable differences that can be observed over short distances, such as in vegetation and temperature. Different taxonomic groups display varying types of distribution patterns along elevational gradients, with unimodal distribution being recognised as the most common pattern. The distribution of species can be affected by a range of factors that include, biotic, spatial, climatic, historic and energetic. Small mammals represent an ideal model for studies about distribution and habitat use as they can be highly abundant, tend to have different diets and use space differently. The aims of this study are to build a comprehensive understanding of the community of small mammals of the Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi and to explore its distribution pattern along elevational gradients. We investigated the influence of biomass of arthropods, fruits and seeds and percentage of ground cover, canopy cover and vertical vegetation at richness and abundance of small mammals at three different elevations. To accomplish this, we used seventy‐two pitfall traps of 63 L to capture small mammals and distributed them equally across three elevations defined as low (880–899 m), intermediate (1046–1089 m) and high (1170–1189 m). Each elevation had three lines or replicas of traps. Throughout the study, we captured one hundred and fourteen individuals belonging to eleven species of small mammals. The presence of rare and endemic species demonstrates the importance of conservation and maintenance of the Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi. In regard to the distribution of species, despite the short gradient range, we found a unimodal pattern and a positive correlation between ground cover (fallen twigs and branches up to 1 m high) and richness and abundance of small mammals. More ground cover can reduce the effects of competition and predation on small mammals’ communities44712361244COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESNão temThe authors would like to thank the Department of Animal Biology and the Post‐graduate Program of Ecology, State University of Campinas, Brazil‐SP, the Jundiaí City Hall for permission to conduct this research study at the Biological Reserve of Serra do Japi and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for the fellowship to KS and FAEPEX that provided travel support for data collection. We also thank SISBIO for permission to collect number: 35378‐1 and Castilho and Piccinini for their assistance in the collection of structural data. We thank Dra. Lourenço for karyotyping and identifying the species A. montensis and Palacios for helping us to manipulate rodents throughout this process. The authors also thank Cruz and Espaço da Escrita – Coordenadoria Geral da Universidade – UNICAMP – for the language services provide