Demography of non-human species in the most biodiverse country in the world: the state of the art

Demography evaluates how a population occurs over time, allowing us to understand cycles, trends and detect patterns among species. Over the years, demographic studies have expanded in quantity around the world, which has provided a better understanding of the life history of species and the formulation of conservation and management strategies. Brazil is a country of continental dimensions and one of the most biodiverse in the world, however, knowledge about the temporal and spatial distribution of demographic studies in the country is still poor. This study aimed to conduct a review of the state of the art of demographic studies of non-human species in Brazil. Information from 453 scientific articles were evaluated, totaling 1,308 cases. It was observed that the Animalia and Plantae kingdoms are the most studied within the theme of demography. Still, there is insufficient focus on species with concerning levels of extinction threat. The Atlantic Forest was largely the most studied biome, while biomes such as Cerrado and Amazon had a much smaller study case. Aquatic environments accounted for 20% of cases, indicating a study gap within these habitats. An increase in the number of publications was observed from the beginning of the 21st century. Understanding the temporal occurrences of species populations is vital for a better grasp of their life history and conservation. This work underscored existing gaps in both locations and species in Brazil that urgently require further investigation.