&gt;b&lt;Relação temporal de parâmetros fisiológicos, comportamentais e ecológicos na raposa-do-campo (&gt;i&lt;Lycalopex vetulus&gt;/i&lt;)&gt;/b&lt;
Since their emergence, organisms have lived with rhythmic processes in the environment such as the day and night cycle, seasons of the year, and moon phases.In this essentially variable environment, animals evolve by restricting many of their behavioral activities to specific temporal niches, maximizing fitness and survival.This adjustment takes place through biological clocks, which integrate endogenous timing with environmental information.Although these temporal processes are decisive in the relationship between animals and their environment, the interface between chronobiology and ecology is still a little-explored frontier in science.It is in this territory that we worked on this thesis.We monitored ten hoary foxes (Lycalopex vetulus) in the Cerrado of Central Brazil.It is the only carnivore species endemic to the Cerrado and one of the seven least studied canids in the world.We studied the species' behavior at different scales, combining detailed field observation data with spatial monitoring by GPS transmitters.We proposed analytical methods that could elucidate how different ecological parameters vary over time.Our results showed that the hoary fox is nocturnal and concentrates specific behaviors at certain times within this period of activity.We also showed that this daily behavior routine changes throughout the year, depending on the reproductive stage.We also proved the existence of important rhythmic processes concerning the hoary fox's space use and social interactions.Throughout the year, there were significant variations in the size of the used area, shelter displacement, fidelity to specific regions, and couple home range overlap.These variations were consistent, cyclic, and related to the reproductive cycle of the species.Our results brought insights into the importance of rhythmic processes for behavioral ecology studies, and the methodological advances proposed here will serve as a basis for future studies to continue exploring this frontier of knowledge.