Occurrence and conservation of the Vulnerable titi monkey Callicebus melanochir in fragmented landscapes of the Atlantic Forest hotspot

Abstract Tropical forest hotspots have a high diversity of species but have lost > 70% of their original vegetation cover and are characterized by a multitude of small and isolated fragments. Paradoxically, conservation actions in these areas are still mainly focused on protection of large tracts of forests, a strategy now infeasible because of the small area of forest remnants. Here we use the Vulnerable black-handed titi monkey Callicebus melanochir as a model to study the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation on arboreal mammals and to provide insights for science-driven conservation in fragmented landscapes in tropical forest hotspots. We surveyed 38 Atlantic Forest fragments in Bahia State, Brazil and assessed the effects of patch area, quality and visibility, and landscape connectivity on the occurrence of our model species. Patch area was the single best model explaining species occurrence. Nonetheless, patch quality and visibility, and landscape connectivity, positively affect occurrence. In addition to patch area, patch quality, patch visibility and landscape connectivity are useful for predicting the occurrence of arboreal mammals in the fragments of tropical forest hotspots. We encourage the assessment of habitat quality (based on remotely sensed vegetation indices) and habitat visibility (based on digital elevation models) to improve discoverability of arboreal mammal populations and selection of fragments for conservation purposes across fragmented landscapes of tropical forest hotspots. Large remnants of tropical forest hotspots are scarce and therefore we require baseline data to support conservation actions and management in small forest fragments.

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Nutrients dynamics in tropical forest fragments located in an area of Atlantic Forest of the state of Alagoas

10.11606/t.91.2017.tde-17102017-103106 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Sílvia Rafaela Machado Lins

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

The State ◽

Forest Fragments

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Small Landscape Elements Double Connectivity in Highly Fragmented Areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.614362 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Flávia Freire Siqueira ◽

Dulcineia de Carvalho ◽

Jonathan Rhodes ◽

Carla L. Archibald ◽

Vanessa Leite Rezende ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Riparian Forest ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Landscape Configuration ◽

Individual Species ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Landscape Elements ◽

Habitat Patches ◽

Seed Disperser

The Atlantic Forest in Brazil is a biodiversity hotspot, yet its diverse ecosystems and species are becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss and extreme habitat fragmentation. Most habitat patches of Atlantic Forest are dispersed across agricultural landscapes (e.g., grazing and cropping) in relatively small and isolated fragments (80% < 50 ha). Forest fragments < 1 ha, scattered trees in pastures, tree lines on trenches and fences, and remnant riparian forest, collectively called here Small Landscape Elements (SLEs), are very common in this context. While these SLEs make up much of the Atlantic Forests footprint, very little is known about their role or impact on the persistence and conservation of species. In this study, we investigate the role of SLEs on landscape configuration, particularly their contribution toward landscape connectivity of individual species and the genetic flow of species between larger forest fragments. We randomly selected 20 buffers of 707 hectares within a 411,670 hectare area of the Atlantic Forest that was completely covered by forest in the past located in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The forest cover randomly varied between these buffers. We used graph theory to measure landscape connectivity as the probability of connectivity for different disperser movement types between landscape knots (habitat patches). We used three estimated dispersal distances in the models: pollen disperser insect (50 m), low-mobility seed disperser bird (100 m) and high-mobility seed disperser bird (760 m). The SLEs together increased the probability of connection by roughly 50%, for all model dispersers, if compared to a theoretical baseline landscape containing no SLEs. Of all SLEs, riparian forests contribute the most toward enhancing landscape connectivity. In these highly fragmented landscapes, such as the Atlantic Forest (>70%), the position of SLEs within the landscapes was more important than their respective areas for connectivity. Although the landscapes were deeply fragmented, we showed that the presence of SLEs can increase connectivity and reduce further biodiversity loss in the Atlantic Forest.

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A Preliminary Note on Yeasts Associated With Fecal Pellets of Rodents and Marsupials of Atlantic Forest Fragments in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Revista de Microbiologia ◽

10.1590/s0001-37141998000300004 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 170-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jacqueline Abranches ◽

Hilda N. Nóbrega ◽

Patrícia Valente ◽

Leda C. Mendonça-Hagler ◽

Allen N. Hagler

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Debaryomyces Hansenii ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Rhodotorula Mucilaginosa ◽

Fecal Pellets ◽

Preliminary Note ◽

Pichia Membranifaciens ◽

Issatchenkia Orientalis

Yeasts had mean counts of above 106 CFU/g in the fecal pellets of small mammals from tropical forest fragments. Most of the 55 species isolated were fermentative ascomycetes, with the most frequent being Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia membranifaciens and Issatchenkia orientalis, whereas Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was the most frequent yeast of basidiomycetous affinity.

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FRAGMENTED BIODIVERSITY: FERNS AND LYCOPHYTES FROM FOREST FRAGMENTS IN JUIZ DE FORA, MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

10.1101/2021.02.17.431701 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lucas Vieira Lima ◽

Vinícius Antonio de Oliveira Dittrich ◽

Filipe Soares de Souza ◽

Cassiano Ribeiro da Fonseca ◽

Alexandre Salino

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Historical Data ◽

Habitat Destruction ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

History Of ◽

Major Factors ◽

Floristic Studies ◽

Ferns And Lycophytes

ABSTRACTThe Atlantic Forest is one of the most threatened formations in the world. In this context, the urbanization process stands out as one of the major factors causing environmental degradation, mainly due to the loss of native vegetation and habitat destruction. In order to fill this gap, we carried out the inventory of ferns and lycophytes in the forest remnants of the municipality of Juiz de Fora. We analyzed more than 1,353 samplings recorded throughout approximately 150 years, as result we recorded a total of 174 species distributed in 73 genera and 26 families. The most representative families were Pteridaceae with 32 species, followed by Polypodiaceae with 26 and Thelypteridaceae with 20. In addition, we present the historical data on the sampling of ferns and lycophytes, as well as the history of the fragmentation process of the Atlantic Forest remnants in the municipality. Juiz de Fora becomes an interesting model for broader floristic studies, generating subsequent subsidies for conservation actions and preservation of the natural patrimony.

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SPATIAL DYNAMICS OF ATLANTIC FOREST FRAGMENTS IN A RIVER BASIN

FLORESTA ◽

10.5380/rf.v50i1.61076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 1053

Author(s):

Elfany Reis do Nascimento Lopes ◽

Jocy Ana Paixão De Sousa ◽

José Carlos De Souza ◽

José Luiz Albuquerque Filho ◽

Roberto Wagner Lourenço

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Landscape Metrics ◽

Carbon Flux ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Spatial Dynamics ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Forest Fragment ◽

Spectral Vegetation Indices

Considering the intrinsic relationship between vegetation and conservation of water resources, we evaluated the natural vegetation of an Atlantic Forest fragment through landscape metrics and spectral vegetation indices, indicating ways for its conservation in the Una river basin, Ibiúna, São Paulo, Brazil. We analyzed landscape metrics and the extraction of mean altitude, slope, and distance from the drainage network for each fragment based on the vectors of forest fragments in the river basin, using ArcGis 10.3. Normalized difference vegetation indices, photochemical production, and carbon flux were estimated by combining red, green, blue, and infrared spectral bands near the RapidEye satellite image. The results showed 197 fragments with sizes ranging from 1 to 306 hectares and irregularly shaped. The largest fragments are few in number, but account for 52% of the river basin's vegetation cover area. The vegetation presented high levels of biomass but moderate photosynthetic production, coinciding for a moderate carbon flux. The best scores were related to fragments at higher altitudes, in sloping areas next to drainage sites. Actions to conserve the fragments of larger areas and draw up environmental awareness measures should be encouraged, since high agricultural vocation may incite the reduction of these areas to increase economic production.

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Using Bayesian Belief Networks to assess the influence of landscape connectivity on ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in urban landscapes in the UK

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01307-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

James D. Karimi ◽

Jim A. Harris ◽

Ron Corstanje

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Landscape Connectivity ◽

Structural Characteristics ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bayesian Belief Networks ◽

Belief Networks ◽

Patch Area ◽

Trade Offs

Abstract Context Landscape connectivity is assumed to influence ecosystem service (ES) trade-offs and synergies. However, empirical studies of the effect of landscape connectivity on ES trade-offs and synergies are limited, especially in urban areas where the interactions between patterns and processes are complex. Objectives The objectives of this study were to use a Bayesian Belief Network approach to (1) assess whether functional connectivity drives ES trade-offs and synergies in urban areas and (2) assess the influence of connectivity on the supply of ESs. Methods We used circuit theory to model urban bird flow of P. major and C. caeruleus at a 2 m spatial resolution in Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes, UK, and Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) to assess the sensitivity of ES trade-offs and synergies model outputs to landscape and patch structural characteristics (patch area, connectivity and bird species abundance). Results We found that functional connectivity was the most influential variable in determining two of three ES trade-offs and synergies. Patch area and connectivity exerted a strong influence on ES trade-offs and synergies. Low patch area and low to moderately low connectivity were associated with high levels of ES trade-offs and synergies. Conclusions This study demonstrates that landscape connectivity is an influential determinant of ES trade-offs and synergies and supports the conviction that larger and better-connected habitat patches increase ES provision. A BBN approach is proposed as a feasible method of ES trade-off and synergy prediction in complex landscapes. Our findings can prove to be informative for urban ES management.

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Comparing the potential reproductive phenology between restored areas and native tropical forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil

Restoration Ecology ◽

10.1111/rec.13529 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Débora Cristina Rother ◽

Igor Lopes Ferreira Sousa ◽

Eliana Gressler ◽

Ana Paula Liboni ◽

Vinícius Castro Souza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Reproductive Phenology ◽

Forest Fragments

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Bird Extinctions in Atlantic Forest Fragments of the Viçosa Region, Southeastern Brazil

Conservation Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00377.x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 1827-1839 ◽

Cited By ~ 97

Author(s):

RÔMULO RIBON ◽

JOSÉ EDUARDO SIMON ◽

GERALDO THEODORO DE MATTOS

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Forest Fragments

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Small mammal glucocorticoid concentrations vary with forest fragment size, trap type, and mammal taxa in the Interior Atlantic Forest

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81073-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah A. Boyle ◽

Noé U. de la Sancha ◽

Pastor Pérez ◽

David Kabelik

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Fragment Size ◽

Hair Shaft ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Forest Fragment ◽

Trapping Methods ◽

Free Ranging

AbstractSpecies that live in degraded habitats often show signs of physiological stress. Glucocorticoid hormones (e.g., corticosterone and cortisol) are often assessed as a proxy of the extent of physiological stress an animal has experienced. Our goal was to quantify glucocorticoids in free-ranging small mammals in fragments of Interior Atlantic Forest. We extracted glucocorticoids from fur samples of 106 small mammals (rodent genera Akodon and Oligoryzomys, and marsupial genera Gracilinanus and Marmosa) from six forest fragments (2–1200 ha) in the Reserva Natural Tapytá, Caazapá Department, Paraguay. To our knowledge, this is the first publication of corticosterone and cortisol levels for three of the four sampled genera (Akodon, Oligoryzomys, and Marmosa) in this forest system. We discovered three notable results. First, as predicted, glucocorticoid levels were higher in individuals living withing small forest fragments. Second, animals captured live using restraint trapping methods (Sherman traps) had higher glucocorticoid levels than those animals captured using kill traps (Victor traps), suggesting that hair glucocorticoid measures can reflect acute stress levels in addition to long-term glucocorticoid incorporation. These acute levels are likely due to urinary steroids diffusing into the hair shaft. This finding raises a concern about the use of certain trapping techniques in association with fur hormone analysis. Finally, as expected, we also detected genus-specific differences in glucocorticoid levels, as well as cortisol/corticosterone ratios.

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