Activity pattern of Atlantic Forest small arboreal mammals as revealed by camera traps

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (05) ◽  
pp. 563-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Gustavo R. Oliveira-Santos ◽  
Marcos A. Tortato ◽  
Maurício E. Graipel

Even though the great majority of the biomass and diversity of mammals in tropical forests inhabit the canopy (Eisenberg & Thorington 1973), most knowledge of this group is based on forest-floor samples (Lowman & Moffett 1993). Studies that include trapping efforts in the canopy are becoming increasingly common (Grelle 2003, Lambertet al. 2005, Malcolm 1995, Pattonet al. 2000, Vieira & Monteiro-Filho 2003, Vosset al. 2001), but aspects on the ecology of arboreal small mammals still remain poorly understood. Many species of non-flying mammals co-occur in the canopy and, thus, are expected to use niche dimensions differently to permit coexistence (Cameronet al. 1979). Despite the difficulties of access to and in understanding the three-dimensional use of the arboreal strata by the different species (Emmons 1995), some studies have demonstrated that the differential use of the habitat (Cunha & Vieira 2002, Gentile & Fernandez 1999), of food items (Cácereset al. 2002, Santoriet al. 1995) or both (Leiteet al. 1996, Mauffrey & Catzeflis 2003), include strategies involved in the division of resources.

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 299-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Gregorin ◽  
Enrico Bernard ◽  
Karina Weiser Lobão ◽  
Luciany Ferreira Oliveira ◽  
Felipe Santana Machado ◽  
...  

Abstract:Tropical forests are three-dimensional spaces with species and resources heterogeneously distributed. The vertical stratification of tropical forest biotas has been observed for several organisms and regions, but, surprisingly, the vertical structuring of large areas of important tropical forests, such as Brazil's Atlantic Forest, remains poorly studied. Here, we addressed the use of different Atlantic Forest strata by bats, comparing ensemble composition and relative abundance between the understorey and the canopy. A total of 618 bats belonging to 31 species and four families were recorded, including 11 species of frugivores and seven species of gleaning insectivores, the two trophic guilds predominantly represented in our sampling. Fifteen species were captured exclusively in the canopy, and six exclusively in the understorey, and many of those species were represented by a low number of captures (<5). The bat species composition, richness and relative abundance between canopy and understorey strata varied.Chiroderma villosumwas exclusively captured in the canopy,Artibeus lituratuswas netted predominantly in the canopy andCarollia perspicillataandDesmodus rotunduswere mostly captured in the understorey. Although processes such as resource partitioning between species and ecomorphological constraints may explain the differential use of forest strata, this remains little understood because of the scarcity of data for the Atlantic forest canopies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Boyle ◽  
Noé U. de la Sancha ◽  
Pastor Pérez ◽  
David Kabelik

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Macielle Macedo Coelho ◽  
André Márcio Amorim

The aim of this study is to survey the angiosperms of two montane forest remnants in the southern Bahia, Brazil: Corcovado (SCO) and Pedra Lascada (SPL). Both fragments are located in the municipality of Almadina and Barro Preto, respectively, and are 18 km distant from each other. We sampled 899 species of angiosperms distributed in 437 genera and 116 families. The SCO was the richest area with 678 species, distributed in 367 genera and 100 families. SPL showed 466 species in 269 genera and 88 families. The percentage of species identified was 85.8% and of this total, 37.7% are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, 11.2% are endemic to southern Bahia and northern Espírito Santo and 7% are disjunct between the Atlantic Forest and Amazon. The remaining percentages (44.3%) were of species widely distributed. The richest families in the two areas were Orchidaceae (10%), Rubiaceae (7%), Bromeliaceae (5.5%), Melastomataceae (4.2%) and Poaceae (4%). The richest genera were Psychotria (2%),Piper (1.8%), Ocotea (1.6%),Vriesea (1.5%) and Peperomia (1.4%). More than half of the recorded species showed non-arboreal habit, regarding life forms documented. That comes against the assertion that many authors in the tropical forests, where species richness in angiosperms is expected for non-woody species, especially in montane forests. Twelve species have been identified as new, but seven others already described from collections previously obtained in these two areas. Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae, Poaceae and Bromeliaceae showed significant richness in this study these families are commonly reported as the richest in other inventories in the Atlantic Forest in southern Bahia reinforcing their importance to the regional flora. The high levels of richness, endemism, and the growing numbers of new taxonomic discoveries from the SPL and SCO sites indicate the biological importance of these two forest remnants. The implementation of parks or other protected environmental reserves would be essential to the conservation of its species.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel Dias de Carvalho ◽  
Rildo de Oliveira ◽  
Alexandra dos Santos Pires

Medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals develop important functions in ecosystems maintenance. However, this group is the most vulnerable to local extinctions, through habitat loss or hunting. This study inventoried the community of medium and large mammals in the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçú (REGUA), Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ, providing data on species composition, richness and abundance. Species were registered through the use of camera traps, sign survey and visual encounters on pre-existing trails and roads. The study was conducted from January to October 2012, with each month considered as a sample unit. An effort of 1568 cameras-day and 120 km traveled, resulted on 302 records of 22 species of medium and large-sized mammals, belonging to eight orders. This value corresponds to more than three-quarters of the richness described from this group in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state. Five species are under some level of regional, national or global threat. Three game species, Pecari tajacu, Cuniculus paca and Dasyprocta leporina were abundant in the area. The observed richness was comparable to that found in other studies conducted in rain forests. Thus, for its high number of species, including those under some degree of threat, we conclude that REGUA is an important area to mammal conservation, especially in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state.


Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atilla C. Ferreguetti ◽  
Walfrido M. Tomas ◽  
Helena G. Bergallo

Abstract The spotted paca Cuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766) is a medium-sized caviomorph rodent of the Cuniculidae family that mainly inhabits tropical forests, but may occur in other habitat types, often associated with water bodies. We aimed to verify which factors influence the spatial and temporal distribution of C. paca in the Vale Natural Reserve (VNR), Espírito Santo, Brazil. We used 39 camera traps to model occupancy and detectability and to estimate the species activity period. The spotted paca showed high occupancy at low distances from water resources and high densities of palm species. The species avoided areas with high poaching intensity, and activity frequency was reduced by extreme temperature and by a higher intensity of poaching. We conclude that in the VNR, the C. paca is a nocturnal species and that it is necessary to assess other elements that could potentially affect the spatial and temporal distribution of the spotted paca in the Atlantic Forest.


2004 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Van Sluys ◽  
V. M. Ferreira ◽  
C. F. D. Rocha

Information on the ecology of lizard species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is scarce and almost nothing is known about the ecology of lizards of the genus Enyalius. In this study, we provide information about some aspects of the natural history of E. brasiliensis from an area of Atlantic Forest in Ilha Grande, RJ. Enyalius brasiliensis (N = 15) feeds mainly on arthropods. The most frequent food items were insect larvae, orthopterans, and ants; in terms of volume, larvae and termites were the most important food items; ants and termites were the most numerous prey categories. Two females were reproductive (one had 10 and the other, five vitellogenic follicles); the smallest measured 92.4 mm in SVL. Seven lizards were found on forest leaf litter. The other microhabitats used were vines, fallen logs, branches, and a crevice on a slope.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha ◽  
Helena Godoy Bergallo ◽  
Carla Fabiane Vera y Conde ◽  
Emerson Brum Bittencourt ◽  
Hilda de Carvalho Santos

We analyzed richness, composition and mass of snakes in two sites in the Atlantic forest of Ilha do Cardoso (25º 03' S and 47º 53' W), an island (22,500 ha), Cananéia municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil. A monthly index of arthropod availability (in mm³) was estimated in each site through capture rates in pit-fall traps. Fallen fruits were collected along trails in the study sites (mass of fruit gave an index of fruit availability) and small mammals were sampled in grids with 120 traps which covered the lowland (5.2 ha) and in the slope forests (3.6ha). The abundance and mass of small mammals were standardized for the size of each sampled area (in g.ha-1). To sample snakes we established 20 pit-fall traps in each area and performed monthly transects in four consecutive days (totaling 1000 m long) along trails in the study sites. Snakes found were measured, weighted marked and released. Abundance and total mass of snakes were standardized by the size of each area. The areas differed consistently in in the productivity of arthropods, fruits and small mammals, and also in richness, composition and total mass of snakes. We found 36 individuals (total mass = 9884 g) of 12 snake species belonging to three Families (Colubridae, Elapidae and Viperidae) in the lowland forest, whereas in the slope forest we sampled only 9 individuals of 2 species (total mass = 1820 g). Our results suggest that the area of lowland forest, showing higher productivity of arthropods, fruits and small mammals, maintains a snake community with a higher richness, diversity and biomass than its slope forest counterpart.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-437
Author(s):  
Rafael Quirino Moreira ◽  
Vanessa Do Nascimento Ramos ◽  
Adriane Suzin ◽  
Diego Garcia Ramirez ◽  
Paulo Ricardo De Oliveira Roth ◽  
...  

We evaluated the role of communities of small mammals from three distinct areas in a region of Cerrado mixed with Atlantic Forest remains for maintenance of tick fauna. Thirty-nine marsupials (Gracilinanus agilis, n = 34; Marmosa paraguaiana, n = 4; Didelphis albiventris, n = 1) and 33 rodents (Oecomys cleberi, n = 10; Nectomys squamipes, n = 4; Calomys tener, n = 4; Hylaeamys megacephalus, n = 4; Akodon sp., n = 3; Rattus rattus, n = 3; Cerradomys subflavus, n = 2; Mus musculus, n = 2; Rhipidomys macrurus, n = 1) were captured. Solely G. agilis and the four rodent species (N. squamipes, R. macrurus, C. subflavus and Akodon sp.) were infested. Four tick species were collected (Amblyomma dubitatum, Amblyomma sculptum, Ixodes loricatus and Ornithodoros mimon). A. dubitatum was the most abundant tick species on hosts. Capture success was higher in the dry season, but the infestation was similar in both seasons. Forested habitats, particularly riparian forests, resulted in higher number of hosts and ticks collected (from hosts and from vegetation), compared to pastures and anthropized sites. The association between C. subflavus and I. loricatus and between A. dubitatum and N. squamipes observed here is the first recorded in Cerrado biome. Areas with more patches of forest, including the Atlantic Forest fragments, tend to present a richest community of small mammals and associated ticks.


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