Ecology of a small mammal community in an Atlantic forest area in southeastern Brazil

This study reports 2 years of the population dynamics and reproduction of a small mammal community using the removal method. The study was conducted in a rural area of the Atlantic Forest, in Sumidouro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The population sizes, age structure and reproduction were studied for the four most common species in the study area. The overall diversity was 1.67 and ranged between 0.8 to 1.67. The species richness was 13 considering the whole study. The most abundant species were the rodents Nectomys squamipes (n = 133), Akodon cursor (n = 74), Oligoryzomys nigripes (n = 25) and the marsupials Didelphis aurita (n = 58) and Philander frenatus (n = 50). Seven other rodents were captured once: Necromys lasiurus, Akodon montensis, Sooretamys angouya, Oecomys catherine, Oxymycterus judex, Euryzygomatomys spinosus and Trinomys iheringi. There were higher peaks for diversity and species richness during the winter (dry) months, probably due to higher food availability. The marsupials had a seasonal reproduction with highest population sizes at the end of the rainy seasons. Nectomys squamipes reproduced mostly during rainy periods. Akodon cursor reproduced predominantly in the winter with the highest population peaks occurring during this season. The analysis of the population dynamics of the rodent species indicated that no species behaved as an agricultural pest, probably due to the heterogeneous landscape of high rotativity of vegetable cultivation. Rodent populations were more susceptible to the removal procedure than marsupial ones.

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Small mammal community structure and vertical space use preferences in nonfragmented Atlantic Forest

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2013-0128 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 78 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ricardo Augusto Serpa Cerboncini ◽

Marcelo Burigo Guimarães Rubio ◽

Itiberê Piaia Bernardi ◽

Talita Vieira Braga ◽

James Joseph Roper ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Space Use ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

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Small-mammal community structure in a South American deciduous Atlantic Forest

Community Ecology ◽

10.1556/comec.12.2011.1.8 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 58-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

G. Melo ◽

J. Sponchiado ◽

A. Machado ◽

N. Cáceres

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammal ◽

South American ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

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Community structure and population dynamics of small mammals in an urban-sylvatic interface area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Zoologia (Curitiba) ◽

10.3897/zoologia.35.e13465 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Rosana Gentile ◽

Thiago S. Cardoso ◽

Sócrates F. Costa-Neto ◽

Bernardo R. Teixeira ◽

Paulo S. D'Andrea

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Species Richness ◽

Community Structure ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Interface Area ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most disturbed Brazilian biomes, with 183 out of 298 species of mammals occurring in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In this study, we aimed to characterize the diversity, community structure, and habitat use of small mammals in the FIOCRUZ Atlantic Forest Campus (CFMA), including areas of Pedra Branca State Park (PBSP, subunit Pau da Fome), state of Rio de Janeiro. We also compared species diversity and composition between two moments 15 years apart (2001 and 2012–2015) and analyzed the population dynamics of the marsupial Didelphisaurita (Wied-Neuwied, 1826). Small mammal captures were made in different habitats: sylvatic-urban interface areas near human dwellings, disturbed forest, and preserved forest areas. Five marsupial species and four rodent species were captured in both periods. There was a reduction in species richness and β diversity between the two periods, indicating that disturbances in the environment over the years may have affected the small mammal community structure. The most altered environment showed the greatest species richness and abundance, while the forest areas showed the smallest values, which may be explained by the loss of mammal species, mainly specialist species in forested areas. We identified three groups of species according to habitat preferences: one related to environments with a higher density of vegetation in upper strata – Marmosaparaguayana (Tate, 1931) and Monodelphisamericana (Müller, 1776), another related to a higher density in lower forest strata – Akodoncursor (Winge, 1887), and another with no association with the investigated habitat variables – D.aurita and Oligoryzomysnigripes (Olfers, 1818). The small mammal community structure showed a low level of nestedness in both sampling periods. This study is the first report to evaluate the community structure of small mammals in the sylvatic-urban interface area of Pedra Branca State Park, the largest forest reserve within an urban area in Brazil. The surveys indicate that the small mammal diversity was low in both sampling periods and in both areas, and a species loss in the Pau da Fome locality was observed, despite it is a conservation unit. The greater species abundance and richness in the most disturbed areas suggest an increase of factors favoring the occurrence of synanthropic and opportunistic species.

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A Small Mammal Community in a Forest Fragment, Vegetation Corridor and Coffee Matrix System in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0023312 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. e23312 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mariana Ferreira Rocha ◽

Marcelo Passamani ◽

Júlio Louzada

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

Matrix System ◽

Forest Fragment ◽

Small Mammal Community ◽

Mammal Community

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Non-volant small mammals at an Atlantic forest area situated nearby a limestone quarry (Limeira quarry), state of São Paulo, Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032012000400020 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 191-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Natália Oliveira Leiner ◽

Wesley Rodrigues Silva

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Pitfall Trap ◽

Forest Area ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Limestone Quarry ◽

Mammal Communities

Our aim was to survey the non-flying small mammals inhabiting an Atlantic forest area situated nearby a limestone quarry (Limeira quarry), located at Ribeirão Grande municipality (SP), southeastern Brazil. Species were captured with pitfall and Sherman traps along eight pairs of 60 m transects distributed at four different distances from the quarry (60, 220, 740 and 1300 m). Between October 2005 and January 2008, 20 small mammal species (11 rodents and nine marsupials) were captured through 4080 pitfall trap-nights and 2040 Sherman trap-nights. The high values of richness, diversity (H' = 2.65) and equability (J = 0.88), and the presence of endemic and threatened species indicates a preserved study site and small mammal assemblage. Marmosops incanus, Monodelphis americana and Oligoryzomys nigripes were the commonest species at the study site. Trapping sites located closer to the quarry (60 and 220 m away from the quarry) presented lower richness and were dominated by disturbance-tolerant species, such as O. nigripes, that usually benefit from habitat alterations. On the other hand, sites located away from the quarry and closer to Serra do Mar Protected Area (740 and 1300 m away from the quarry) presented higher richness and diversity, and a higher abundance of disturbance-intolerant species. These results suggest a negative distance-dependent impact of quarrying on small mammal communities. In this way, our results point out to the importance of long-term monitoring of quarrying impacts on small non-flying mammal communities and populations, and the need of conservation strategies in order to ensure species persistence in these areas.

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