Forest cover influences occurrence of mammalian carnivores within Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract Edge effects are ubiquitous landscape processes influencing over 70% of forest cover worldwide. However, little is known about how edge effects influence the vertical stratification of communities in forest fragments. We combined a spatially implicit and a spatially explicit approach to quantify the magnitude and extent of edge effects on canopy and understorey epiphytic plants in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Within the human-modified landscape, species richness, species abundance and community composition remained practically unchanged along the interior-edge gradient, pointing to severe biotic homogenisation at all strata. This is because the extent of edge effects reached at least 500 m, potentially leaving just 0.24% of the studied landscape unaffected by edges. We extrapolated our findings to the entire Atlantic Forest and found that just 19.4% of the total existing area is likely unaffected by edge effects and provide suitable habitat conditions for forest-dependent epiphytes. Our results suggest that the resources provided by the current forest cover might be insufficient to support the future of epiphyte communities. Preserving large continuous ‘intact’ forests is probably the only effective conservation strategy for vascular epiphytes.

Download Full-text

Early Response of Soil Properties under Different Restoration Strategies in Tropical Hotspot

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080768 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 768

Author(s):

Katarzyna A. Koryś ◽

Agnieszka E. Latawiec ◽

Maiara S. Mendes ◽

Jerônimo B. B. Sansevero ◽

Aline F. Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Early Stage ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

The Impact

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has undergone adverse land-use change due to deforestation for urbanization and agriculture. Numerous restoration initiatives have been taken to restore its ecosystem services. Deforested areas have been restored through active intervention or natural regeneration. Understanding the impact of those different reforestation approaches on soil quality should provide important scientific and practical conclusions on increasing forest cover in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. However, studies evaluating active planting versus natural regeneration in terms of soil recovery are scarce. We evaluate soil dynamics under those two contrasting strategies at an early stage (<10 years). Reforestation was conducted simultaneously on degraded lands previously used for cattle grazing and compared to an abandoned pasture as a reference system. We examined soil physicochemical properties such as: pH, soil organic matter content, soil moisture, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, Al, and soil texture. We also present the costs of both methods. We found significant differences in restored areas regarding pH, Na, Fe, Mn content, and the cost. Soil moisture was significantly higher in pasture. Our research can contribute to better decision-making about which restoration strategy to adopt to maximize restoration success regarding soil quality and ecosystem services in the tropics.

Download Full-text

EFFECT OF FOREST COVER ON ECTOPARASITES OF SMALL MAMMALS IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST

Oecologia Australis ◽

10.4257/oeco.2018.2203.06 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (03) ◽

pp. 279-290

Author(s):

Norlan de Jesus Santos ◽

Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie ◽

Danilo Gonçalves Saraiva ◽

Fernanda Aparecida Nieri-Bastos ◽

Thiago Fernandes Martins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Download Full-text

The centipede genus Otostigmus Porat in Brazil: Description of three new species from the Atlantic Forest; a summary and an identification key to the Brazilian species of this genus (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae, Otostigminae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3280.1.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3280 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

AMAZONAS CHAGAS-JÚNIOR

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

The State ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

Identification Key ◽

Nominal Species ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

Three New Species ◽

First Time ◽

New Distribution

Three new species of Otostigmus Porat, 1876 from Brazilian Atlantic Forest are described. Otostigmus beckeri sp. n. andO. lanceolatus sp. n. are described from the state of Bahia and O. giupponii sp. n. from the state of Espírito Santo. InBrazil, the otostigmine scolopendrid genus Otostigmus comprises 22 species. A summary of Brazilian Otostigmus speciesis presented with new distribution records, taxonomic remarks when appropriate and an identification key. Otostigmus sul-catus Meinert, 1886 is recorded for the first time from Brazil; the Andean Otostigmus silvestrii Kraepelin 1903, previouslyrecorded from Brazil, is here considered not to be present in this country. Eight nominal species are regarded here as newsynonyms. Five of them—Otostigmus pradoi Bücherl, 1939, O. longistigma Bücherl, 1939, O. longipes Bücherl, 1939,O. langei Bücherl, 1946 and O. dentifusus Bücherl, 1946—are based on females of O. tibialis Brölemann, 1902. O. latipesBücherl, 1954 is conspecific with and is considered a junior synonym of O. sulcatus Meinert, 1886; O. limbatus diminutusBücherl, 1946 is a junior synonym of O. limbatus Meinert, 1886 and O. fossulatus Attems, 1928 is a junior synonym of O. goeldii Brölemann, 1898. A lectotype is designated for O. goeldii.

Download Full-text

Hide-and-Seek with Tiny Neotenic Beetles in One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots: Towards an Understanding of the Real Diversity of Jurasaidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology10050420 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 420

Author(s):

Gabriel Biffi ◽

Simone Policena Rosa ◽

Robin Kundrata

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Field Research ◽

Transitional Zone ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Biodiversity Hotspots ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

Life Stages ◽

Adult Males ◽

Undescribed Species ◽

First Time

Jurasaidae are a family of neotenic elateroid beetles which was described recently from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot based on three species in two genera. All life stages live in the soil, including the larviform females, and only adult males are able to fly. Here, we report the discovery of two new species, Jurasai miraculum sp. nov. and J. vanini sp. nov., and a new, morphologically remarkable population of J. digitusdei Rosa et al., 2020. Our discovery sheds further light on the diversity and biogeography of the group. Most species of Jurasaidae are known from the rainforest remnants of the Atlantic Forest, but here for the first time we report a jurasaid species from the relatively drier Atlantic Forest/Caatinga transitional zone. Considering our recent findings, minute body size and cryptic lifestyle of all jurasaids, together with potentially high numbers of yet undescribed species of this family from the Atlantic Forest and possibly also other surrounding ecoregions, we call for both field research in potentially suitable localities as well as for a detailed investigation of a massive amount of already collected but still unprocessed materials deposited in a number of Brazilian institutes, laboratories and collections.

Download Full-text