Bat species richness and abundance in tropical rain forest fragments and in agricultural habitats at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

The Upper Paraná River floodplain is inserted in a region of the Mata Atlântica biome, which is a critical area to preserve. Due to the scarcity of researches about the chiropterofauna in this region, the present study investigated species richness and abundance of bats in remnants from the stational semidecidual forest of the Upper Paraná River, southern Brazil. Samplings were taken every month, from January to December 2006, using 32 mist nets with 8.0 x 2.5 m, resulting in 640 m²/h and totaling a capture effort of 87,040 m²/h. In order to estimate the species richness, the following estimators were employed Chao1 and Jack2. During the study, a total of 563 individuals belonging to 17 species (Artibeus planirostris, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Platyrrhinus lineatus, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Myotis nigricans, Desmodus rotundus, Artibeus obscurus, Noctilio albiventris, Phylostomus discolor, Phylostomus hastatus, Chrotopterus auritus, Lasiurus ega, Chiroderma villosum, Pygoderma bilabiatum and Lasiurus blossevillii) were captured. The estimated richness curves tended to stabilize, indicating that most of the species were sampled. Captured species represented 10% of the taxa recorded in Brazil and 28% in Paraná State, revealing the importance of this area for the diversity of bats. These findings indicate the need to determine actions aiming to restrict human activities in these forest fragments, in order to minimize anthropogenic impacts on the chiropterofauna.

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Bryophyte community differences between edge and interior environments in temperate rain-forest fragments of coastal British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x04-209 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 580-592 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Lyn K Baldwin ◽

Gary E Bradfield

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Species Richness ◽

Functional Groups ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Old Growth ◽

Edge Zone ◽

Temperate Rain Forest

The species richness, community composition, and abundance of bryophytes within taxonomic and functional groups were examined in relation to habitat conditions in forest edge and interior habitats of nine old-growth temperate rain-forest patches remaining after logging in the Nimpkish River Valley of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Bryophytes were sampled at a fine scale using 0.1 m × 0.3 m microplots to examine responses of species abundance on the forest floor, downed logs, and tree bases and at a coarser scale using 10 m × 2 m belt transects to determine changes in patterns of species richness and distribution. Edge habitats, sampled to a depth of 45 m into the forest fragments, were characterized by greater windthrow disturbance. Within the edge zone, increases in the richness of clearing-affiliated functional groups were associated primarily with the location of windthrown trees and tip-up mounds, rather than with distance from the edge per se. Interior habitats had both greater abundance of old-growth-associated functional groups and total bryophyte cover. The extension of the edge zone to at least 45 m into remnant patches carries implications for minimum patch size requirements in the context of variable-retention logging of coastal temperate rain forests.

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The effects of fragmentation of an Australian tropical rain forest on populations and assemblages of small mammals

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467401001158 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 225-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

G. N. HARRINGTON ◽

A. N. D. FREEMAN ◽

F. H. J. CROME

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Small Mammals ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Tropical Rain Forest ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Agricultural Matrix ◽

Continuous Forest ◽

The Matrix

Small mammals were trapped in four rain forest fragments (3, 8, 20 and 97 ha), in an agricultural landscape, and in comparable continuous tropical rain forest in north Queensland, Australia over 2 y. The most frequently captured species were four murid rodents. Melomys cervinipes were captured in similar numbers in both continuous and fragmented forest. This species achieves greatest abundance at forest edges and this study suggests that edges of fragments and edges of continuous forest will support similar densities. Abundance of Uromys caudimaculatus was positively correlated with size of fragment and peaked in continuous forest. This species had a home range larger than the smaller fragments and was thus disadvantaged but its ability to utilize the agricultural matrix between fragments mitigated the effect. Rattus leucopus and R. fuscipes were most abundant in fragments and continuous forest respectively but both species occurred in similar abundance in the 97-ha fragment. This suggests their population size is related to habitat rather than competitive exclusion as previously postulated. Ordination of the populations of the nine most commonly captured mammals, separated the fragment and continuous sites but placed the largest fragment closest to the continuous sites. The contrasting response of the two Rattus spp. was the primary influence on the ordination. Second in importance was Trichosurus vulpecula, a folivorous possum, which was absent from the continuous sites. The fragments may have had more nutrient-rich, pioneer tree foliage than continuous forest. Isoodon macrourus, Perameles nasuta, Antechinus godmani and Uromys hadrourus also showed positive or negative response to fragmentation. Species utilizing the matrix between forest fragments and species adapted to forest edge are advantaged by the fragmentation process whereas forest specialists tend to extinction in fragments, particularly where the home range of the animal is not many times smaller than the fragment.

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Erythroxylum riparium (Erythroxylaceae), a new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.230.1.7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 230 (1) ◽

pp. 75 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thiago Araújo ◽

Pedro Fiaschi ◽

André Márcio Amorim

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Rain Forest ◽

Tropical Rain Forest ◽

Similar Species ◽

Leaf Margin ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽

Southern Bahia ◽

A New Species

Erythroxylum riparium, a new species of Erythroxylaceae from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, is described and illustrated. The species was found in southern Bahia State growing along river banks within tropical rain forest fragments. It can be distinguished from other similar species of Erythroxylum by the combination of branchlets intensely dotted with elliptic lenticels, these often united with each other, undulate leaf margin, three bracteoles per flower, and partially connate styles. These diagnostic characters and other observations concerning the new species are presented and compared with those from similar species.

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Dung beetles attracted to mammalian herbivore (Alouatta palliata) and omnivore (Nasua narica) dung in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467400006933 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 45-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Alejandro Estrada ◽

Gonzalo Halffter ◽

Rosamond Coates-Estrada ◽

Dennis A. Meritt

Keyword(s):

Rain Forest ◽

Tropical Rain Forest ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Alouatta Palliata ◽

Howler Monkey ◽

Los Tuxtlas ◽

Nasua Narica ◽

Ball Rolling ◽

Species Overlap

ABSTRACTDung beetles attracted to howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) and coati (Nasua narica) dung were studied for an annual cycle in the tropical rain forest of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Pitfall traps set for 24 h month−1 captured 1567 dung beetles of 21 species. The species Canlhidium martinto, Deltochilum pseudoparile and Canthon femoralis accounted for 62% of all individuals captured. While species overlap was high (> 80%) between diurnal and nocturnal samples and between howler monkey and coati dung baits, coati dung attracted species such as C. martinezi, D. pseudoparile and Onthophagus rhinolophus while species such as C. femoralis and Copris laeviceps were numerically dominant at howler monkey dung. Thirteen non-ball rolling dung beetle species and eight ball-rolling species accounted for 43% and for 57% of all beetles captured respectively. Dung beetles were present and active in all months of the year, but occurred in higher numbers between the months of March and October, when temperatures were higher. Relative abundance of howler monkey and coati dung in the rain forest of Los Tuxtlas was estimated at 11.2 g (fresh weight) ha−1 day−1 and at 13.0 g ha−1 day−1 respectively, a seemingly low amount for the large number of scarabs attracted to the dung.

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