Effect of habitat loss and fragmentation on fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 588-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.H.A. Melo ◽  
B.K.C. Filgueiras ◽  
C.A. Iserhard ◽  
L. Iannuzzi ◽  
A.V.L. Freitas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Habitat Loss And Fragmentation ◽  
Threatened Taxa ◽  
Butterfly Assemblages

Habitat loss and fragmentation have drastically altered the availability and quality of tropical forest habitats, but information on how such changes influence local biodiversity is still insufficient. Here, we examine the effects of both patch and landscape metrics on fruit-feeding butterfly assemblages in a fragmented landscape of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Our study was carried out in three habitat types: eight fragments (ranging from 8 to 126 ha), eight areas of forest edge (50 m from forest border), and eight areas of forest interior (>200 m from forest border) of the largest remnant (3500 ha) of the Atlantic Forest of northeast Brazil. Our results demonstrated that fragment area is negatively correlated with observed and estimated richness and abundance of butterflies, whereas habitat type is correlated with estimated richness and abundance of butterflies. Species composition responded to habitat type, fragment area, and distance between sample units. These findings illustrated (i) fruit-feeding butterfly sensitivity to habitat loss and fragmentation, (ii) that species composition and abundance are adequate parameters to access the responses of fruit-feeding butterflies to habitat loss and fragmentation, and (iii) the relevance of a heterogeneous and connected landscape for conservation of butterflies, where small fragments are important for generalist or open-habitat specialists and large remnants are key for disturbance-sensitive and threatened taxa.

scholarly journals Multi-taxa ecological responses to habitat loss and fragmentation in western Amazonia as revealed by RAPELD biodiversity surveys

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-243
Author(s):  
Gabriel M. MOULATLET ◽  
Emmanuel AMBRIZ ◽  
Jennifer GUEVARA ◽  
Karima G. LÓPEZ ◽  
Marina RODES-BLANCO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Landscape Fragmentation ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Landscape Configuration ◽  
Edge Density ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Habitat Loss And Fragmentation ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

ABSTRACT Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation are important anthropogenic drivers of changes in biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest, and has reached its highest rate in recent decades. However, the magnitude and direction of the effects on species composition and distribution have yet to be fully understood. We evaluated the responses of four taxonomic groups − birds, amphibians, orchid bees, and dung beetles - to habitat loss and fragmentation at both species and assemblage level in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon. We sampled fifteen 250-m long plots in terra-firme forest remnants. We calculated one landscape fragmentation index (fragindex), which considers the proportion of continuous forest cover, edge density and isolation in the landscape, and nine landscape configuration metrics. Logistic regression models and multivariate regression trees were used to analyze species and assemblage responses. Our results revealed that over 80% of birds, amphibians or orchid-bee species, and 60% of dung beetles were negatively affected by habitat loss and fragmentation. Species composition of all taxonomic groups was significantly affected by differences in forest cover and connectivity. Less than 5% of all species were restricted to landscapes with fragindex values higher than 40%. Landscape metrics related to the shape and area of forest patches determined the magnitude and direction of the effect on species responses. Therefore, changes in the landscape configuration of Ecuadorian Amazonia should be minimized to diminish the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on species occurrence and assemblage composition.

scholarly journals Forest edge in the Brazilian Atlantic forest: drastic changes in tree species assemblages

Oryx ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcondes A. Oliveira ◽  
Alexandre S. Grillo ◽  
Marcelo Tabarelli
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Current System ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Forest Interior ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Threatened Tree Species

In this study we surveyed all trees ≥10 cm diameter at breast height within 20 0.1 ha plots in a 3,500 ha forest fragment, surrounded by sugar cane fields, of the Brazilian Atlantic forest to compare tree species assemblages at the forest edge (0–100 m into forest) vs forest interior (>200 m). Plots were perpendicular to the margin. The mean number of tree species was significantly higher in the forest interior (35.4 ± SD 7.1 vs 18.4 ± SD 4.4). In addition, forest edge differed from interior in the proportion of shade-tolerant, emergent, large/very large-fruited species, and large-seeded tree species. Among the 134 tree species recorded, 24% were exclusive to the forest edge and 57% to the forest interior. Our results suggest that both the current system of protected areas and archipelagos of small fragments (1) tend to retain only a subset of the original flora, (2) will converge in terms of floristic and ecological composition (biotic simplification and homogenization), and (3) will lose rare and threatened tree species.

scholarly journals Domestic dogs in a fragmented landscape in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: abundance, habitat use and caring by owners

2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 987-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
PC. Torres ◽  
PI. Prado
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Forest Patch ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Responsible Ownership ◽  
Patch Edge

This study aimed at estimating the population size and attitudes of residents towards caring for domestic dogs, through questionnaire surveys, as well as the frequency of these animals in different habitats (anthropic and forest patch), using scent stations. The study was conducted in a severely fragmented area of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. A large number of unrestricted dogs was recorded, averaging 6.2 ind/km². These dogs have owners and are regularly fed. Dog records decreased from the anthropogenic matrix to the forest patch edge, which suggests that dogs act as an edge effect on forest patches. Encounters between domestic dog and wild animals can still be frequent in severely fragmented landscapes, mainly at the forest edges. However the fact that most dogs have an owner and are more frequent in the anthropic habitat suggests that their putative effects are less severe than expected for a carnivore of such abundance, but the reinforcement of responsible ownership is needed to further ameliorate such effects.

scholarly journals New records of buffy-tufted-ear marmoset Callithrix aurita (É. Geoffroy, 1812), in a protected area of Teresópolis, Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Vitor Guniel-Cunha ◽  
Paulo Rodrigo-Dias ◽  
Ricardo De Barros Mello Filho ◽  
Jorge Luiz do Nascimento ◽  
Carlos Eudardo De Viveiros Grelle
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
New Records ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Natural Park ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Callithrix Aurita

Callithrix aurita, an Atlantic Forest endemic primate, is a threatened species due to habitat loss, deforestation, interspecific competition and hybridization. In 2018, it entered the list of the world's 25-most threatened primate species, therefore, new occurrence sites must help in its conservation. Transects in the Montanhas de Teresópolis Municipal Natural Park and occasional sampling on the surrounding roads, using playback, have been carried out between March 2020 and January 2021. Eleven new records were made of the occurrence of the species in and around the PNMMT, in secondary forest sites with altitudes between 711 and 1000m. These records reinforce the importance of the Park for the conservation of this primate. The presence of this species can help the planning and management of this protected area, indicating areas for preservation.

Habitat loss effects on spatial distribution of non-vascular epiphytes in a Brazilian Atlantic forest

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisi Dámaris Pereira Alvarenga ◽  
Kátia Cavalcanti Pôrto ◽  
Juliana Rosa do Pará Marques de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Vascular Epiphytes

scholarly journals Distance from roads and cities as a predictor of habitat loss and fragmentation in the caatinga vegetation of Brazil

2002 ◽  
Vol 62 (4b) ◽  
pp. 897-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. SANTOS ◽  
M. TABARELLI
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Northeast Brazil ◽  
Distance Class ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Caatinga Vegetation ◽  
Habitat Loss And Fragmentation

Roads and cities represent huge sources of degradation for adjacent ecosystems regarding nutrient cycling, energy, water flow and species composition. In this study we test the hypothesis that distance from roads and cities is associated with habitat loss and fragmentation in the caatinga vegetation- a dry forest to scrub vegetation that covers ca. 736,000 km² of northeast Brazil. The study site comprised a 2,828.8 km² piece (64 km x 44.2 km) of Xingó region (09°36'S, 37°50'W), which is located between the States of Alagoas and Sergipe. Based on satellite imagery we mapped the remaining vegetation, 145 km of paved roads and the seven small-sized cities set in the study site. A positive correlation was found between the combined distance from roads and cities and the percentage of remaining vegetation as it dropped from 18% at 12 km distant to 5.9% at 1 km distant from cities and roads. Thus, remaining vegetation was reduced by one third near cities and roads. A positive correlation was also found between distance from cities and roads and the percentage of fragments larger than 200 ha, which ranged from 3.6% (within 3 km distance class) to 23.3% (15 km distance class) of all fragments. Our results suggest a road/city-effect zone of 12 to 15 km width, over which habitat loss and fragmentation extend throughout the caatinga vegetation. These findings should be considered in the regional polices for biodiversity conservation and economic development of the caatinga region.

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