scholarly journals Bush Dogs in Central America: Recent Range Expansion, Cryptic Distribution, or Both?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 194008291984975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Sáenz-Bolaños ◽  
Todd K. Fuller ◽  
Michael S. Mooring ◽  
Junior Porras ◽  
Paul R. Sievert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
National Park ◽  
Potential Range ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
East Central ◽  
Repeated Observations ◽  
The North ◽  
Bush Dog ◽  
Speothos Venaticus

Bush dogs ( Speothos venaticus) are a small, wide-ranging neotropical pack-hunting canid whose ecology is relatively poorly known. Here, we document new, repeated observations of bush dog groups in east-central (Barbilla National Park) and south-eastern (La Amistad International Park) Costa Rica that suggest either that their recent or historic range has been underestimated, or that their potential range in Central America may have recently expanded and could now include not only borderlands with Panama but perhaps a substantial portion of the Talamanca Mountains up to 120 km to the north-northwest and at elevations up to 2,119 m. In light of their inherently low density, documenting the current and future distribution of bush dogs in Central America will be challenging.

scholarly journals Regionally extinct species rediscovered: the bush dog Speothos venaticus in Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Braga Ferreira ◽  
Marcelo Juliano Rabelo Oliveira ◽  
Rogério Cunha de Paula ◽  
Flávio Henrique Guimarães Rodrigues ◽  
Érica Daniele Cunha Carmo
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
The State ◽  
South American ◽  
North West ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The North ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
Bush Dog ◽  
Speothos Venaticus

AbstractThe bush dog Speothos venaticus, a rare Near Threatened South American canid that lives in packs, was thought to be extinct in Minas Gerais state, south-eastern Brazil, until recently. Here, we report four recent records of the species in Minas Gerais, the first in the state since the description of the species in 1842. All records are from the Cerrado ecosystem in the north and north-west of the state; two are from animals found dead, one from footprints and another from a camera trap. Three of the records were inside or close (< 10 km) to strict protected areas, in a region recognized as the Protected Areas Mosaic Sertão Veredas–Peruaçu, where we expect any new records of the bush dog to be found. We discuss the low probability of detecting the bush dog and the main regional threats to the species, and emphasize the need to protect large and interconnected natural areas and keep them free of domestic dogs to avoid the extinction of the bush dog in Minas Gerais.

scholarly journals How rare is rare? Quantifying and assessing the rarity of the bush dog Speothos venaticus across the Amazon and other biomes

Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadeu G. de Oliveira ◽  
Fernanda Michalski ◽  
André L. M. Botelho ◽  
Lincoln J. Michalski ◽  
Armando M. Calouro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Population Parameters ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bush Dog ◽  
Speothos Venaticus

AbstractThe bush dog Speothos venaticus is a medium-sized Neotropical canid. It is considered to be rare and its biology and population parameters are still poorly understood. The Amazon is one of the main strongholds of this species and is important for maintaining viable populations, as the region still holds extensive tracts of pristine habitat. We gathered field data from camera-trap studies throughout the Brazilian Amazon to estimate the relative abundance of the species and gain an understanding of its rarity, and how this compares with estimates from other vegetative formations and for sympatric hypercarnivores. We focused on three pristine or partially disturbed sites and one fragmented site. The estimated relative abundance of the species was 0.060–0.185 individuals per 100 trap-days, confirming that the species is rare. The bush dog's abundance in the Amazon is equivalent to that in all other areas outside the Basin. The mean group size recorded was c. 2.5 individuals. There were no differences in group sizes between forests in the Amazon and in other regions of Central America; however, there were significant differences between forests and open habitats. A combination of competition/predation, habitat structure/integrity, and disease may be acting synergistically in determining the abundance and rarity of bush dogs.

scholarly journals The Combined Effects of SST and the North Atlantic Subtropical High-Pressure System on the Atlantic Basin Tropical Cyclone Interannual Variability

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Albenis Pérez-Alarcón ◽  
José C. Fernández-Alvarez ◽  
Rogert Sorí ◽  
Raquel Nieto ◽  
Luis Gimeno
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Central America ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
The West ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Pressure System ◽  
North Atlantic Subtropical High ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

The combined effect of the sea surface temperature (SST) and the North Atlantic subtropical high-pressure system (NASH) in the interannual variability of the genesis of tropical cyclones (TCs) and landfalling in the period 1980–2019 is explored in this study. The SST was extracted from the Centennial Time Scale dataset from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and TC records were obtained from the Atlantic Hurricane Database of the NOAA/National Hurricane Center. The genesis and landfalling regions were objectively clustered for this analysis. Seven regions of TC genesis and five for landfalling were identified. Intercluster differences were observed in the monthly frequency distribution and annual variability, both for genesis and landfalling. From the generalized least square multiple regression model, SST and NASH (intensity and position) covariates can explain 22.7% of the variance of the frequency of TC genesis, but it is only statistically significant (p < 0.1) for the NASH center latitude. The SST mostly modulates the frequency of TCs formed near the West African coast, and the NASH latitudinal variation affects those originated in the Lesser Antilles arc. For landfalling, both covariates explain 38.7% of the variance; however, significant differences are observed in the comparison between each region. With a statistical significance higher than 90%, SST and NASH explain 33.4% of the landfalling variability in the archipelago of the Bahamas and central–eastern region of Cuba. Besides, landfalls in the Gulf of Mexico and Central America seem to be modulated by SST. It was also found there was no statistically significant relationship between the frequency of genesis and landfalling with the NASH intensity. However, the NASH structure modulates the probability density of the TCs trajectory that make landfall once or several times in their lifetime. Thus, the NASH variability throughout a hurricane season affects the TCs trajectory in the North Atlantic basin. Moreover, we found that the landfalling frequency of TCs formed near the West Africa coast and the central North Atlantic is relatively low. Furthermore, the SST and NASH longitude center explains 31.6% (p < 0.05) of the variance of the landfalling intensity in the archipelago of the Bahamas, while the SST explains 26.4% (p < 0.05) in Central America. Furthermore, the 5-year moving average filter revealed decadal and multidecadal variability in both genesis and landfalling by region. Our findings confirm the complexity of the atmospheric processes involved in the TC genesis and landfalling.

Leaf litter copepods from a cloud forest mountain top in Honduras (Copepoda: Cyclopidae, Canthocamptidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3630 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANK FIERS ◽  
MERLIJN JOCQUE
Keyword(s):  
Central America ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
National Park ◽  
New World ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Distributional Range ◽  
Litter Sample ◽  
Forest Mountain

Five different species of Copepoda were extracted from a leaf litter sample collected on the top (at 2000 m a.s.l.) of a cloud forested mountain in El Cusuco National Park, Honduras. Three of them, one Cyclopidae and two Canthocamptidae are new to science, and are described herein. Olmeccyclops hondo sp. nov. is the second representative thus far known of this New World genus. Moraria catracha sp. nov. and Moraria cusuca sp. nov. are the first formally described members of the genus occurring in Central America. The concept of a “Moraria-group” is considered to be an artificial grouping and is limited here to the genera Moraria and Morariopsis only. The distributional range of this group is essentially Holarctic, with the mountainous regions inHonduras, and probably in westNicaragua, as the southernmost limits in theNew World.

scholarly journals The influence of the 1991/92 drought on the woody vegetation of the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Viljoen
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
General Area ◽  
Variable Intensity ◽  
The North ◽  
Olifants River ◽  
Area North ◽  
The Impact

All observations and data related to the impact of the 1991/92 drought on the woody vegetation, excluding the riverine vegetation of major rivers, are summarised. This includes data from a visual estimate of damage from aerial photographs, surveys on selected sites, and general observations. Despite lower rainfall, the area north of the Olifants River (excluding the far-northern part) was less affected than the area south of it, suggesting that the woody vegetation in the north is more adapted to drought. A characteristic of the drought was the localised distribution pattern and variable intensity of damage to the same species in the same general area. Information on 31 species are presented briefly. Although a large number of woody species was to some extent damaged, when the woody vegetation is considered as a whole, the influence of the drought was not very severe.

What was the vegetation in northwest Australia during the Paleogene, 66–23million years ago?

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Macphail ◽  
Robert S. Hill
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
National Park ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
First Record ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Dry Conditions

Fossil pollen and spores preserved in drillcore from both the upper South Alligator River (SARV) in the Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory and the North-West Shelf, Western Australia provide the first record of plants and plant communities occupying the coast and adjacent hinterland in north-west Australia during the Paleogene 66 to 23million years ago. The palynologically-dominant woody taxon is Casuarinaceae, a family now comprising four genera of evergreen scleromorphic shrubs and trees native to Australia, New Guinea, South-east Asia and Pacific Islands. Rare taxa include genera now mostly restricted to temperate rainforest in New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and/or Tasmania, e.g. Dacrydium, Phyllocladus and the Nothofagus subgenera Brassospora and Fuscospora. These appear to have existed in moist gorges on the Arnhem Land Plateau, Kakadu National Park. No evidence for Laurasian rainforest elements was found. The few taxa that have modern tropical affinities occur in Eocene or older sediments in Australia, e.g. Lygodium, Anacolosa, Elaeagnus, Malpighiaceae and Strasburgeriaceae. We conclude the wind-pollinated Oligocene to possibly Early Miocene vegetation in the upper SARV was Casuarinaceae sclerophyll forest or woodland growing under seasonally dry conditions and related to modern Allocasuarina/Casuarina formations. There are, however, strong floristic links to coastal communities growing under warm to hot, and seasonally to uniformly wet climates in north-west Australia during the Paleocene-Eocene.

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