scholarly journals Forest cover mediates large and medium-sized mammal occurrence in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0249072
Author(s):  
Roberto Salom-Pérez ◽  
Daniel Corrales-Gutiérrez ◽  
Daniela Araya-Gamboa ◽  
Deiver Espinoza-Muñoz ◽  
Bryan Finegan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Biological Corridor ◽  
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor ◽  
Image Position ◽  
Critical Link

Connectivity of natural areas through biological corridors is essential for ecosystem resilience and biodiversity conservation. However, robust assessments of biodiversity in corridor areas are often hindered by logistical constraints and the statistical challenges of modeling data from multiple species. Herein, we used a hierarchical community occupancy model in a Bayesian framework to evaluate the status of medium and large-sized mammals in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) in Costa Rica. We used camera traps deployed from 2013–2017 to detect 18 medium (1–15 kg) and 6 large (>15 kg) mammal species in a portion of two Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) and the Corridor linking them. Camera traps operated for 16,904 trap nights across 209 stations, covering an area of 880 km2. Forest cover was the most important driver of medium and large-sized mammal habitat use, with forest specialists such as jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) strongly associated with high forest cover, while habitat generalists such as coyotes (Canis latrans) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) were associated with low forest cover. Medium and large-sized mammal species richness was lower in the Corridor area (x¯ = 9.78±1.84) than in the portions evaluated of the two JCUs (x¯ = 11.50±1.52). Puma and jaguar habitat use probabilities were strongly correlated with large prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.59, p<0.001; puma, r = 0.72, p<0.001), and correlated to a lesser extent with medium prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.36, p = 0.003; puma, r = 0.23, p = 0.064). Low estimated jaguar habitat use probability in one JCU (Central Volcanic Cordillera: x¯ = 0.15±0.11) suggests that this is not the jaguar stronghold previously assumed. In addition, the western half of the Corridor has low richness of large mammals, making it necessary to take urgent actions to secure habitat connectivity for mammal populations.

scholarly journals Critically Endangered Arabian leopards Panthera pardus nimr persist in the Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, Oman

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Andrew Spalton ◽  
Hadi Musalam al Hikmani ◽  
David Willis ◽  
Ali Salim Bait Said
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Red List ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Panthera Pardus ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Trail Use ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Two Peaks ◽  
Temporal Overlap

Between 1997 and 2000 a survey of the Arabian subspecies of leopard Panthera pardus nimr was conducted in the little known Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve in southern Oman. Using camera-traps 251 photographic records were obtained of 17 individual leopards; nine females, five males, two adults of unknown sex and one cub. Leopards were usually solitary and trail use and movements suggested large ranges characterized by spatial sharing but little temporal overlap. More active by day than night in undisturbed areas, overall the leopards exhibited two peaks in activity, morning and evening. The survey also provided records of leopard prey species and first records of nine Red List mammal species previously unrecorded in Jabal Samhan. Although people are mostly absent from the Reserve there is some conflict between leopards and shepherds who live outside the Reserve. The numbers and activities of frankincense harvesters in the Reserve need to be managed to safeguard the leopard and its habitat. The main challenge for the future is to find ways whereby local communities can benefit from the presence of the Reserve and from the leopards that the Reserve seeks to safeguard.

scholarly journals The role of fragmentation and landscape changes in the ecological release of common nest predators in the Neotropics

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael V Cove ◽  
Manuel Spinola ◽  
Victoria Jackson ◽  
Joel Saenz
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Mesopredator Release ◽  
Ecological Release ◽  
Biological Corridor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Nest Predators

Loss of large mammalian carnivores may allow smaller mesopredators to become abundant and threaten other community members. There is considerable debate about mesopredator release and the role that other potential factors such as landscape variables and human alterations to land cover lead to increased mesopredator abundance. We used camera traps to detect four mesopredators (tayra, Eira barbara; white-nosed coati, Nasua narica; northern raccoon, Procyon lotor; and common opossum, Didelphis opossum) in a biological corridor in Costa Rica to estimate habitat covariates that influenced the species’ detection and occurrence. We selected these mesopredators because as semi-arboreal species they might be common nest predators, posing a serious threat to resident and migratory songbirds. Pineapple production had a pronounced positive effect on the detectability of tayras, while forest cover had a negative effect on the detection of coatis. This suggests that abundance might be elevated due to the availability of agricultural food resources and foraging activities are concentrated in forest fragments and pineapple edge habitats. Raccoon and opossum models exhibited little influence on detection from habitat covariates. Occurrence models did not suggest any significant factors influencing site use by nest predators, revealing that all four species are habitat generalists adapted to co- existing in human altered landscapes. Furthermore, fragmentation and land cover changes may predispose nesting birds, herpetofauna, and small mammals to heightened predation risk by mesopredators in the Neotropics.

scholarly journals Survey of medium-sized and large mammals of Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica

Check List ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 939-950
Author(s):  
Maxwell R. W. Beal ◽  
Parker J. Matzinger ◽  
Guido Saborío-R. ◽  
Jonathan Noguera Bristan ◽  
Erik R. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
National Park ◽  
Alouatta Palliata ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Osa Peninsula ◽  
Biological Corridor ◽  
Saimiri Oerstedii ◽  
Corcovado National Park

Piedras Blancas National Park, in southern Costa Rica, is an important component of two biological corridors connecting the Osa Peninsula (Corcovado National Park) and La Amistad International Park. Understanding the mammal community composition of Piedras Blancas will provide baseline data to evaluate the success of conservation efforts. We used camera traps and opportunistic observations to describe the medium-sized and large mammals of the park. We deployed camera traps for 1,440 trap nights (2016-2018). We detected 19 mammal species from seven orders and 13 families. Five species are globally threatened: Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), Saimiri oerstedii (Linnaeus, 1758), Ateles geoffroyi (Kuhl, 1820), Alouatta palliata (Gray, 1849), and Tapirus bairdii (Gill, 1865). We did not detect two locally threatened species, Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) and Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795). Our research highlights a need for critical conservation work within the proposed biological corridor to support Costa Rica&rsquo;s most threatened wildlife.

scholarly journals NONVOLANT MAMMALS IN A FRAGMENT OF ARBOREAL CAATINGA IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (04) ◽  
pp. 894-903
Author(s):  
Izar Aximoff ◽  
◽  
John Philip Medcraft ◽  
Anthony Caravaggi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
The State ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Sheep Breeding ◽  
Active Search ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Cattle And Sheep

The state of Paraiba is one of those with the most degraded Caatinga that presents the large gap of knowledge concerning the mammal fauna. Mammals are among the taxa most affected by this. In this sense, we evaluated non-volant mammals’ richness and composition between March 2013 and February 2020 in a Caatinga fragment (121 ha). We used active search (336 hours) and camera traps (1,200 night traps). We recorded 20 species, including four threatened ones. Carnivora was the most representative order (7 species), followed by Rodentia (4 species). The richness of non-volant mammals found represents 35.6 % of the total number of such species in the Caatinga. This species richness is greater than that found in other studies in the state. The presence of these mammal species was mainly due to the recovering vegetation that resulted from the great planting effort and also due to cessation of hunt, cattle and sheep breeding that had existed on the farm for over thirty years. Our findings highlight the importance of this particular reserve due to the large number of species registered.

scholarly journals Large mammal species richness and habitat use in an upper Amazonian forest used for ecotourism

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Salvador ◽  
Miguel Clavero ◽  
Renata Leite Pitman
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Large Mammal ◽  
Amazonian Forest

scholarly journals Non-protected areas demanding equitable conservation strategies as of protected areas in the Central Himalayan region

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255082
Author(s):  
Avantika Thapa ◽  
Pujan Kumar Pradhan ◽  
Bheem Dutt Joshi ◽  
Tanoy Mukherjee ◽  
Mukesh Thakur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Capture Rate ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Manis Pentadactyla

The present study aims to explore the mammalian diversity of Darjeeling district using camera traps along with questionnaire survey in protected area (PA) and non- protected area (Non-PA). We also attempted to understand the influence of habitat variables on mammalian species richness using the generalized linear mixed models (GLMM). A total of 30 mammal species were recorded of which 21 species were detected through camera trapping with the most abundant records of barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and least of the elusive Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). Additionally, melanistic forms of four mammals were also recorded. The mammalian species richness, their capture rate and naïve occupancy did not differ significantly among the PA and Non-PA. The GLMM revealed that the proportions of oak and bamboo in the forest, percentage canopy cover and camera trap operational days (wAICc = 0.145, wBIC = 0.603) were significant predictors of species richness in the study. We suggest Non-PA forest of Darjeeling should be given equal conservation importance as to the PA. Landscape based conservation planning will be imperative for achieving long term conservation goals in the study area.

scholarly journals The role of fragmentation and landscape changes in the ecological release of common nest predators in the Neotropics

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael V Cove ◽  
Manuel Spinola ◽  
Victoria Jackson ◽  
Joel Saenz
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Mesopredator Release ◽  
Ecological Release ◽  
Biological Corridor ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Nest Predators

Loss of large mammalian carnivores may allow smaller mesopredators to become abundant and threaten other community members. There is considerable debate about mesopredator release and the role that other potential factors such as landscape variables and human alterations to land cover lead to increased mesopredator abundance. We used camera traps to detect four mesopredators (tayra, Eira barbara; white-nosed coati, Nasua narica; northern raccoon, Procyon lotor; and common opossum, Didelphis opossum) in a biological corridor in Costa Rica to estimate habitat covariates that influenced the species’ detection and occurrence. We selected these mesopredators because as semi-arboreal species they might be common nest predators, posing a serious threat to resident and migratory songbirds. Pineapple production had a pronounced positive effect on the detectability of tayras, while forest cover had a negative effect on the detection of coatis. This suggests that abundance might be elevated due to the availability of agricultural food resources and foraging activities are concentrated in forest fragments and pineapple edge habitats. Raccoon and opossum models exhibited little influence on detection from habitat covariates. Occurrence models did not suggest any significant factors influencing site use by nest predators, revealing that all four species are habitat generalists adapted to co- existing in human altered landscapes. Furthermore, fragmentation and land cover changes may predispose nesting birds, herpetofauna, and small mammals to heightened predation risk by mesopredators in the Neotropics.

scholarly journals Prey abundance drives habitat occupancy by jaguars in Amazonian floodplain river islands

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael M. Rabelo ◽  
Susan Aragón ◽  
Júlio César Bicca-Marques
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Howler Monkey ◽  
Floodplain Forests ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Habitat Occupancy ◽  
River Islands ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Sign Surveys

AbstractThe jaguar (Panthera onca) is widely distributed across a broad range of habitat types, where its feeding habits and habitat use patterns vary significantly. The jaguar and its main arboreal prey – the brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and the red howler monkey (Alouatta juara) – are widespread in the Amazonian floodplain forests of the Mamirauá Reserve. These forest-dwelling species are the most common mammal species both in the continuous forest and the forest patches surrounded by a river matrix – the fluvial islands – of the Solimões and Japurá rivers. We used sign surveys along line-transects to assess the pattern of habitat occupancy by jaguars in Amazonian floodplain forests. Specifically, we (i) tested whether habitat occupancy by jaguars differs between river islands and continuous forest; and (ii) evaluated whether and how the local abundance of sloths and howler monkeys influence the probability of site occupancy by jaguars. We built an occupancy model and used Bayesian inference to reach these goals. The proportion of sites estimated to be used by jaguars was ψ = 0.75 (HPD95: 0.36–1.00), and it did not differ between islands and continuous forest. The abundance of both prey species had a direct influence on jaguar’s habitat use, whereas the aquatic matrix seems to have a negligible effect on the use of islands by jaguars. We conclude that the isolation of the river islands within the aquatic matrix does not hamper jaguars to use them. We also conclude that prey search modulates jaguars’ habitat occupancy patterns with both prey species having a similar effect. This finding is compatible with the previously reported importance of sloths to the diet of jaguars in the study region despite its lower abundance than howlers. Finally, we suggest that sign surveys are an alternative method to assess the pattern of jaguar habitat occupancy in floodplain forests.

scholarly journals Multi-scale mammal responses to agroforestry landscapes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: the conservation value of forest and traditional shade plantations

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 2331-2341
Author(s):  
Aluane Silva Ferreira ◽  
Carlos A. Peres ◽  
Pavel Dodonov ◽  
Camila Righetto Cassano
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Human Population Density ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Forest Remnants

AbstractThe future of tropical forest biodiversity will largely depend on human-modified landscapes. We investigated how medium- to large-bodied mammals respond to factors at local (habitat type), intermediate (land use heterogeneity, forest cover and human population density) and large spatial scales (overall forest cover) in agroforestry landscapes. We surveyed mammals using camera traps in traditional cacao agroforests (cabrucas), intensified cacao agroforests, and forest remnants within two large Atlantic Forest landscapes of southern Bahia, Brazil, representing both high and low forest cover. At the local scale, habitat types differed in their potential to harbour mammal species, with forest remnants and cabrucas showing high conservation value, mainly under contexts of high forest cover, whereas intensified cacao agroforests contained less diversified species assemblages in both landscapes. At intermediate scales, species richness increased with increasing forest cover around forest remnants and intensified cacao agroforests, but the opposite was observed in cabrucas. The effects of human population density were ubiquitous but species-dependent. At the largest scale, species richness was higher in the most forested landscape, highlighting the imperative of maintaining forest remnants to retain forest-dwelling mammals in human-dominated landscapes. We claim that mammal conservation strategies require a multi-scale approach and that no single strategy is likely to maximize persistence of all species. Some species can routinely use traditional agroforests, and a large fraction of mammal diversity can be maintained even if high canopy-cover agroforestry dominates the landscape. Nevertheless, forest patches and highly forested landscapes are essential to ensure the persistence of forest-dwelling and game species.

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