Effects of habitat and landscape characteristics on medium and large mammal species richness and composition in northern Uruguay

Abstract: The reduction and fragmentation of remnant vegetation habitats has been one of the main threats to Cerrado biodiversity. The aim of the present study is to make an inventory of medium and large mammal species in a Cerrado remnant and to assess deforestation influence on part of this fragment on the richness and composition of mammal species. The study was conducted in a Cerrado fragment in southeast Goias State, Ipameri County. Data were collected during three different periods (P1, January-June, 2014; P2, December, 2016 - June, 2017; P3, July-December, 2017) through direct (visual, vocal and camera-trap records) and indirect methods (foot prints, animal burrows and other traces) in order to register the mammal species. Jackknife 1 estimator was used to estimate species richness during each of the three sampled periods and for the complete collection period; species similarity between periods was assessed through the Jaccard's Index of Similarity (Cj). Species richness between periods was performed through inference by overlapping confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-nine species were recorded during the assessed period, five of them were listed as endangered in Brazil. There was no significant change in species richness between the assessed periods: species richness of 25 species was observed in Period 1 (P1), the richness of 32 species was estimated (CI = 4.58); 23 species were recorded in Period 2 (P2), and the richness of 30 species was estimated (CI = 4.39), the richness of 23 species was observed in Period 3 (P3) and the richness of 28 species was estimated (CI = 4.70). Similarity in species composition between the assessed periods recorded Cj = 0.71 (71%) between P1 and P2, Cj = 0.66 (66%) between P1 and P3, and Cj = 0.77 between P2 and P3. Fragment deforestation did not influence the richness and composition of medium and large mammal species (within a period of 2~3 years) when the three periods were compared; however, the absence of changes in the community can be the result of time-lag, therefore, we cannot put aside the likelihood of mid and long-term effects.

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

Mammalian Biology ◽

10.1016/j.mambio.2010.04.007 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 76 (2) ◽

pp. 115-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Salvador Salvador ◽

Miguel Clavero ◽

Renata Leite Pitman

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Amazonian Forest

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Landscape Structure and Seasonality: Effects on Wildlife Species Richness and Occupancy in a Fragmented Dry Forest in Coastal Ecuador

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13183762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 3762

Author(s):

Xavier Haro-Carrión ◽

Jon Johnston ◽

Maria Juliana Bedoya-Durán

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Wet Season ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Landscape Characteristics ◽

Wildlife Species ◽

Species Occupancy

Despite high fragmentation and deforestation, little is known about wildlife species richness and occurrence probabilities in tropical dry forest (TDF) landscapes. To fill this gap in knowledge, we used a Sentinel-2-derived land-cover map, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data and a multi-species occupancy model to correct for detectability to assess the effect of landscape characteristics on medium and large mammal occurrence and richness in three TDF areas that differ in disturbance and seasonality in Ecuador. We recorded 15 species of medium and large mammals, distributed in 12 families; 1 species is critically Endangered, and 2 are Near-Threatened. The results indicate that species occupancy is related to low forest cover and high vegetation seasonality (i.e., high difference in NDVI between the wet and dry seasons). We believe that the apparent negative effect of forest cover is an indicator of species tolerance for disturbance. The three sampling areas varied from 98% to 40% forest cover, yet species richness and occupancy were not significantly different among them. Vegetation seasonality indicates that more seasonal forests (i.e., those where most tree species lose their leaves during the dry season) tend to have higher mammal species occupancy compared to less seasonal, semi-deciduous forests. Overall, occupancy did not vary between the dry and wet seasons, but species-specific data indicate that some species exhibit higher occupancy during the wet season. This research offers a good understanding of mammal species’ responses to habitat disturbance and fragmentation in TDFs and provides insights to promote their conservation.

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Effects of habitat fragmentation on the persistence of medium and large mammal species in the Brazilian Savanna of Goiás State

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2017-0483 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Ednaldo Cândido Rocha ◽

Daniel Brito ◽

Paulo Machado e Silva ◽

Jhefferson Silva ◽

Paulo Vitor dos Santos Bernardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Habitat Loss ◽

Time Lag ◽

Important Variable ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Habitat Amount ◽

Large Mammal ◽

Local Extinctions ◽

Short Time ◽

Current Species

Abstract: Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats to the conservation of Cerrado biodiversity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the implications of habitat loss on the persistence of medium and large mammal species, considering the spatial and temporal changes (years 1985, 2000 and 2014) to the evaluated fragments. The study was carried out in 14 fragments (10.5 - 618 ha), located in Southeastern Goiás, Brazil. Records for 24 mammal species were obtained and revealed the two sites with the largest habitat amount in the landscape contained higher species richness than the remaining sites. The three mammal groups based on body mass (weight < 5 kg; weight between 5 and 20 kg; and weight > 20 kg) analyzed in this study showed different responses regarding landscape changes. For larger mammals (between 5 - 20 kg and > 20 kg), there was significant association between current species richness and the amount of habitat in 2014, while the species richness of smaller mammals did not significantly correlate with any of the variables assessed for any of the years. Therefore, the amount of habitat present within the current landscape was the most important variable regarding mammal species richness, especially for the larger species. The time lag was not evident at the time scale evaluated, and this delay in response may have occurred in a relatively short time (< 15 years). For the remaining fragments in the studied landscapes, most are too small to support populations of some larger mammal species and may also leave individuals more vulnerable to anthropogenic actions (e.g. hunting), whose effects may accelerate local extinctions.

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