scholarly journals Terrestrial mammal diversity in forests close to pineapple crops, Cutris San Carlos, Costa Rica.

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65
Author(s):  
Jonathan Navarro P ◽  
Alexander Gómez L

Pineapple crops reduce the size of forest fragments and generate pressure on biodiversity in the remnants. To determine potential negative effects of forest fragmentation we assessed diversity and composition of terrestrial mammals in forest patches on three farms under pineapple crops. We placedSherman and Tomahawk traps, footprints traps near water bodies, and made daily tracks to obtain traces and direct observation of mammals. We identified seven species of wild mammals, mostly omnivorous and under a least concern conservation status. The effect of cover type generated by the pineapple crops is consistent with mammal composition. Pineapple crops could enhance the most common wildlife problems, such as predator-prey relationships. Therefore, pineapple plantations, by causing fragmentation and lack of connectivity among forest patches, threaten extinction of mammals in some of their original range.

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Alejandro Marín ◽  
Gerardo Ceballos ◽  
Jesús Pacheco

RESUMENLas selvas secas son uno de los ecosistemas más diversos y amenazados en Latinoamérica. Se realizó un muestreo de la mastofauna terrestre en dos localidades de las selvas secas del estado de Guerrero en el Pacífico mexicano. En total se registraron 44 especies de mamíferos terrestres que pertenecen a 20 familias y 8 órdenes, lo que representa el 9% de la mastofauna terrestre del país y el 29% para el estado de Guerrero. De las especies encontradas, 9 son endémicas a México. Sobre el estado de conservación, 3 de ellas se encuentran amenazadas y 3 en peligro de extinción de acuerdo a la lista mexicana de especies en riesgo. A nivel mundial, 2 especies son consideradas vulnerables. Destacan los registros del zorrillo pigmeo (Spilogale pygmaea), la rata leñera (Hodomys alleni) y el jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). Para los murciélagos Musonycteris harrisoni y Myotis carteri se amplía su rango de distribución con los registros aquí presentados. La diversidad de mamíferos registrada enfatiza la importancia de conservar parches de selva en ambientes altamente urbanizados, así como la necesidad de estrategias que incrementen la conectividad entre los diferentes parches y que consideren las amenazas urbanas a la fauna en estos sitios.Palabras clave: Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero, mamíferos, Omitlán, selva seca.ABSTRACTThe tropical dry forest represents one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems in Latin America. We carried out a survey of the terrestrial mammals’ community in two locations at the Mexican Pacific region of dry forest in Guerrero state. We registered 44 species of mammals belonging to 20 families and 8 orders, representing 9 % of Mexico’s terrestrial mammals and 29 % of Guerrero’s. About 9 species of the mammals reported in this study are endemic to Mexico. About the conservation status, 3 species are classified as “threatened” and 3 as “endangered” in the Mexican list of endangered species. In the global context, 2 species are listed as vulnerable. Also, the presence of the pygmy skunk (Spilogale pygmaea), the allen’s woodrat (Hodomys alleni) and the presence of the jaguaroundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), is noteworthy. With the records in this study, we extend the known distribution of the bats Musonycteris harrisoni and Myotis carteri. The great diversity and peculiarity of the found mammals emphasize the importance of conserve forest patches in highly urbanized, also the need of strategies that increment the connectivity between the patches and consider the urban threats, as roadkill’s, in these sites.Key words: Acapulco de Juárez, dry forest, Guerrero, mammals, Omitlan.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Mena ◽  
Hiromi Yagui ◽  
Vania Tejeda ◽  
Emilio Bonifaz ◽  
Eva Bellemain ◽  
...  

ZooKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 792 ◽  
pp. 133-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulia V. Miu ◽  
Chisamera Gabriel B. ◽  
Viorel D. Popescu ◽  
Ruben Iosif ◽  
Andreea Nita ◽  
...  

Based on species occurrence records of museum collections, published literature, and unpublished records shared by mammalian experts, we compiled a distribution database for 59 terrestrial mammals populating the extensively protected Dobrogea Region of Romania. The spatial patterns of mammal distribution and diversity was evaluated and systematic conservation planning applied to identify priority areas for their conservation. The spatial analyses revealed that intensive sampling was not directly correlated to mammal diversity but rather to accessibility for inventory. The spatial prioritisation analysis indicated a relatively aggregated pattern of areas with a high or low conservation value with virtually no connecting corridors between them. The significant overlap between Natura 2000 sites and national protected areas induced an over-optimistic vision of the effectiveness and representativeness of existing Natura 2000 network for species found in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive. These results represent a key step in identifying core areas for the protection of mammal diversity and dispersal corridors for improved connectivity, and to guide future conservation efforts in increasing the effectiveness of the existing protected areas in the context of environmental changes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTA LOPEZ-DARIAS ◽  
JAVIER LUZARDO ◽  
RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ ◽  
DANIEL GONZÁLEZ ◽  
EDUARDO A. GARCÍA ◽  
...  

SummaryNegative effects of poaching on seabird populations are not usually evaluated quantitatively when assessing seabird colony conservation status, nor are they generally considered a major concern. We demonstrate that poaching is still intense in the Canary Islands, and has negative consequences for the conservation of seabird colonies. We quantified the effects of poaching of Cory’s Shearwater fledglings on breeding success on different islands in the Canaries, comparing colonies that suffer from intense, medium, or no poaching. Poaching reduced the breeding success of affected colonies to almost a third, potentially causing the future extinction of the colony. Only colonies with intense wardening campaigns reached high values of reproductive success, showing that government surveillance in conjunction with volunteers from different NGOs is a very effective approach in reducing poaching. A population sensitivity analysis was also conducted to provide data on the factors that most affect the performance of the model. Although population growth and mean final population size varied with increases and decreases in mortality and carrying capacity, only harvesting resulted in a probability of 100% of extinction in 20–40 years. To promote seabird conservation in regions such as the Canary Islands, a core archipelago for seabird species in the Atlantic, poaching control should be elevated by society to a level of urgency, requiring dedicated funding and mobilisation of experts and volunteers to adequately address it through education, prevention and enforcement.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  

Cavite’s remaining upland forest fragments are either remnant from commercial logging activities ca. 25-45 years ago or as a direct result of land conversions for agriculture or human settlements. These forest fragments are very significant because they represent areas where pockets of wildlife habitat still remain. The terrestrial vertebrates are often used to assess animal diversity because they are ideal biological indicators of environmental change and anthropogenic disturbances. The study aimed to determine terrestrial vertebrate diversity, conservation status, and identify major anthropogenic threats in these fragments. Terrestrial vertebrates were surveyed using a combination of strip-transect sampling, time-constrained searches, visual encounter survey (VES), and acoustic encounter survey (AES; for amphibians only), point counts, live trapping and mist netting from October 2014 to March 2016. Species richness and biodiversity estimation were computed using Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, linear regression, detection and probability modeling using PAST, and confidence limits for nestedness (0.05α) using EpiTools. A total of 175 terrestrial vertebrates were documented and among the vertebrate groups, the birds had the highest observed diversity. Twenty-nine (19 birds, 3 mammals, 3 lizards, and 4 anurans) species are listed as threatened. Habitat loss and degradation due to the conversion of habitats to agricultural and/or residential areas remained to be the most prevalent threat in the remaining forested areas in upland Cavite. Baseline data generated shall be used in the different government biodiversity monitoring activities as the basis for impacts and mitigation and initial planning for the management and conservation of these remaining forest patches.


1995 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly L. Offerman ◽  
Virginia H. Dale ◽  
Scott M. Pearson ◽  
Robert V. O'Neill ◽  
Richard O. Bierregaard Jr.

Tropical deforestation often produces landscapes characterized by isolated patches of forest habitat surrounded by pasture, agriculture, or regrowth vegetation. Both the size and the distribution of these forest patches may influence the long-term persistence of faunal species. There is, therefore, a pressing need to understand faunal responses to patterns of forest fragmentation in tropical systems. The Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) provides a wealth of autecological information and spatially explicit data describing habitat use and movement of fauna between Amazonian forest fragments. Using data from the BDFFP and other studies in the Amazon Basin, this paper reviews the information available on tropical insects, frogs, birds, primates, and other mammals that can be used to identify and classify species most at risk for extirpation in fragmented forests.Key words: Amazonia, habitat fragmentation, rainforest, fauna, Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragmentation Project.


2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 991-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. B. Mamede ◽  
C. J. R. Alho

The Pantanal is a large savanna wetland (138,183 km² in Brazil), important for its wildlife, fed by tributaries of the upper Paraguay River, center of South America (Brazil, touching Bolivia and Paraguay). Uplands are plateaus (250-1,200 m high, 215,000 km² in Brazil) and flatland is the Pantanal (80-150 m high, 147,574 km² in Brazil). Rivers are slow moving when they meet the flatland (slope 0.3-0.5 m/km east-west; 0.03-0.15 m/km north-south), periodically overflowing their banks, creating a complex seasonal habitat range. Recurrent shallow flooding occupies 80% of the Pantanal; during the dry season flooded areas dry up. Fluctuating water levels, nutrients and wildlife form a dynamic ecosystem. A flooding regime forms distinct sub-regions within the Pantanal. A mammal survey was carried out in the sub-region of the Rio Negro from April, 2003 through March, 2004 to study the diversity and abundance of terrestrial mammals during the dry and flooding seasons. A total of 36 species were observed in the field. The capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris was the most frequent species, followed by the crab-eating-fox Cerdocyon thous and the marsh deer Blastocerus dichotomus. The highest abundance of species was observed during the dry season (August and September), when there is a considerable expansion of terrestrial habitats, mainly seasonally flooded grassland. Animal abundance (in terms of observed individual frequencies) varied during the dry and wet seasons and the seasonally flooded grassland was the most utilized habitat by mammals in the dry season.


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1797) ◽  
pp. 20142103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlee A. Tucker ◽  
Tracey L. Rogers

Predator–prey relationships and trophic levels are indicators of community structure, and are important for monitoring ecosystem changes. Mammals colonized the marine environment on seven separate occasions, which resulted in differences in species' physiology, morphology and behaviour. It is likely that these changes have had a major effect upon predator–prey relationships and trophic position; however, the effect of environment is yet to be clarified. We compiled a dataset, based on the literature, to explore the relationship between body mass, trophic level and predator–prey ratio across terrestrial ( n = 51) and marine ( n = 56) mammals. We did not find the expected positive relationship between trophic level and body mass, but we did find that marine carnivores sit 1.3 trophic levels higher than terrestrial carnivores. Also, marine mammals are largely carnivorous and have significantly larger predator–prey ratios compared with their terrestrial counterparts. We propose that primary productivity, and its availability, is important for mammalian trophic structure and body size. Also, energy flow and community structure in the marine environment are influenced by differences in energy efficiency and increased food web stability. Enhancing our knowledge of feeding ecology in mammals has the potential to provide insights into the structure and functioning of marine and terrestrial communities.


Drones ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brunton ◽  
Bolin ◽  
Leon ◽  
Burnett

: Drones are often considered an unobtrusive method of monitoring terrestrial wildlife; however research into whether drones disturb wildlife is in its early stages. This research investigated the potential impacts of drone monitoring on a large terrestrial mammal, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), in urban and peri-urban environments. We assessed the response of kangaroos to drone monitoring by analysing kangaroo behaviour prior to and during drone deployments using a linear modelling approach. We also explored factors that influenced kangaroo responses including drone altitude, site characteristics and kangaroo population dynamics and demographics. We showed that drones elicit a vigilance response, but that kangaroos rarely fled from the drone. However, kangaroos were most likely to flee from a drone flown at an altitude of 30 m. This study suggests that drone altitude is a key consideration for minimising disturbance of large terrestrial mammals and that drone flights at an altitude of 60–100 m above ground level will minimise behavioural impacts. It also highlights the need for more research to assess the level of intrusion and other impacts that drone surveys have on the behaviour of wildlife and the accuracy of the data produced.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gislene Fátima da Silva Rocha Fournier ◽  
Marcos Gomes Lopes ◽  
Arlei Marcili ◽  
Diego Garcia Ramirez ◽  
Igor Cunha Lima Acosta ◽  
...  

Toxoplasmosis stands out as a global disease that has felines as definitive hosts. In the municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil, two parks are notable for their ecological and social importance. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in short hair cats, bats and small non-volant mammals in these two ecological reserves. Altogether, biological samples were obtained from 154 mammals, 92 wild animals from both areas and 62 domestic cats of the Parque da Cidade. In total, 22 (53.7%) non-volant wild mammals, 11 (21.5%) bats and 28 (52.8%) cats were positive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies using the Modified Agglutination Test (≥ 25). It was possible to detect the presence of T. gondii DNA, by means of a molecular amplification of a B1 gene fragment (155bp), in 92 tissue samples from wild animals, including Didelphis albiventris, Monodelphis domestica, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina. Of the 62 cats examined by the same molecular method, T. gondii DNA could be detected in 4 cats. In this study, it was observed the circulation of T. gondii in wild species and domestic cats, demonstrating the involvement of wild and domestic animals in the cycle of T. gondii.


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