The Distribution of Neotropical Migrant Birds Wintering in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico

SummaryAn evaluation of the relative abundance of the Black CatbirdMelanoptila glabrirostriswas undertaken on Caye Caulker, an offshore island along the barrier reef of Belize, Central America. Although the species is locally abundant in part of the Sian Kaàn Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, the species is facing habitat fragmentation and loss due to development, both along the Mexican coastal areas and on the island habitats in Belize. The Caye Caulker population appears to be the largest in Belize. Transects of fixed radius point counts resulted in 15.5% and mist-netting resulted in 22.4% of all birds recorded being Black Catbirds. The Neotropical migrant Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensisapparently shares the same habitat on Caye Caulker and comprised 11.2% of all birds netted. The netted Black Catbirds were noted to have substantial fat deposits. The habitat on Caye Caulker is facing probable fragmentation from recent accelerated land speculation and development of an airstrip.

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Assessing conservation status of resident and migrant birds on Hispaniola with constant-effort mist-netting

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1368v1 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

John D Lloyd ◽

Chris C Rimmer ◽

Kent P McFarland

Keyword(s):

Population Change ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Capture Rate ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Bird Species ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Neotropical Migrant ◽

Migrant Birds ◽

Conservation Assessments ◽

Capture Rates

We analyzed temporal trends in mist-net capture rates of resident (n = 8) and overwintering Nearctic-Neotropical migrant (n = 3) bird species at two sites in montane broadleaf forest of the Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic, with the goal of providing quantitative information on population trends that could inform conservation assessments. We conducted sampling at least once annually during the winter months of January – March from 1997 – 2010. We found evidence of steep declines in capture rates for three resident species, including one species endemic to Hispaniola. Capture rate of Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) declined by 3.9% per year (95% CL = 0%, 7.3%), Green-tailed Ground-Tanager (Microlegia palustris) by 6.8% (95% CL = 3.9%, 8.8%), and Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla violacea) by 4.9% (95% CL = 0.9%, 9.2%). Two rare and threatened endemics, Hispaniolan Highland-Tanager (Xenolegia montana) and Western Chat-Tanager (Calyptophilus tertius), showed statistically significant declines, but we have low confidence in these findings because trends were driven by exceptionally high capture rates in 1997 and varied between sites. Analyses that excluded data from 1997 revealed no trend in capture rate over the course of the study. We found no evidence of temporal trends in capture rates for any other residents or Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. We do not know the causes of the observed declines, nor can we conclude that these declines are not a purely local phenomenon. However, our findings, along with other recent reports of declines in these same species, suggest that a closer examination of their conservation status is warranted. Given the difficulty in obtaining spatially extensive, long-term estimates of population change for Hispaniolan birds, we suggest focusing on other metrics of vulnerability that are more easily quantified yet remain poorly described, such as extent of occurrence.

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El jaguar Panthera onca (Carnivora: Felidae) en la Reserva de la Biosfera “El Cielo”, Tamaulipas, México

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v64i4.21880 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rogelio Carrera-Treviño ◽

Ivan Lira-Torres ◽

Luis Martínez-García ◽

Martha López-Hernández

Keyword(s):

Puma Concolor ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Domestic Animals ◽

Didelphis Virginiana ◽

Camera Trapping ◽

Potential Prey ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Local Residents ◽

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

Information on the ecology of jaguars (Panthera onca) in “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico is scant and limited to anecdotic records in a handful of publications. The objectives of our study were to: a) determine population density and structure of jaguars, b) compare their activity patterns with that of pumas (Puma concolor), c) ascertain potential prey relative abundance, and d) evaluate local resident’s perception on loss of domestic animals due to jaguar predation. Between April 2013 and April 2014 we conducted camera trapping in Gomez Farias Township with a total sampling effort of 8 580 camera trap days. Besides, we completed 136 semi-structured interviews among local residents of Gomez Farias and Llera Townships to gather information on domestic animal losses attributed to jaguars and other carnivores. We identified eight different jaguar individuals during a complete year of camera-trapping, composed of four adult females, one juvenile female, two adult males and one juvenile male. We estimated a jaguar density of 5.9 ± 1.3 jaguars/100 km². Activity patterns for jaguars and pumas were similar as both were nocturnal and crepuscular in nature. The most abundant potential prey species for jaguars in the study site were Crax rubra, Cuniculus paca, Mazama temama, Odocoileus virginianus and Didelphis virginiana; while the rarest were Mephitis macroura and Procyon lotor. Interview results suggested that chickens, dogs, and house cats were the most consumed domestic animals from all reported losses by local residents (n= 107). This study represents the first attempt to describe jaguar ecology in “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve; however, there is a need of additional monitoring efforts to determine the current status of jaguars in a larger area in order to establish conservation strategies. Finally, this jaguar population may have an important role in maintaining the species in the Sierra Madre Oriental biological corridor connecting populations in Nuevo Leon and San Luis states in Northeastern Mexico.

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Mites associated to chile piquín (Capsicum annuum L. var. glabriusculum) in two Protect Natural Areas in Northeastern México

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.24.12.17 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (10) ◽

pp. 2537-2551 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

José Irving Monjarás-barrera ◽

Julio Cesar Chacón-hernandez ◽

Guilherme Liberato Da Silva ◽

Liana Johann ◽

Onilda Santos Da Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Capsicum Annuum ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Similarity Index ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Predatory Mite ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Protected Natural Areas ◽

Northeastern Mexico ◽

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

The conservation status of an ecosystem is checked by studying the composition and diversity of the organisms that interact in trophic chains. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of mites associated to Capsicum annuum L. var glabriusculum (Solanaceae) at three sampling sites corresponding to two Protected Natural Areas (PNA) in Tamaulipas state, Mexico. Samplings were carried out in “Cañón de la Peregrina” and “Altas Cumbres” situated in the PNA "Altas Cumbres" and “Ojo de Agua”, located in the "El Cielo" Biosphere Reserve. Mite diversity was H = 1.09 ± 0.14 in Ojo de Agua, and it was H = 1.08 ± 0.08 and H = 1.11 ± 0.06 in Altas Cumbres and Cañón de la Peregrina, respectively. A total of 47 species were identified belonging to 35 genera of 18 families associated to C. annuum L. var glabriusculum in Mexico. Predatory mite richness was higher than that of generalist and phytophagous mites (31, 11 and 5 species, respectively) for the two ANP. The similarity index of Jaccard between OA–AC (IJ = 0.257; P < 0.05), CP–AC (IJ = 0.293; P < 0.05) and AC–CP (IJ = 0.324; P < 0.05) was low. Pseudopronematalus sp. 4 (Iolinidae) was predatory mite most abundant in both ANP (Pi = 9.311); followed by Metaseiulus (Metaseiulus) negundinis (Denmark) (Phytoseiidae) only for ANP “Altas Cumbres” (Pi = 1.004). While for phytophagus mite, Aculops lycopersici (Tryon) (Eriophyidae) and Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux (Tetranychidae) presented the highest abundances in all sites (Pi = 79.919 and 5.142, respectively). The high number of mites species associated to chile piquín suggests stability in the PNA despite anthropogenic activities, and that the PNA works as a mite reservoir.

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Assessing conservation status of resident and migrant birds on Hispaniola with mist-netting

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1541 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. e1541 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John D. Lloyd ◽

Christopher C. Rimmer ◽

Kent P. McFarland

Keyword(s):

Population Change ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Capture Rate ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Bird Species ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Neotropical Migrant ◽

Migrant Birds ◽

Conservation Assessments ◽

Capture Rates

We analyzed temporal trends in mist-net capture rates of resident (n= 8) and overwintering Nearctic-Neotropical migrant (n= 3) bird species at two sites in montane broadleaf forest of the Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic, with the goal of providing quantitative information on population trends that could inform conservation assessments. We conducted sampling at least once annually during the winter months of January–March from 1997 to 2010. We found evidence of declines in capture rates for three resident species, including one species endemic to Hispaniola. Capture rate of Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) declined by 3.9% per year (95% CL = 0%, 7.3%), Green-tailed Ground-Tanager (Microligea palustris) by 6.8% (95% CL = 3.9%, 8.8%), and Greater Antillean Bullfinch (Loxigilla violacea) by 4.9% (95% CL = 0.9%, 9.2%). Two rare and threatened endemics, Hispaniolan Highland-Tanager (Xenoligea montana) and Western Chat-Tanager (Calyptophilus tertius), showed statistically significant declines, but we have low confidence in these findings because trends were driven by exceptionally high capture rates in 1997 and varied between sites. Analyses that excluded data from 1997 revealed no trend in capture rate over the course of the study. We found no evidence of temporal trends in capture rates for any other residents or Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. We do not know the causes of the observed declines, nor can we conclude that these declines are not a purely local phenomenon. However, our findings, along with other recent reports of declines in these same species, suggest that a closer examination of their conservation status is warranted. Given the difficulty in obtaining spatially extensive, long-term estimates of population change for Hispaniolan birds, we suggest focusing on other metrics of vulnerability that are more easily quantified yet remain poorly described, such as extent of occurrence.

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Species Richness and Nesting Success of Migrant Forest Birds in Natural River Corridors and Anthropogenic Woodlands in Southeastern South Dakota

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/108.1.140 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 140-153

Author(s):

Dale J. Gentry ◽

David L. Swanson ◽

Jay D. Carlisle

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Nesting Success ◽

Forest Birds ◽

Individual Species ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Riparian Corridors ◽

Neotropical Migrant ◽

Riparian Woodlands ◽

Migrant Birds ◽

River Corridors

AbstractForest fragmentation is thought to be partially responsible for declines in many Neotropical migrant birds due to the combined effects of higher rates of brood parasitism and increased predation near forest edges. A majority of the forested habitat in the northern prairie region is found in riparian corridors, but this native habitat has been much reduced from its historical extent. However, additional woodland nesting habitat has been established within the last century in the form of isolated woodlots on farms. We compared abundance, species richness, and nesting success of migrant forest birds breeding in native riparian corridors and anthropogenic woodlots. The two habitats had similar bird abundances but native riparian woodlands were more species-rich than woodlots. We located a total of 650 nests, with 320 nests of 15 species in woodlots and 331 nests of 25 species in riparian corridors. Nesting success was not significantly different between the two habitats for all species combined or for individual species with ≥15 nests in each habitat. Nests above 5 m were more successful than lower nests, but distance to woodland edge did not influence nesting success. Nests initiated in the middle and late portions of the nesting season were more successful than early season nests, significantly so in woodlots. Thus, anthropogenic woodlots were as suitable as natural habitats for successful nesting. However, many of the Neotropical migrants occurring in riparian habitats were absent from woodlots, which suggests that riparian corridors are especially important habitats for breeding birds in the northern prairie region.

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