scholarly journals Trypanosomatid Richness in Wild and Synanthropic Small Mammals from a Biological Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1442
Author(s):  
Alice Pereira Berbigier ◽  
Juliana Helena da Silva Barros ◽  
Edilene Sousa Pontes ◽  
Cristiane Varella Lisboa ◽  
Rosana Gentile ◽  
...  

Trypanosomatids are diverse and can infect several host species, including small mammals (rodents and marsupials). Between 2012 and 2014, 91 small mammals were surveyed for trypanosomatid infection in the Estação Biológica FIOCRUZ Mata Atlântica (EFMA), an Atlantic Forest area in Rio de Janeiro that presents different levels of conserved and degraded areas. Blood, skin, liver, and spleen samples were submitted to parasitological, serological, and molecular assays to detect the infection and determine the taxonomic status of their parasites. Sixty-eight individuals (74.7%; n = 91) were infected by trypanosomatids, including fourteen mixed infected by different trypanosomatid parasites. These hosts were infected by: T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 12), T. cruzi DTU TcIV (n = 2), T. janseni (n = 15), T. dionisii (n = 1), and T. rangeli A (n = 1) detected in blood or tissue cultures, in addition to T. cruzi DTU TcI (n = 9) and Leishmania sp. (n = 1) only by the molecular diagnosis. Serological diagnosis was positive in 38 (71.6%) individuals for T. cruzi, the same amount for Leishmania spp., and 23 (43.3%) individuals were mixed infected. These data indicate a remarkable richness of trypanosomatid species/genotypes infecting small mammals, even in a disturbed area with low mammal species diversity—as is the case of the EFMA—reinforcing the generalist aspect of these parasites.

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Asher ◽  
V. G. Thomas

The validity of using single-sample surveys to measure small mammal diversity was assessed by measuring the effect of short-term, temporal variation in species diversity on the spatial diversity of small mammals occupying fencerow habitats. The diversity of small mammals varied seasonally. Interaction between changes in richness and evenness accounted for the temporal variation in diversity. Temporal variation was attributed to the response of the small mammals to seasonal changes in the vegetation, to the fluctuation in meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) captures among seasons, and to the appearance of small numbers of several mammal species during the summer. Significant spatial variation in species diversity existed, but was masked by the effect of seasonal changes in habitat on the small mammals. Erroneous conclusions could therefore be drawn from the pooling of many single-sample surveys of small mammal diversity.


1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hockings

Two measures of vegetation structure and density failed to show any relationship ta species diversity of small mammals in a series of south-east Queensland coastal habitats. However, the distribution of some species appears to be related to the responses of the animals to vegetation density. Two groups of small mammal species, a rainforest group and a heathland group, are evident. The distribution of these groups is discussed in relation to the habitat responses of the constituent species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Gryz ◽  
Grzegorz Lesiński ◽  
Dagny Krauze-Gryz ◽  
Przemysław Stolarz

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the species richness (S, Chao- 1 index) and diversity (Shannon-Wiener H’ index, diversity profiles) of small mammal assemblages in woodland reserves in an urban agglomeration and to compare the similarity of assemblages (with the use of Ward’s method) in terms of proportions of small mammals connected to the habitats of different level of naturalness. The work was conducted from 2004-2015 at 9 woodland reserves in Warsaw (Poland). On the basis of the analysis of pellets of tawny owls Strix aluco, 2792 individuals were identified (24 species). Reserves supported from 7 to 16 of the small mammal species, the highest overall number of species estimated (Chao-1) was 19. Species present in every reserve were Apodemus flavicollis, A. agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, Sorex araneus and Talpa europaea. Least frequent were Microtus agrestis and M. subterraneus. Seven species of bats were detected. Species diversity was lower in the biggest forest complexes, where forest rodents dominated small mammal assemblage. The heterogeneity of habitats within reserve and in the surroundings, in combination with limited human-interference, resulted in an increase in the species diversity. Overall, the reserves under study were an important refuge for small mammals within the Warsaw agglomeration. However, safeguarding of adjacent areas against excessive anthropogenic change is needed and ecological corridors that link different areas need to be retained.


2022 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Almeida ◽  
R. R. Ribeiro ◽  
J. A. Maia-Júnior ◽  
V. C. Silva ◽  
I. C. V. Borges ◽  
...  

Abstract Several studies emphasize the use of owl pellets in small mammal inventories in natural areas harboring high richness of rare species, but few Brazilian Atlantic forest localities have been surveyed by this method. The present study documents the species composition and abundance of small mammals in the diet of Tyto furcata in an urban area of the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, remarking on a new record of the dwarf mouse opossum genus Cryptonanus in the Atlantic forest. We analyzed 265 pellets regurgitated by a pair of T. furcata from November 2016 to September 2017 found in a nesting box. Analysis of the samples enabled finding a total of 596 individuals of four small mammal species. Mus musculus was predominant among the prey items (98.3%), while the native rodents Necromys lasiurus (1.3%) and Holochilus brasiliensis (0,17%) were much rarer. A single specimen of Cryptonanus sp. was identified among the diet items based on distinctive dental characters. The identification of this genus in the present study represents the second record in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the sixth in the Atlantic Forest biome, suggesting that this marsupial occupies a wider ecological and biogeographic range. The present study underscores the relevance of owl pellets for small mammal surveys, even in urban and highly disturbed areas.


2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc J Mazerolle ◽  
Bruno Drolet ◽  
André Desrochers

Bogs, or ombrotrophic peatlands, are well represented in parts of southeastern Canada but are subjected to increasing pressure from the peat industry. We assessed the impact of peat mining on small mammals inhabiting unexploited bog fragments on the periphery of mined bogs. We conducted two separate studies in bogs mined to different levels (0-83%) in southeastern Québec and New Brunswick. The first study used a low sampling effort over 1 month in 26 bogs, while the second used a high sampling effort of 6 months spread across 2 years in 12 bogs. Of the 15 small-mammal species encountered, only 2 were bog specialists. Abundance and species richness of small mammals in bog fragments increased significantly with percentage of area mined and, in some cases, increased with bog area. Both studies suggest that disturbances resulting from peat mining facilitate the invasion of more generalized small-mammal species. Furthermore, small mammals were more abundant near forest or mined edges than at bog centers, and some species responded strongly to vegetation cover. The response of small mammals to peat mining contrasts with the one documented for birds, amphibians, and plants.


Koedoe ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. G Kern

A total of 16 000 trap-nights was employed over eleven months to examine the influence of burning on small mammal populations in two major veld-types of the Kruger National Park. Four burning treatments (control, annual August burning, triennial August and April burning) were examined in detail and the following parameters determined: small mammal species composition, population density, biomass and species diversity. The control treatment had a high, stable small mammal density, biomass and diversity; the annual burning treatment had a low diversity and was dominated by Tatera leucogaster. The triennial burning treatments showed a cycle of species composition from domination by T. leucogaster following burning, through domination by other rodent species to domination by Crocidura hirta at the end of the cycle. The distributions and movements of the small mammals can be explained in terms of cover and litter preferences.


Ekologija ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulius Alejūnas ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 658
Author(s):  
Inga Böge ◽  
Martin Pfeffer ◽  
Nyo M. Htwe ◽  
Pyai P. Maw ◽  
Siriwardana Rampalage Sarathchandra ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Bartonella spp. are zoonotic bacteria with small mammals as main reservoirs. Bartonella spp. prevalence in small mammals from Myanmar and Sri Lanka are yet unknown. (2) Methods: Small mammals were snap trapped in Sri Lanka and Myanmar in urban surroundings. Spleens-derived DNA was screened for Bartonella spp. using conventional PCR based on three target genes. Positive samples were sequenced. (3) Results: 994 small mammals were collected comprising 6 species: Bandicota bengalensis, Bandicota indica, Rattus exulans, Rattus rattus, Mus booduga, and Suncus murinus. In Myanmar, the Bartonella prevalence in Bandicoot rats (68.47%) was higher than in Rattus rattus (41.67%), Rattus exulans (21.33%), and Suncus murinus (3.64%). Furthermore the prevalence in Myanmar (34%, n = 495) was twice as high as in Sri Lanka (16%, n = 499). In Sri Lanka, Bartonella spp. occurred almost exclusively in R. rattus. In Myanmar, Bartonella kosoyi was mainly detected (56%), followed by Bartonella sp. KM2529 (15%), Bartonella sp. SE-Bart D (12%) and Bartonella henselae (1%). In Sri Lanka, B. phoceensis (60%) and Bartonella sp. KM2581 (33%) were predominant. (4) Conclusions: Bartonella spp. were detected in all investigated small mammal species from Myanmar and Sri Lanka for the first time. Bartonella kosoyi and B. henselae are zoonotic. As these small mammals originated from urban settlements, human bartonellosis seems likely to occur.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 346
Author(s):  
Linas Balčiauskas ◽  
Laima Balčiauskienė ◽  
Andrius Garbaras ◽  
Vitalijus Stirkė

The stability of diversity of syntopic (inhabiting the same habitat in the same time) small mammals in commensal habitats, such as farmsteads and kitchen gardens, and, as a proxy of their diet, their isotopic niches, was investigated in Lithuania in 2019–2020. We tested whether the separation of species corresponds to the trophic guilds, whether their diets are related to possibilities of getting additional food from humans, and whether their diets are subject to seasonal trends. We analyzed diversity, dominance and distribution of hair δ13C and δ15N values. Diversity and dominance was not stable and differed according to human influence. The highest small mammal species richness occurred in commensal habitats that provided additional food. The degree of separation of species was higher in homestead habitats than in kitchen gardens, where a 1.27 to 35.97% overlap of isotopic niches was observed between pairs of species. Temporal changes in δ13C and δ15N values in the hair of the mammals were not equally expressed in different species. The isotopic overlap may depend on dietary plasticity, minimizing interspecific competition and allowing co-existence of syntopic species. Thus, small mammal trophic ecology is likely related to intensity of agricultural activities in the limited space of commensal habitats.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Kataržytė ◽  
Ernestas Kutorga

AbstractThe diets of small mammals in different hemiboreal spruce-dominated, oak-dominated and mixed forests in western part of Lithuania were studied by examination of fungal spores in fresh fecal pellets of caught animals. In the diets of mice (Apodemus spp.), bank voles (Myodes glareolus), and common and pygmy shrews (Sorex araneus and S. minutus), 22 different fungal taxa were identified, 15 of which were hypogeous fungi. The sporocarp abundance and the spores in fecal samples of Elaphomyces fungi prevailed in study area during this investigation. Although most of the captured individuals consumed fungi, the consumption varied among small mammal species. The data show that the fungi were more frequent and taxonomically diverse in Myodes glareolus than in Apodemus spp. diets. The study provided evidence that the fungal component in the diets of insectivorous Sorex species is more diverse than previously known. The availability of sporocarps and the fungal component in the diets of small mammals showed seasonal effects. Annual hypogeous and epigeous sporocarp abundances did not vary significantly across forest types. The significant difference in mycophagy was observed across all forest cover types, with the greatest fungal diversity in fecal samples collected in mixed coniferous-deciduous tree stands.


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