Tapirus terrestris populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. Our objective is to... more Tapirus terrestris populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. Our objective is to estimate the minimum viable population size for tapirs in the Atlantic Forest. A Population Viability Analysis was conducted using VORTEX. Demographic parameters were based on data published in the scientific literature. Demographically and genetically viable populations should have more than 30 and 200 individuals, respectively. Sensitivity analysis suggests that mortality rate, sex ratio and inbreeding depression are important for population persistence. Preserving tapir populations is important to avoid local extinction, preserve intra-specific diversity, maintain evolutionary potential and ensure tapirs play their ecological roles within ecosystems.
This study identifies the food habits of the margay, Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), and the jag... more This study identifies the food habits of the margay, Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), and the jaguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilare, 1803), in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve, Espírito Santo, Brazil. We determined the diet of both species by the analysis of scats. Fecal samples were collected from April 1995 to September 2000 and identified based on the presence of hairs that were ingested during self-grooming. Scats were oven-dried and washed on a sieve, and the screened material was identified using a reference collection. Of the 59 fecal samples examined, 30 were confirmed to be from the margay and nine of them from the jaguarundi. Mammals were the most consumed items in the diet of the margay, occurring in 77% of the fecal samples, followed by birds (53%) and reptiles (20%). Among the mammals consumed, marsupials (Didelphimorphia) were the most common item (66%). In the diet of the jaguarundi, birds were the most consumed items and occurred in 55% of the fecal samples; mammals and reptiles occurred in 41% and in 17% of the fecal samples, respectively. From this work we conclude that the margay and jaguarundi fed mainly upon small vertebrates in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve. Although sample sizes are therefore insufficient for quantitative comparisons, margays prey more frequently upon arboricolous mammals than jaguarundis, which in turn prey more frequently upon birds and reptiles than margays. This seems to reflect a larger pattern throughout their geographic range.
Tapirus terrestris populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. Our objective is to... more Tapirus terrestris populations are declining due to habitat loss and hunting. Our objective is to estimate the minimum viable population size for tapirs in the Atlantic Forest. A Population Viability Analysis was conducted using VORTEX. Demographic parameters were based on data published in the scientific literature. Demographically and genetically viable populations should have more than 30 and 200 individuals, respectively. Sensitivity analysis suggests that mortality rate, sex ratio and inbreeding depression are important for population persistence. Preserving tapir populations is important to avoid local extinction, preserve intra-specific diversity, maintain evolutionary potential and ensure tapirs play their ecological roles within ecosystems.
This study identifies the food habits of the margay, Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), and the jag... more This study identifies the food habits of the margay, Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), and the jaguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilare, 1803), in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve, Espírito Santo, Brazil. We determined the diet of both species by the analysis of scats. Fecal samples were collected from April 1995 to September 2000 and identified based on the presence of hairs that were ingested during self-grooming. Scats were oven-dried and washed on a sieve, and the screened material was identified using a reference collection. Of the 59 fecal samples examined, 30 were confirmed to be from the margay and nine of them from the jaguarundi. Mammals were the most consumed items in the diet of the margay, occurring in 77% of the fecal samples, followed by birds (53%) and reptiles (20%). Among the mammals consumed, marsupials (Didelphimorphia) were the most common item (66%). In the diet of the jaguarundi, birds were the most consumed items and occurred in 55% of the fecal samples; mammals and reptiles occurred in 41% and in 17% of the fecal samples, respectively. From this work we conclude that the margay and jaguarundi fed mainly upon small vertebrates in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve. Although sample sizes are therefore insufficient for quantitative comparisons, margays prey more frequently upon arboricolous mammals than jaguarundis, which in turn prey more frequently upon birds and reptiles than margays. This seems to reflect a larger pattern throughout their geographic range.
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