SummaryHabitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to agriculture expansion, pose the main thr... more SummaryHabitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to agriculture expansion, pose the main threats to biodiversity conservation. While some species are able to survive and proliferate in human-modified habitats (winner species), others are highly dependent on well-preserved habitats, being more vulnerable to extinction (losers). Many raptors can be considered loser species due to their high trophic position, large home ranges, and low reproductive rates. Consequently, this group is frequently used to reflect the environmental quality of habitats and the biodiversity status of communities. Here we describe the diurnal raptor assemblages found in shaded-cocoa agroforests (cabrucas) of Southern Bahia, Brazil, and the determinants of raptor occupancy in this system. We systematically surveyed diurnal raptors in 16cabrucasites using complementary sampling methods – active search, playback, and point-count – and modeled species occupancy using covariates related to vegetation structure...
Organismal distributions in human‐modified landscapes largely depend on the capacity of any given... more Organismal distributions in human‐modified landscapes largely depend on the capacity of any given species to adapt to changes in habitat structure and quality. The golden‐headed lion tamarin (GHLT; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) is an Endangered primate from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest whose remaining populations occupy heterogeneous landscapes consisting primarily of shade cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry, locally known as cabrucas. This cash crop can coexist with high densities of native tree species and holds a significant proportion of the native fauna, but its widely extolled wildlife‐friendly status is increasingly threatened by management intensification. Although this potentially threatens to reduce the distribution of GHLTs, the main determinants of tamarin's occupancy of cabrucas remain unknown, thereby limiting our ability to design and implement appropriate conservation practices. We surveyed 16 cabruca patches in southern Bahia, Brazil, and used occupancy modelin...
Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate... more Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, muse...
Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become in... more Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal‐central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and t...
Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republ... more Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-harbor 65% of the world's primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four c...
In a landscape fragmented by agriculture, the extent to which forest-dwelling primates can use th... more In a landscape fragmented by agriculture, the extent to which forest-dwelling primates can use the matrix between fragments can be critical for their long-term survival. So far, the golden-headed lion tamarin (<i>Leontopithecus chrysomelas</i>), an endangered primate inhabiting the Atlantic Forest of south Bahia, is only known to use shaded cacao (<i>Theobroma cacao</i>) agroforests within the matrix. We report on the use of a rubber plantation by a group of golden-headed lion tamarins between August 2013 and January 2014. The group used the rubber plantation on 16 of the 22 observation days (73 %), and we recorded behaviours such as eating, grooming and sleeping, consistent with the use of the area as a home range. We also observed associations with Wied's marmosets (<i>Callithrix kuhlii</i>). The locations of group sightings were not uniformly spread across the entire area of the rubber plantation, suggesting preferred use of certain areas. ...
In southern Bahia, Brazil, rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest threatens a variety of ende... more In southern Bahia, Brazil, rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest threatens a variety of endemic wildlife, including the Endangered golden-headed lion tamarin (GHLT; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) and the Near Threatened Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset (Wied's marmoset; Callithrix kuhlii). Identifying high quality areas in the landscape is critical for mounting efficient conservation programs for these primates. We constructed ecological niche models (ENMs) for GHLTs and Wied's marmosets using the presence-only algorithm Maxent to (1) locate suitable areas for each species, (2) examine the overlap in these areas, and (3) determine the amount of suitable habitat in protected areas. Our models indicate that 36% (10, 659 km2) of the study area is suitable for GHLTs and 53% (15, 642 km2) for Wied's marmosets. Suitable areas were strongly defined by presence of neighboring forest cover for both species, as well as annual temperature range for GHLTs and distance from urb...
The mammals of the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna Biome) are still poorly known; only a few localitie... more The mammals of the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna Biome) are still poorly known; only a few localities have been properly surveyed and studied. Hereby, we present a survey of the mammals of Serra do Cipó National Park, a protected area of Cerrado in Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. A total of 55 species from eight orders were listed, which have been captured, observed or recorded in the literature. Some mammals are endemic or listed as threatened either by IUCN’s red list or by the national and regional red lists. Serra do Cipó National Park is an important site for scientific research and conservation of Minas Gerais’ biodiversity, though there is little information on mammal diversity and distribution in the park. We hope our study can help us fill this gap and improve the effectiveness of this national park in protecting Cerrado mammals and other vertebrates.
Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human e... more Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2±1 species (range=1-6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N=2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N=1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N=35), Leontopithecus caissara (N=38), a...
Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology, Jan 4, 2018
This study evaluated the genetic structure of wild populations of the endangered primate, Leontop... more This study evaluated the genetic structure of wild populations of the endangered primate, Leontopithecus chrysomelas. We tested the assumption that populations of L. chrysomelas, given their larger population size and a higher degree of habitat continuity, would have higher genetic diversity and less genetic structuring than other lion tamarins. We used 11 microsatellites and 122 hair samples from different locations to assess their genetic diversity and genetic structure, and to make inferences about the isolation by distance. The overall expected heterozygosity (0.51 ± 0.03) and the average number of alleles (3.6 ± 0.2) were relatively low, as is the case in other endangered lion tamarins. Genetic clustering analyses indicated two main clusters, whereas the statistical analyses based on genotype similarities and Fst suggested further substructure. A Mantel test showed that only 34% of this genetic differentiation was explained by the linear distance. In addition to linear distance...
SummaryHabitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to agriculture expansion, pose the main thr... more SummaryHabitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to agriculture expansion, pose the main threats to biodiversity conservation. While some species are able to survive and proliferate in human-modified habitats (winner species), others are highly dependent on well-preserved habitats, being more vulnerable to extinction (losers). Many raptors can be considered loser species due to their high trophic position, large home ranges, and low reproductive rates. Consequently, this group is frequently used to reflect the environmental quality of habitats and the biodiversity status of communities. Here we describe the diurnal raptor assemblages found in shaded-cocoa agroforests (cabrucas) of Southern Bahia, Brazil, and the determinants of raptor occupancy in this system. We systematically surveyed diurnal raptors in 16cabrucasites using complementary sampling methods – active search, playback, and point-count – and modeled species occupancy using covariates related to vegetation structure...
Organismal distributions in human‐modified landscapes largely depend on the capacity of any given... more Organismal distributions in human‐modified landscapes largely depend on the capacity of any given species to adapt to changes in habitat structure and quality. The golden‐headed lion tamarin (GHLT; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) is an Endangered primate from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest whose remaining populations occupy heterogeneous landscapes consisting primarily of shade cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry, locally known as cabrucas. This cash crop can coexist with high densities of native tree species and holds a significant proportion of the native fauna, but its widely extolled wildlife‐friendly status is increasingly threatened by management intensification. Although this potentially threatens to reduce the distribution of GHLTs, the main determinants of tamarin's occupancy of cabrucas remain unknown, thereby limiting our ability to design and implement appropriate conservation practices. We surveyed 16 cabruca patches in southern Bahia, Brazil, and used occupancy modelin...
Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate... more Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, muse...
Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become in... more Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal‐central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and t...
Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republ... more Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-harbor 65% of the world's primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four c...
In a landscape fragmented by agriculture, the extent to which forest-dwelling primates can use th... more In a landscape fragmented by agriculture, the extent to which forest-dwelling primates can use the matrix between fragments can be critical for their long-term survival. So far, the golden-headed lion tamarin (<i>Leontopithecus chrysomelas</i>), an endangered primate inhabiting the Atlantic Forest of south Bahia, is only known to use shaded cacao (<i>Theobroma cacao</i>) agroforests within the matrix. We report on the use of a rubber plantation by a group of golden-headed lion tamarins between August 2013 and January 2014. The group used the rubber plantation on 16 of the 22 observation days (73 %), and we recorded behaviours such as eating, grooming and sleeping, consistent with the use of the area as a home range. We also observed associations with Wied's marmosets (<i>Callithrix kuhlii</i>). The locations of group sightings were not uniformly spread across the entire area of the rubber plantation, suggesting preferred use of certain areas. ...
In southern Bahia, Brazil, rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest threatens a variety of ende... more In southern Bahia, Brazil, rapid deforestation of the Atlantic Forest threatens a variety of endemic wildlife, including the Endangered golden-headed lion tamarin (GHLT; Leontopithecus chrysomelas) and the Near Threatened Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset (Wied's marmoset; Callithrix kuhlii). Identifying high quality areas in the landscape is critical for mounting efficient conservation programs for these primates. We constructed ecological niche models (ENMs) for GHLTs and Wied's marmosets using the presence-only algorithm Maxent to (1) locate suitable areas for each species, (2) examine the overlap in these areas, and (3) determine the amount of suitable habitat in protected areas. Our models indicate that 36% (10, 659 km2) of the study area is suitable for GHLTs and 53% (15, 642 km2) for Wied's marmosets. Suitable areas were strongly defined by presence of neighboring forest cover for both species, as well as annual temperature range for GHLTs and distance from urb...
The mammals of the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna Biome) are still poorly known; only a few localitie... more The mammals of the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna Biome) are still poorly known; only a few localities have been properly surveyed and studied. Hereby, we present a survey of the mammals of Serra do Cipó National Park, a protected area of Cerrado in Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. A total of 55 species from eight orders were listed, which have been captured, observed or recorded in the literature. Some mammals are endemic or listed as threatened either by IUCN’s red list or by the national and regional red lists. Serra do Cipó National Park is an important site for scientific research and conservation of Minas Gerais’ biodiversity, though there is little information on mammal diversity and distribution in the park. We hope our study can help us fill this gap and improve the effectiveness of this national park in protecting Cerrado mammals and other vertebrates.
Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human e... more Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2±1 species (range=1-6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N=2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N=1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N=35), Leontopithecus caissara (N=38), a...
Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology, Jan 4, 2018
This study evaluated the genetic structure of wild populations of the endangered primate, Leontop... more This study evaluated the genetic structure of wild populations of the endangered primate, Leontopithecus chrysomelas. We tested the assumption that populations of L. chrysomelas, given their larger population size and a higher degree of habitat continuity, would have higher genetic diversity and less genetic structuring than other lion tamarins. We used 11 microsatellites and 122 hair samples from different locations to assess their genetic diversity and genetic structure, and to make inferences about the isolation by distance. The overall expected heterozygosity (0.51 ± 0.03) and the average number of alleles (3.6 ± 0.2) were relatively low, as is the case in other endangered lion tamarins. Genetic clustering analyses indicated two main clusters, whereas the statistical analyses based on genotype similarities and Fst suggested further substructure. A Mantel test showed that only 34% of this genetic differentiation was explained by the linear distance. In addition to linear distance...
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