Deforestation is a key driver of biodiversity reduction worldwide and impacts ecosystem functioning, ecological processes, and species behavior. Here, we investigated the effects of deforestation on ...the diet of puma (
Puma concolor
) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We characterized puma diets in the largest continuous Atlantic Forest remnant and compiled literature data on their diet across the biome for comparison. We divided localities (
N
= 16) into two systems, namely, preserved areas (>40% forest cover) and human-modified landscapes (HMLs; <40%), and compared the diets in terms of percentage of occurrence, mean weight of mammalian prey (MWMP), and niche breadth. We classified prey according to their body mass (small- to large-sized) and partitioned the contribution of vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish) and mammalian prey (10 orders). The puma diets varied widely across the Atlantic Forest, with prey size decreasing from preserved areas to HMLs. As deforestation increased, the proportion of small-sized prey also increased, leading to a reduction in the MWMP. Niche breadth varied independently of the context or forest cover. Ungulates, large rodents, and xenarthrans were the main prey for pumas in preserved areas, while small rodents and birds accounted for 55% in HMLs. Ungulate predation increased with forest cover augmentation, with the opposite pattern observed for small rodents. The puma diet parameters in the Atlantic Forest and across Neotropical regions were similar, whereas both differed from that of North America, where large-sized prey was more consumed. Deforestation drove pumas to feed on smaller prey (<1 kg), thus highlighting that the effects of deforestation can be even larger and affect the assemblage trophic structure.
Deforestation and habitat loss resulting from land use changes are some of the utmost anthropogenic impacts that threaten tropical birds in human-modified landscapes (HMLs). The degree of these ...impacts on birds’ diet, habitat use, and ecological niche can be measured by isotopic analysis. We investigated whether the isotopic niche width, food resources, and habitat use of bird trophic guilds differed between HMLs and natural landscapes (NLs) using stable carbon (
δ
13
C) and nitrogen isotopes (
δ
15
N). We analyzed feathers of 851 bird individuals from 28 landscapes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We classified landscapes into two groups according to the percentage of forest cover (HMLs ≤ 30%; NLs ≥ 47%), and compared the isotopic niche width and mean values of
δ
13
C and
δ
15
N for each guild between landscape types. The niches of frugivores, insectivores, nectarivores, and omnivores were narrower in HMLs, whereas granivores showed the opposite pattern. In HMLs, nectarivores showed a reduction of 44% in niche width, while granivores presented an expansion of 26%. Individuals in HMLs consumed more resources from agricultural areas (C
4
plants), but almost all guilds showed a preference for forest resources (C
3
plants) in both landscape types, except granivores. Degraded and fragmented landscapes typically present a lower availability of habitat and food resources for many species, which was reflected by the reduction in niche width of birds in HMLs. Therefore, to protect the diversity of guilds in HMLs, landscape management strategies that offer birds more diverse habitats must be implemented in tropical regions.
Abstract Although considered an evolutionary force responsible for shaping ecosystems and biodiversity, fires’ natural cycle is being altered by human activities, increasing the odds of destructive ...megafire events. Here, we show that forest type modulates the responses of terrestrial mammals, from species to assemblage level, to a catastrophic megafire in the Brazilian Pantanal. We unraveled that mammalian richness was higher 1 year after fire passage compared to a pre-fire condition, which can be attributed to habitat modification caused by wildfires, attracting herbivores and open-area tolerant species. We observed changes in assemblage composition between burned/unburned sites, but no difference in mammalian richness or relative abundance. However, by partitioning the effects of burned area proportion per forest type (monospecific vs. polyspecific), we detected differential responses of mammals at several levels of organization, with pronounced declines in species richness and relative abundance in monospecific forests. Eighty-six percent of the species presented moderate to strong negative effects on their relative abundance, with an overall strong negative effect for the entire assemblage. Wildfires are predicted to be more frequent with climate and land use change, and if events analogous to Pantanal-2020 become recurrent, they might trigger regional beta diversity change, benefitting open-area tolerant species.
Roadkill estimates for different species and species groups are available for many countries and regions. However, there is a lack of information from tropical countries, including from Latin ...America. In this study, we analyzed medium and large-sized mammal roadkill data from 18 toll road companies (TRC) in São Paulo State (6,580 km of monitored toll roads), Brazil. We extrapolated these roadkill numbers to the entire system of major paved roads in the State (36,503 km). The TRC collected mammal-road- mortality data both before (2-lanes) and after (4-lanes) road reconstruction. We used the “before” data from the TRC to estimate annual mammal-road-mortality along 2-lane roads that remained public roads. Combined with the data for the new 4-lane highways, this allowed us to estimate annual mammal road mortality for all the paved roads in the State. During 10 years of roadkill monitoring along toll roads, a total of 37,744 roadkilled mammals were recorded, representing a total of 32 medium to large-sized mammal species (average number of roadkilled individuals/year = 3,774 ± 1,159; min = 1,932; max = 5,369; 0.6 individuals roadkilled/km/year). Most roadkilled species were common generalists, but there were also relatively high roadkill numbers of threatened and endangered species (4.3% of the data), which is a serious conservation concern. Most of the roadkill was reported occurred during the nocturnal period (66%, n = 14,189) and in the rainy months (October–March) (55%, n = 15,318). Reported mammal roadkill tended to increase between 2009 and 2014 (R2 = 0.614; p = 0.065), with an average increase of 313.5 individuals/year. Extrapolation of the results to the entire São Paulo State, resulted in an average estimate of 39,605 medium and large-sized mammals roadkilled per year. Our estimates of the number of roadkilled individuals can be used as one of the input parameters in population viability analyses to understand the extinction or extirpation risk, especially for threatened and endangered species.
Roadkill; Mammal; Road; Estimate; São Paulo state; Biological conservation.
Display omitted
•Reduction in patch size affects functional trait composition of bird communities.•Functional richness is directly and positively related to habitat patch size.•Large-bodied and ...large-beaked frugivores are most sensitive to patch size reduction.•Loss of sensitive species potentially hinders seed dispersal for large-fruited trees.•Conserving large inter-connected patches is key to sustaining ecological processes.
Land-use change influences biodiversity in non-random ways, affecting some species and functional groups more than others, with potential implications for the loss or degradation of important ecological processes, such as seed dispersal. Here we investigate the effect of patch-size reduction on the composition and functional richness (FRic) of avian communities in Atlantic Forest fragments, focusing on morphological traits associated with seed dispersal in frugivorous birds. We found that FRic of three key traits—hand-wing index, body mass and gape width—decreased with patch size reduction, because species with larger values for morphological traits were lost through local extinction. The relative absence of large-gaped and more-dispersive frugivores in small forest fragments has important implications because these species play a pivotal role in seed dispersal, carrying higher seed loads for longer distances, and consuming larger-sized seeds that cannot be dispersed by smaller-gaped frugivores. Our results highlight the importance of preserving large or interconnected habitat patches, and promoting habitat restoration of cleared areas, to ensure that sufficient avian functional diversity is maintained to supply the full range of seed dispersal services required by tropical forests, both currently and in future.
This study contributes to the comparative analysis of outcomes between gamified and traditional training systems in the banking sector. On‐the‐job training is a vital aspect of the process of ...enhancing work performance within organizations. Thus, by employing a case‐based asymmetric configural approach rooted in nonlinear and contrarian case analysis, this research investigates the impact of gamified training on human resource development. A global empirical survey of 388 banking employees revealed that a combination of complexity theory and configural analysis provides valuable insights into the outcomes of both gamified and conventional training methods. In the face of increasing competition, banks are compelled to enhance their professionalism by boosting employee motivation. It becomes apparent that there is no straightforward, necessary and sufficient path available to guarantee high levels of engagement and job satisfaction. Notably, some of these results challenge the expectations of self‐determination theory (SDT), which posits the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs during training. These findings contribute to an enriched understanding of the nuanced application of complexity theory in the context of SDT research, particularly regarding the training and development of gamified systems for banking organizations and other service‐oriented sectors that can benefit from such innovative training approaches.
Ecotones generally present high diversity because they unite fauna that is characteristic of different biomes in a single location. Here, we inventoried medium and large- sized mammals at three sites ...(from 83 to 342 ha of native vegetation) in an ecotone between Atlantic Forest and Pampa in the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using complementary methods (camera trapping and active search). Between July 2017 and June 2018, we recorded 22 native mammals from seven orders and 15 families, representing 46.8 % of the species expected to occur in the region (N = 47). Eight species are threatened in Rio Grande do Sul, four in Brazil, and one globally. We also detected two exotic species (Sus scrofa and Lepus europaeus) and one domestic (Canis familiaris). The most recorded species were Cerdocyon thous, Mazama gouazoubira, and Dasypus novemcinctus, which accounted for 61 % of all detections. Species richness varied between 6 and 14 species among sampling sites, showing low similarity in species composition between pairs of sites (from 4 to 13 %), with only two species (C. thous, and Procyon cancrivorus) in common. Comparing our assemblages with others throughout the Atlantic Forest and Pampa of Rio Grande do Sul, we observed that small remnants of native vegetation still support the presence of regionally threatened species. Thus, despite anthropogenic pressures present at our study sites, such as poaching and roadkill, small remnants of native vegetation safeguard important mammal species and play an essential role in the long-term survival of the mammalian fauna.
The Area of Ecological Interest “Matão de Cosmopolis” is one of the few forest remnants larger than 100 hectares in the metropolitan region of Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil. Medium and ...large-sized mammals were surveyed in this forest remnant using natural signs and active search between September 2008 and April 2009. Eighteen species belonging to seven different orders were recorded. Seven species of Order Carnivora were identified, two of which are listed as endangered in São Paulo State (Leopardus pardalis and Puma concolor). Cerdocyon thous, Sapajus nigritus and Canis familiaris had the highest frequency of occurrence. Results show the importance of AEIMC in regional context for mammal conservation. However, immediate actions for its conservation are required due to anthropogenic activities in the area.
PDF
