Autocorrelação espacial da riqueza e da abundância de mamíferos ao longo do corredor Cerrado-Pantanal, Brasil Central

In this paper, we evaluated spatial patterns in mammalian fauna obtained using 75,000 camera-trap hours in 33 fragments at the Cerrado-Pantanal border, along an east-west axis and flanked by two relatively large preserved areas. This region has been proposed as an ecological corridor, connecting these two large ecosystems. The richness of species obtained (total = 33) was explained by the area and the number of habitats in each fragment. The abundance of small-bodied species tends to have significant spatial patterns, whereas variation in the abundance of large-bodied species is randomly distributed in the geographical space. No faunal transition (changes in species compositions) between the two ecosystems was identified. Key words: camera trap, Cerrado, ecological corridor, Pantanal, mammals.Neste trabalho, avaliamos o padrão espacial da mastofauna através de 75.000 horas de esforço amostral obtidas por armadilhas fotográficas instaladas em 33 fragmentos em uma região de transição entre o Cerrado e o Pantanal, ao longo de um eixo Leste-Oeste, entre duas áreas relativamente grandes e bem preservadas. Esta região tem sido proposta como um corredor ecológico, conectando estes dois grandes ecossistemas. A riqueza de espécies obtida (total de 33 espécies) foi explicada pela área e pelo número de hábitats em cada fragmento. A abundância de espécies de pequeno porte tende a apresentar padrões espaciais significativos, enquanto a variação na abundância de espécies de grande porte é aleatoriamente distribuída no espaço geográfico. Não foi identificada uma transição faunística (mudança na composição de espécies) entre os dois ecossistemas. Palavras-chave: armadilha fotográfica, Cerrado, corredor ecológico, Pantanal, mamíferos

One or two cameras per station? Monitoring jaguars and other mammals in the Amazon

Camera trapping has become a popular technique to monitor carnivore populations due to its usefulness in estimating abundance. Nevertheless, there are a number of problems associated with study design which are motivating researchers to search for a compromise that ensures improvement of precision while being cost-effective. We have used data from a capture– recapture study in a forested area in central Brazil to evaluate the effectiveness of using one versus two cameras per trapping station for determining jaguar (Panthera onca) density and capture rates of several other mammals. The capture rate for the jaguar and other species recorded with only one camera was lower than that with two cameras. The number of jaguars identified using photos from one camera ranged between six and seven animals, but reached ten individuals when twocamera sets were used where pictures of both flanks could be positively individualized. These differences, combined with different estimates of effective sampled area size, resulted in jaguar densities estimates ranging from 2.18 to 5.40 and 3.99 individuals/100 km2 when one and two cameras were used per station, respectively (using the half-MMDM and Heterogeneity model). Based on our results, we recommend the use of two cameras per station for jaguar density monitoring to ensure reasonable levels of reliability and accuracy of estimates despite a small sample size.publishe

Note on the diet of the jaguar in central Brazil

Diet of the jaguar Panthera onca in the Cerrado, central Brazil, was investigated based on a sample of genetically identified jaguar scats. At least nine prey species were observed in 35 scat samples. Giant anteaters Myrmecophaga tridactyla contributed more than 75 % of biomass to the observed diet. Tapirs Tapirus terrestris and peccaries Tayassu pecari and Pecari tajacu contributed approximately 6 % to jaguar diet each, and small mammals contributed least to the jaguar diet. At 0.121, dietary niche breadth was narrower than reported in most other studies. Due to their physical characteristics and abundance, giant anteaters are likely the most profitable prey for jaguars in Emas National Park, and as an important prey, they should be included in jaguar conservation efforts. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Peer Reviewe

Use of Camera-Trapping to Estimate Puma Density and Influencing Factors in Central Brazil

We used remotely triggered cameras to collect data on Puma (Puma concolor) abundance and occupancy in an area of tropical forest in Brazil where the species’ status is poorly known. To evaluate factors influencing puma occupancy we used data from 5 sampling campaigns in 3 consecutive years (2005 to 2007) and 2 seasons (wet and dry), at a state park and a private forest reserve. We estimated puma numbers and density for the 2007 sampling data by developing a standardized individual identification method. We based individual identification on 1) time-stable parameters (SP; physical features that do not change over time), and 2) time-variable parameters (VP; marks that could change over time such as scars and botfly marks). Following individual identification we established a capture–recapture history and analyzed it using closed population capture–mark–recapture models. Puma capture probability was influenced by camera placement (roads vs. trails), sampling year, and prey richness. Puma occupancy was positively associated with species richness and there was a correlation between relative puma and jaguar (Panthera onca) abundance. Identifications enabled us to generate 8 VP histories for each photographed flank, corresponding to 8 individuals. We estimated the sampled population at 9 pumas (SE 5 1.03, 95% CI 5 8–10 individuals) translating to a density of 3.40 pumas/100 km2. Information collected using camera-traps can effectively be used to assess puma population size in tropical forests. As habitat progressively disappears and South American felines become more vulnerable, our results support the critical importance of private forest reserves for conservationPeer reviewe

Jaguar and puma activity patterns and predator-prey interactions in four Brazilian biomes

Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) coexist throughout the Neotropics. Using camera trapping in four Brazilian biomes, we compare the daily activity patterns of the jaguar and puma, and their relationships with their main prey species. We used a kernel density method to quantify daily activity patterns and to investigate overlap between these predators and their main prey. Both cats showed intensive nocturnal and crepuscular activity (0.69 and 0.14 kernel density, respectively, for jaguars; 0.68 and 0.19 kernel density, respectively, for pumas). Only in the Pantanal did we observe a pattern of concentrated diurnal activity for both species. We found little temporal segregation between jaguars and pumas, as they showed similar activity patterns with high coefficients of overlapping (average Δ1 = 0.86; SE = 0.15). We also observed a significant overlap between the activity patterns of the predators and their main prey species, suggesting that both predators adjust their activity to reduce their foraging energy expenditure. Our findings suggest that temporal partitioning is probably not a generalized mechanism of coexistence between jaguars and pumas; instead, the partitioning of habitat/space use and food resources may play a larger role in mediating top predator coexistence. Knowledge about these behavior aspects is crucial to elucidating the factors that enable coexistence of jaguars and pumas. Furthermore, an understanding of their respective activity periods is relevant to management and associated research efforts.This study received financial support from the Earthwatch Institute and The Memphis Zoo (USA). Vania Foster (Applied Biology MSc student at Aveiro University) received a scholarship from the Jaguar Conservation Fund. We are indebted to the entire Jaguar Conservation Fund team and all Earthwatch volunteers and interns for their valuable assistance with fieldwork and picture analysis. Special thanks are dedicated to Samuel Astete for his contribution to field data collection in the Caatinga region.publishe

Paternity testing and behavioral ecology: a case study of jaguars (Panthera onca) in Emas National Park, Central Brazil

We used microsatellite loci to test the paternity of two male jaguars involved in an infanticide event recorded during a long-term monitoring program of this species. Seven microsatellite primers originally developed for domestic cats and previously selected for Panthera onca were used. In order to deal with uncertainty in the mother's genotypes for some of the loci, 10000 values of W were derived by simulation procedures. The male that killed the two cubs was assigned as the true sire. Although the reasons for this behavior remain obscure, it shows, in principle, a low recognition of paternity and kinship in the species. Since the two cubs were not very young, one possibility is that the adult male did not recognize the cubs and killed them for simple territorial reasons. Thus, ecological stress in this local population becomes a very plausible explanation for this infanticide, without further sociobiological implications

Data from: Jaguar Movement Database: a GPS-based movement dataset of an apex predator in the Neotropics

The field of movement ecology has rapidly grown during the last decade, with important advancements in tracking devices and analytical tools that have provided unprecedented insights into where, when, and why species move across a landscape. Although there has been an increasing emphasis on making animal movement data publicly available, there has also been a conspicuous dearth in the availability of such data on large carnivores. Globally, large predators are of conservation concern. However, due to their secretive behavior and low densities, obtaining movement data on apex predators is expensive and logistically challenging. Consequently, the relatively small sample sizes typical of large carnivore movement studies may limit insights into the ecology and behavior of these elusive predators. The aim of this initiative is to make available to the conservation-scientific community a dataset of 134,690 locations of jaguars (Panthera onca) collected from 117 individuals (54 males and 63 females) tracked by GPS technology. Individual jaguars were monitored in five different range countries representing a large portion of the species’ distribution. This dataset may be used to answer a variety of ecological questions including but not limited to: improved models of connectivity from local to continental scales; the use of natural or human-modified landscapes by jaguars; movement behavior of jaguars in regions not represented in this dataset; intraspecific interactions; and predator-prey interactions. In making our dataset publicly available, we hope to motivate other research groups to do the same in the near future. Specifically, we aim to help inform a better understanding of jaguar movement ecology with applications towards effective decision making and maximizing long-term conservation efforts for this ecologically important species

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

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 the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data