Inventário de morcegos em uma área de Caatinga no Nordeste brasileiro, com uma nova ocorrência para o estado da Paraíba

The Caatinga is a semi-arid ecosystem with a long history of anthropic impacts and scientific negligence. Since bats are the second most diverse group of mammals and have wide ecological roles, a well-based comprehension of their diversity for an area is important for management and conservationist actions. The goal of this study is to provide a list of the bat species found in Private Reserve of Natural Heritage Fazenda Almas, Paraíba, Northeastern Brazil. By sampling with mist nets and exploring roosts, we captured 126 specimens and recorded 19 species from 5 families. The most abundant species were Artibeus planirostris, Peropteryx macrotis, Myotis nigricans, and Carollia perspicillata. We registered high diversity of Phyllostominae, as well as the occurrence of the genus Histiotus in the state for the first time. Our results indicate that Caatinga areas can maintain bat assemblages with levels of diversity similar to moist tropical areas, which highlights the need to expand the network of protected areas in this threatened ecosystem.Keywords: Chiroptera, diversity, private reserve, semi-arid.A Caatinga é um ecossistema semiárido com longo histórico de impactos antrópicos e negligência científica. Os morcegos são o segundo grupo mais diverso de mamíferos, com grande espectro de papéis ecológicos, e conhecimento sólido sobre sua diversidade em uma determinada área é fundamental para ações de manejo e conservação. O presente trabalho foi realizado na Reserva Particular de Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Almas, Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. Coletando com redes de neblina e explorando abrigos, realizamos 126 capturas e registramos 19 espécies distribuídas em cinco famílias. As espécies mais abundantes foram Artibeus planirostris, Peropteryx macrotis, Myotis nigricans e Carollia perspicillata. Registramos alta diversidade de Phyllostominae, indicadores de baixa degradação ambiental, assim como realizamos o primeiro registro do gênero Histiotus para o estado. Os resultados indicam que áreas de Caatinga podem manter comunidades de morcegos com níveis de diversidade similares aos de florestas tropicais úmidas, o que reforça a necessidade de expandir a rede de áreas protegidas nesse ecossistema ameaçado.Palavras-chave: Chiroptera, diversidade, reserva privada, semiárido

Morcegos de Alagoa Grande, uma área de semiárido no Nordeste do Brasil

Bat fauna is surveyed mainly by mist-nets set in the ground level, and usually employing six hours per night of capture comprising the first peak of activity to most bat groups. Bat inventories with whole-night sampling effort (12 hours) have not been conducted so far in the northeastern of Brazil. This paper aims to report a whole-night survey of the bat assemblage from Alagoa Grande, a Caatinga site in the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Additionally, we compared the species richness and abundance between the two halves of the night, from dusk (5h p.m.) to 11h p.m., and 11h p.m. to dawn (5h a.m.). We conducted 15 nights of sampling from September/2010 to January/2011, sampling three nights per month. A total of 56 individuals belonging to 12 species were captured, with Rhynchonycteris naso and Artibeus planirostris being the most abundant species. The Chao1 richness estimator predicted an average estimated richness of 18 species. There was no significant difference in the species richness between the first and the second halves of the night. However, the second half presented a higher overall abundance and three species were exclusive to each half. Our data highlighted the importance of whole-night samplings, mainly in short surveys.Keywords: whole-night sampling, Caatinga, Chiroptera, diversity, Rhynchonycteris naso.A fauna de morcegos é principalmente amostrada usando-se redes de neblina ao nível de solo, normalmente abertas por seis horas a cada noite, registrando o primeiro pico de atividade da maioria dos grupos de morcegos. Inventários com esforços de coleta ao longo de toda a noite (12 horas) são inéditos no nordeste brasileiro. O presente artigo relata o inventário da taxocenose de morcegos de Alagoa Grande, uma área de Caatinga no estado da Paraíba, Brasil. Além disso, comparamos a riqueza e abundância de morcegos entre as duas metades da noite, do pôr-do-sol (17h) às 23h, e das 23h ao amanhecer (5h). Foram realizadas 15 noites de amostragem entre setembro/2010 e janeiro/2011, amostrando-se três noites por mês. Um total de 56 indivíduos de 12 espécies foi capturado, Rhynchonycteris naso e Artibeus planirostris foram as espécies mais abundantes. O estimador de riqueza Chao 1 previu riqueza de 18 espécies. Não houve diferença significativa de riqueza entre as metades da noite. Entretanto, a segunda metade teve maior abundância, e três espécies foram exclusivas da segunda metade. Os dados apresentados reforçam a importância de coletas ao longo de toda a noite, especialmente em inventários de curta duração.Palavras-chave: amostragem noturna completa, Caatinga, Chiroptera, diversidade, Rhynchonycteris naso

ATLANTIC-CAMTRAPS: a dataset of medium and large terrestrial mammal communities in the Atlantic Forest of South America

Our understanding of mammal ecology has always been hindered by the difficulties of observing species in closed tropical forests. Camera trapping has become a major advance for monitoring terrestrial mammals in biodiversity rich ecosystems. Here we compiled one of the largest datasets of inventories of terrestrial mammal communities for the Neotropical region based on camera trapping studies. The dataset comprises 170 surveys of medium to large terrestrial mammals using camera traps conducted in 144 areas by 74 studies, covering six vegetation types of tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of South America (Brazil and Argentina), and present data on species composition and richness. The complete dataset comprises 53,438 independent records of 83 species of mammals, includes 10 species of marsupials, 15 rodents, 20 carnivores, eight ungulates and six armadillos. Species richness averaged 13 species (±6.07 SD) per site. Only six species occurred in more than 50% of the sites: the domestic dog Canis familiaris, crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous, tayra Eira barbara, south American coati Nasua nasua, crab-eating raccoon Procyon cancrivorus and the nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus. The information contained in this dataset can be used to understand macroecological patterns of biodiversity, community, and population structure, but also to evaluate the ecological consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and trophic interactions. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of Americ

Biomassa aérea no semiárido da Paraíba, Brasil

Este trabalho objetivou relacionar dados de estrutura da comunidade, inclinação do terreno e altitude, granulometria e fertilidade do solo e grau de ação antrópica com a biomassa aérea vegetal viva e definir quais fatores ecológicos são determinantes da biomassa aérea vegetal das comunidades vegetais do semiárido. Para isto foram delimitadas em três unidades de conservação (UC) 30 parcelas de 100m², sendo 10 parcelas em cada UC, localizadas no Estado da Paraíba, onde foram coletados dados da estrutura da vegetação e solo. Inclinação do terreno e altitude e grau de ação antrópica foram obtidos por meio do Google Earth. Foram realizadas comparações entre as três UCs com relação a estrutura da vegetação e características do solo, e as regressões lineares foram realizadas para verificar quais fatores são mais correlacionados com a biomassa aérea vegetal. Há grande amplitude de variação de biomassa, diâmetro, área basal, altura e densidade entre as UCs, o que indica que a vegetação encontra-se em processo de recuperação e em diferentes estágios sucessionais devido as perturbações antrópicas históricas e constantes e, portanto pode atingir maior porte. Além disso, as variáveis alturas, área da copa e inclinação, juntas, explicam 61% da biomassa. Os resultados indicam que todas as áreas são perturbadas por atividades antrópicas, e este fato, impossibilitou a determinação de padrões na vegetação.The goal of this study was to relate plant community structure, relief and altitude, soil texture and fertility and anthropogenic impact with aboveground live biomass(ALB), in order to determine which ecological factors are the major determinants of ALB in semiarid region of Brazil. We delimited 30 10 x 10 m plots in three conservation units in the State of Paraíba, where we sampled data of vegetation structure and soils. Releif and altitude were sampled from Google Earth. We compared the three areas in relation to vegetation structure and soil texture and fertility. We made linear regressions to detect which were the most important factors controling ALB. There is great amplitude in biomass, diametre, basal area, height and tree abundance among the conservation units, which indicates that most of the vegeation is in different successional stages throughout the sites, due to human interference. Therefore, most of the plots can, if let abandoned, reach a greater biomass. Also, tree height, crown cover and releif, together explained 61% of ALB variation. These results show that all areas are probably under constant human perturbation and this impact prevents other ecological factors to correlate with ALB

ATLANTIC-CAMTRAPS: a dataset of medium and large terrestrial mammal communities in the Atlantic Forest of South America

Our understanding of mammal ecology has always been hindered by the difficulties of observing species in closed tropical forests. Camera trapping has become a major advance for monitoring terrestrial mammals in biodiversity rich ecosystems. Here we compiled one of the largest datasets of inventories of terrestrial mammal communities for the Neotropical region based on camera trapping studies. The dataset comprises 170 surveys of medium to large terrestrial mammals using camera traps conducted in 144 areas by 74 studies, covering six vegetation types of tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of South America (Brazil and Argentina), and present data on species composition and richness. The complete dataset comprises 53,438 independent records of 83 species of mammals, includes 10 species of marsupials, 15 rodents, 20 carnivores, eight ungulates and six armadillos. Species richness averaged 13 species (±6.07 SD) per site. Only six species occurred in more than 50% of the sites: the domestic dog Canis familiaris, crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous, tayra Eira barbara, south American coati Nasua nasua, crab-eating raccoon Procyon cancrivorus and the nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus. The information contained in this dataset can be used to understand macroecological patterns of biodiversity, community, and population structure, but also to evaluate the ecological consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and trophic interactions. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of Americ

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

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, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data

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