Domestic dogs in protected areas: a threat to Brazilian mammals?

AbstractThe presence of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Brazilian protected areas is fairly frequent. The interaction of such dogs with native animals leads to population declines for many species, particularly carnivores. In this paper the main threats dogs bring about Brazilian biodiversity are assessed with a focus on protected areas. We collected information from papers on the interaction of dogs and wildlife species as well as from interviews with National Park managers. Studies in protected areas in Brazil listed 37 native species affected by the presence of dogs due to competition, predation, or pathogen transmission. Among the 69 threatened species of the Brazilian fauna, 55% have been cited in studies on dogs. Dog occurrence was assessed for 31 National Parks in Brazil. The presence of human residents and hunters in protected areas were the factors most often quoted as facilitating dog occurrence. These may be feral, street or domestically owned dogs found in protected areas in urban, rural or natural areas. Effective actions to control this invasive alien species in natural areas must consider dog dependence upon humans, pathways of entry, and the surrounding landscape and context

Consumo de pequenos mamíferos por canídeos simpátricos do sul do Brasil: sobreposição de nichos e seleção de presas

The crab-eating fox, Cerdocyon thous, and the pampas fox, Lycalopex gymnocercus, are two endemic canids from the neotropics that are sympatric in the Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. Previous studies indicated that both species feed mainly on small mammals, without marked differences between their diets, at least when small-mammal genera are not determined. In the present study, our objective was to evaluate the similarity in diet composition of those foxes, identifying the genera of small mammal consumed. Besides that, we also investigated potential patterns of prey selection by the canids. We analyzed 222 samples of fox feces from the National Park of Aparados da Serra (NPAS) in southern Brazil (29°10’S, 50°05’W) collected from 2000 to 2005. Fox species were determined by identification of hairs found in scats. We also conducted, between 2000 and 2002, a survey of small mammals using capture-mark-recapture techniques. Our results indicated that the species studied do not differ significantly in relation to the small mammals they consume. We also detected that both canids seem to prefer feeding on rodents of the genus Akodon. On the other hand, rodents of the genus Oligoryzomys were consumed less than would be expected. Our results indicated that prey similarity is very high for the studied canids, even under a more refined analysis of small-mammal preys. This pattern supports the suggestion that niche differentiation between C. thous and L. gymnocercus probably occurs through other mechanisms than diet (e.g. habitat or activity time). Key words: araucaria forest, cerdocyon thous, rodents, feeding habits, niche overlap, lycalopex gymnocercus.O graxaim-do-mato (Cerdocyon thous) e o graxaim-do-campo (Lycalopex gymnocercus) são dois canídeos endêmicos da região Neotropical que ocorrem em simpatria no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, sul do Brasil. Estudos anteriores indicaram que ambas as espécies se alimentam principalmente de pequenos mamíferos, sem diferenças detectáveis em suas dietas, ao menos quando não há a determinação dos gêneros de mamíferos consumidos. No presente estudo, o objetivo foi avaliar a real similaridade na composição da dieta desses animais, procurando  identificar os gêneros de pequenos mamíferos consumidos. Além disso, investigaram-se possíveis padrões de seleção de presas pelos canídeos. Para isso, foram analisadas 222 amostras fecais coletadas no Parque Nacional dos Aparados da Serra (RS) entre os anos de 2000 e 2005, identificando a espécie de canídeo por meio de análise de pelos. Também foi realizado, entre 2000 e 2002, um levantamento de pequenos mamíferos ocorrentes na área, mediante a utilização de técnicas de captura, marcação e recaptura. Os resultados indicaram que as duas espécies de canídeos não diferem significativamente em relação aos gêneros de pequenos mamíferos consumidos. Além disso, verificou-se que as duas espécies parecem preferir se alimentar de roedores do gênero Akodon. Por outro lado, esses canídeos predaram as espécies do gênero Oligoryzomys em grau menor do que o esperado. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a similaridade de dieta entre os canídeos estudados é muito alta, mesmo sob uma análise mais refinada dos itens consumidos por esses animais. Tais resultados fundamentam a hipótese de que a separação de nicho entre C. thous e L. gymnocercus deve ocorrer por meio de fatores diferentes da dieta, como hábitat ou horário de atividade. Palavras-chave: floresta com araucária, Cerdocyon thous, roedores, hábitos alimentares, sobreposição de nicho, Lycalopex gymnocercus

Optimizing land use decision-making to sustain Brazilian agricultural profits, biodiversity and ecosystem services

AbstractDesigning landscapes that can meet human needs, while maintaining functioning ecosystems, is essential for long-term sustainability. To achieve this goal, we must better understand the trade-offs and thresholds in the provision of ecosystem services and economic returns. To this end, we integrate spatially explicit economic and biophysical models to jointly optimize agricultural profit (sugarcane production and cattle ranching), biodiversity (bird and mammal species), and freshwater quality (nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment retention) in the Brazilian Cerrado. We generate efficiency frontiers to evaluate the economic and environmental trade-offs and map efficient combinations of agricultural land and natural habitat under varying service importance. To assess the potential impact of the Brazilian Forest Code (FC), a federal policy that aims to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services on private lands, we compare the frontiers with optimizations that mimic the habitat requirements in the region. We find significant opportunities to improve both economic and environmental outcomes relative to the current landscape. Substantial trade-offs between biodiversity and water quality exist when land use planning targets a single service, but these trade-offs can be minimized through multi-objective planning. We also detect non-linear profit-ecosystem services relationships that result in land use thresholds that coincide with the FC requirements. Further, we demonstrate that landscape-level planning can greatly improve the performance of the FC relative to traditional farm-level planning. These findings suggest that through joint planning for economic and environmental goals at a landscape-scale, Brazil's agricultural sector can expand production and meet regulatory requirements, while maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem service provision

Atlantic mammal traits: a dataset of morphological traits of mammals in the atlantic forest of south America

Measures of traits are the basis of functional biological diversity. Numerous works consider mean species-level measures of traits while ignoring individual variance within species. However, there is a large amount of variation within species and it is increasingly apparent that it is important to consider trait variation not only between species, but also within species. Mammals are an interesting group for investigating trait-based approaches because they play diverse and important ecological functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, predation, grazing) that are correlated with functional traits. Here we compile a data set comprising morphological and life history information of 279 mammal species from 39,850 individuals of 388 populations ranging from −5.83 to −29.75 decimal degrees of latitude and −34.82 to −56.73 decimal degrees of longitude in the Atlantic forest of South America. We present trait information from 16,840 individuals of 181 species of non-volant mammals (Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Carnivora, Primates, Cingulata, Artiodactyla, Pilosa, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla) and from 23,010 individuals of 98 species of volant mammals (Chiroptera). The traits reported include body mass, age, sex, reproductive stage, as well as the geographic coordinates of sampling for all taxa. Moreover, we gathered information on forearm length for bats and body length and tail length for rodents and marsupials. No copyright restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.Fil: Gonçalves, Fernando. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Bovendorp, Ricardo S.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Beca, Gabrielle. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Bello, Carolina. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Costa Pereira, Raul. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Muylaert, Renata L.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Rodarte, Raisa R.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Villar, Nacho. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Souza, Rafael. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Graipel, Maurício E.. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Cherem, Jorge J.. Caipora Cooperativa, Florianopolis; BrasilFil: Faria, Deborah. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Baumgarten, Julio. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Alvarez, Martín R.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Vieira, Emerson M.. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Cáceres, Nilton. Universidade Federal de Santa María. Santa María; BrasilFil: Pardini, Renata. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Leite, Yuri L. R.. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; BrasilFil: Costa, Leonora Pires. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; BrasilFil: Mello, Marco Aurelio Ribeiro. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Fischer, Erich. Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul; BrasilFil: Passos, Fernando C.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Varzinczak, Luiz H.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Prevedello, Jayme A.. Universidade do Estado de Rio do Janeiro; BrasilFil: Cruz-Neto, Ariovaldo P.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Carvalho, Fernando. Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense; BrasilFil: Reis Percequillo, Alexandre. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Paviolo, Agustin Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Duarte, José M. B.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasil. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Bernard, Enrico. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; BrasilFil: Agostini, Ilaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; ArgentinaFil: Lamattina, Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; ArgentinaFil: Vanderhoeven, Ezequiel Andres. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentin

The VMC survey - XVII : The proper motions of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way globular cluster 47 Tucanae

In this study we use multi-epoch near-infrared observations from the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Cloud system (VMC) to measure the proper motion of different stellar populations in a tile of 1.5 deg sq. in size in the direction of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tuc. We obtain the proper motion of the cluster itself, of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), and of the field Milky Way stars. Stars of the three main stellar components are selected from their spatial distribution and their distribution in colour-magnitude diagrams. Their average coordinate displacement is computed from the difference between multiple Ks-band observations for stars as faint as Ks=19 mag. Proper motions are derived from the slope of the best-fitting line among 10 VMC epochs over a time baseline of ~1 yr. Background galaxies are used to calibrate the absolute astrometric reference frame. The resulting absolute proper motion of 47 Tuc is (mu_alpha cos(delta), mu_delta)=(+7.26+/-0.03, -1.25+/-0.03) mas/yr. This measurement refers to about 35000 sources distributed between 10 and 60 arcmin from the cluster centre. For the SMC we obtain (mu_alpha cos(delta), mu_delta)=(+1.16+/-0.07, -0.81+/-0.07) mas/yr from about 5250 red clump and red giant branch stars. The absolute proper motion of the Milky Way population in the line-of-sight (l =305.9, b =-44.9) of this VISTA tile is (mu_alpha cos(delta), mu_delta)=(+10.22+/-0.14, -1.27+/-0.12) mas/yr and results from about 4000 sources. Systematic uncertainties associated to the astrometric reference system are 0.18 mas/yr. Thanks to the proper motion we detect 47 Tuc stars beyond its tidal radius.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of two differents sutures for inciosional laparoscopic colopexy in dogs: a experimental study

Com o objetivo de descrever técnica laparoscópica para a realização de colopexia em cães, comparando os resultados de dois distintos fios de sutura, os autores utilizaram 10 animais separados em dois grupos de igual número (GV e GP). Nos do GV, a colopexia foi realizada com fio de poliglactina 910 3-0, enquanto no GP empregou-se polipropileno de igual espessura. Para o procedimento, os caninos foram posicionados em decúbito dorsal e submetidos a pneumoperitônio com CO2 na pressão de 12mmHg. Foram introduzidos quatro trocartes, dois de 5mm e dois de 10mm, nas regiões umbilical, lateral direita e esquerda. O cólon descendente foi apreendido com pinça Babcock e submetido a incisão seromuscular de 2,5cm na superfície antimesentérica. Procedeu-se a incisão semelhante no músculo transverso abdominal, paralelamente à linha alba. As margens correspondentes das feridas do intestino e da musculatura abdominal foram aposicionadas com suturas contínuas simples. No 14º dia pós-operatório, os caninos foram submetidos a laparoscopia para as avaliações da cavidade peritoneal e das aderências produzidas, bem como para as coletas de biópsias. Constatou-se permanência da colopexia em todos os animais e a fixação do omento na região da sutura em 60% e 100% dos representantes do GV e do GP, respectivamente. Ambos os fios demonstraram adequabilidade; contudo, a sutura foi realizada mais facilmente com a poliglactina 910, graças à sua menor "memória". Na histologia, observou-se que a deposição de tecido conjuntivo foi semelhante entre os grupos, sendo que em todos os casos o colágeno apresentava-se maturo. Pode-se concluir que a técnica laparoscópica proposta é adequada para a realização de colopexias em cães.Aiming to describe the laparoscopic technique for dog colopexy and to compare two suture materials 10 mongrel dogs separated in two groups of five (GV e GP). In the GV group the colopexy was realized with a polyglactin 910 3-0, and in the GP group a polypropylene 3-0 was used. For both procedures the dogs were positioned in dorsal recumbence and submitted to a pneumoperitoneum with CO2 using pressure of 12mmHg. Four trocars (two of 5mm and two of 10mm) were introduced in the left and right position of umbilical region. The descendent colon was grasped with a Babcock forceps and submitted to a seromuscular incision of 2.5 cm in the antimesenteric surface. A similar lesion was preceded in the transverse abdominal muscle, parallel with the ventral midline. The incisioned margins of colon and transverse abdominal muscle were sutured in two lines of simple continuous pattern. Fourteen days after the surgeries the dogs were submitted to laparoscopy surgery for evaluations of the peritoneal cavity and of the adherences occurred and to biopsies collections. The colopexy permanence was found in all dogs and the omentum fixation in the suture region was observed in 60% of GV dogs and 100% of GP dogs. Both suture materials were reported adequate for the colopexy procedure, however the polyglactin 910 suture was more easily realized due to its lower memory. In the histological analysis were observed that the connective tissue deposition was similar in both groups and in all 10 dogs the collagen fibers presented mature aspect. Based on the results presented herein, the proposed laparoscopic technique in adequate for colopexy procedure in dogs