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

Evaluation of damage caused by wild rodents in pine (Pinus taeda L.) for the management of forest pests, Santa Catarina/Brazil

In Brazil the damage caused by rodents in forest plantations are proven but little studied. Many forestry companies in the southern region of the country warn about the expansion and intensification of rodent attacks. The attacks occur in Pinus spp. trees from 3-4 years old in places that the weeds form a microhabitat and the native locations near areas where the intensity of the attack is bigger. The native areas of the farms studied undergo a process of environmental adaptation. These areas are characterized by the presence of regeneration in early stage, with pioneer species, such as Bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella) and several species of grasses. The low environmental quality of wild areas configures a local imbalance in the supply of resources. The presence of microhabitats in the planted forest increases the foraging areas of local fauna species offered by the shelter. The sum of the low quality of wild areas with increased foraging areas caused by the presence of microhabitat in planted forest, forced the fauna species to use alternative food sources . Pinus taeda trees have energy resource available in its sap. It consists at 8.2 ° Brix total soluble solids in solution (sugars). Much more that M. scabrella sap. The large amount of sugar in the sap, suggest the use of P. taeda as a food source for rodents.There are evidences that more than one species of rodent cause damage, because different types of lesions are found. Studies of the implications of rodents damage in growth of trees, demonstrate that in the forest plantations evaluated there are difference in growth of attacked and not attacked trees, mainly in form factor and volume. The chemical composition of wood is also affected . Indices of total extractives and ash were altered in plants attacked only in the attack area. Experimental studies that tested the reduction of attack are found in literature and apparently the results are satisfactory, but not recommended for managed areas for pulp productionNo Brasil os danos causados por roedores em plantios florestais são comprovados e poucos estudados. Várias empresas florestais da região sul do país alertam sobre a ampliação e intensificação dos ataques de roedores à plantios. Os ataques ocorrem em árvores de Pinus spp., a partir do 3º-4º ano de idade do plantio, nos locais onde há formação de microhabitats por ervas daninhas e em locais próximos as áreas nativas onde a intensidade do ataque é maior. As áreas nativas das fazendas estudadas passam por um processo de adequação ambiental. Estas áreas são caracterizadas pela presença de regeneração em estágio inicial, com abundância de espécies pioneiras como a Bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella Benth.) e diversas espécies de gramíneas. A baixa qualidade ambiental das áreas de preservação permanente configura locais de desequilíbrio na oferta de recursos. A presença do microhábitat no interior da floresta plantada forma, aumenta as áreas de forrageio das espécies da fauna local pelo abrigo oferecido. A soma da baixa qualidade das áreas silvestres com o aumento de áreas de forrageio causado pela presença de microhabitat no interior da floresta plantada, faz com que as espécies da fauna local sejam forçadas a usar e recursos alimentares alternativos. As árvores de Pinus taeda possuem recurso energético disponível em sua seiva elaborada. Ela é composta por aproximadamente 8,2º Brix de sólidos solúveis totais em solução (açúcares), o dobro do encontrado para a seiva de M. scabrella. A grande quantidade de açucares na seiva, sugerem o uso de P. taeda como recurso alimentar por roedores. Existem evidências de que mais de uma espécie de roedor cause os danos, pois diferentes tipos de lesões são encontrados. Estudos referente às implicações dos danos de roedores no crescimento das árvores demonstram que nos talhões avaliados existe diferença de crescimento entre árvores atacadas e não atacadas, principalmente no fator de forma e volume. A composição química da madeira também é afetada. Índices de extrativos totais e cinzas mostraram-se alterados em plantas atacadas somente na região do ataque. Estudos experimentais que testaram a redução do ataque são encontrados na literatura e aparentemente os resultados encontrados são satisfatórios, porém não operacionalizáveis em áreas de manejo para produção de celulos

Métricas da paisagem e modelagem para previsão de danos por macaco-prego (Sapajus nigritus Goldfuss) em Pinus taeda L.

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Julio Eduardo ArceCoorientadores: Prof. Dr. Allan Libanio Pelissari, Prof. Dr. Marcos Benedito SchimalskiTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Florestal. Defesa : Curitiba, 17/09/2019Inclui referênciasÁrea de concentração: Manejo florestalResumo: O macaco-prego (Sapajus nigritus Goldfuss) é considerado uma espécie problema no segmento de florestas plantadas, ao usarem árvores de plantações comerciais como fonte de alimento. Os registros indicam que os danos estão relacionados aos períodos de escassez na floresta natural pela sua baixa qualidade ambiental e fragmentação. É fundamental para a busca de estratégias de manejo de macaco-prego a realização de pesquisa científica sobre fragmentação da paisagem, nos locais onde são encontrados danos, bem como a realização de trabalhos que avaliem os plantios antes da identificação dos danos com objetivo de possibilitar previsão e prevenção. Assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os atributos da paisagem relacionados ao uso de Pinus taeda L. por macaco-prego (Sapajus nigritus) por meio do estudo da paisagem e das características da vegetação. O estudo da paisagem foi conduzido em plantios florestais do estado de Santa Catarina, por meio de uma base de dados com informações dos danos causados pelo macaco-prego entre os anos de 2012 a 2016. Definiu-se escala de efeito considerando três fatores biológicos da espécie S. nigritus. Foram selecionadas cinco métricas para avaliar a disposição e a composição da paisagem, calculadas em mapas obtidos a partir da biblioteca 2.3 do MapBiomas. A diferença nas métricas entre os locais com e sem danos foi testada pelo Teste U de Mann-Whitney, ao nível de 5% de probabilidade. A existência de correlação entre as métricas e a presença de danos foi aferida pelo teste de correlação de Spearman. Para verificar a existência de autocorrelação espacial, o Índice de Moran I foi calculado. Para a avaliação das características da vegetação, o estudo foi realizado em três plantios de P. taeda localizados no município de Campo Belo do Sul, SC. Foram selecionadas aleatoriamente 180 unidades amostrais circulares de 500 m² em locais com e sem danos. Para avaliar as diferentes respostas espectrais, cinco imagens oriundas da constelação de satélites Sentinel-2 foram coletadas no período anterior a identificação dos danos e 15 Índices de Vegetação (IV) foram calculados, além do teor de clorofila da folha. Para avaliar a existência de relação entre os IV e a presença de danos, os dados foram submetidos ao teste de correlação de Spearman. Por meio da Regressão Logística Dicotômica, criou-se o modelo de preditor da ocorrência de danos, selecionando as variáveis regressoras com auxílio da Análise de Componentes Principais. Nas áreas com matriz florestal houve maior relação com a presença de danos. Ainda, nas áreas com danos, são encontradas manchas de maior área, melhor forma e menos fragmentadas, se comparadas aos locais sem danos. O Índice de Moran I resultou na ausência de autocorrelação espacial global. Existe correlação entre a variável categórica (presença ou ausência de danos) e os IV calculados para o período que antecede a ocorrência dos ataques. O resultado obtido da Regressão Logística Dicotômica apresentou-se satisfatório, com explicação global entre 75% e 79%. Dessa forma, pode-se concluir que as áreas com danos possuem características de paisagem menos fragmentada, com matriz microrregional florestal, em que os animais buscam os plantios com maior produção de fotoassimilados. Palavras-chave: Descascamento de árvores. Fragmentação florestal. Índices de vegetação. Atributos da paisagem.Abstract: The black capuchin monkey is considered a pest species in the planted forests field when use the trees as a food source. The records indicates that damage is related to periods of scarcity in natural forests, due to its low environmental quality and fragmentation. Scientific research on landscape fragmentation is essential for the search for capuchin management strategies, where damage is found, as well as carrying out works that evaluate the stands before the damage identification in order to enable prediction and prevention. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the attributes of landscape related to the use of Pinus taeda L. by black capuchin (Sapajus nigritus), through the landscape study and vegetation characteristics. The landscape study was carried out in forest stands at Santa Catarina State, through a database with information of damages caused by black capuchin between 2012 to 2016. The scale of effect was defined considering three biological factors of the species S. nigritus. Five metrics have been selected to evaluate the disposition and composition of the landscape, and calculated in maps obtained from the 2.3 library of MapBiomas. The difference in the metrics between the locations with and without damages was tested by the Mann-Whitney's U test, at the 5% probability level. The existence of correlation between metrics and presence of damages was measured by Spearman's Rho correlation test and to verify the existence of spatial autocorrelation, the Moran's Index was calculated. Although, to the vegetation characteristics assessment, the study was performed in three P. taeda stands located at Campo Belo do Sul, SC. 180 circular samples of 500m2 were randomly selected at locations with or without damages. To assess the different spectral responses, five images derived from the satellite constellation Sentinel-2 were collected on the period preceding the damage identification and 15 vegetation indexes (IV) were calculated, besides the chlorophyll content of the leaf. To evaluate the existence of relationship between IV and presence of damage, data were subjected to the Spearman's Correlation test. Through the Dichotomous Logistic Regression, the predictor model of damage occurrence was created, selecting the regressors with the support of the Principal Component Analysis. In the areas where the landscape matrix is occupied by forests there was higher relationship with the presence of damage. Moreover, in the areas with damages marks with bigger area, better form, and less fragmentation are found, when compared to the locations without damages. The Moran's Index resulted in the absence of global spatial autocorrelation. There is a correlation between the categorical variable (presence or absence of damage) and calculated IV for the period preceding the diagnosis of attacks. The result obtained in the dichotomous logistic regression presented satisfactory results, with global explanation between 75% and 79%. Thus, can be concluded that the areas with damages have characteristics of less fragmented landscape, with forest microregion matrix, where the animals seek the stands with photoassimilates production. Keywords: Forest fragmentation. Landscape attributes. Tree bark-stripping. Vegetation indexes

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 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 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