Drivers of human-wildlife impact events involving mammals in Southeastern Brazil

Funding Information: LMR thanks FCT / MCTES financial support to cE3c ( UIDB/00329/2020 ), through national funds, and the co-funding by the FEDER , within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. RRH thanks the support of the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior —Brasil (CAPES - Process 88881.314420/2019-01 ). WDC thanks CAPES for post-doctoral (PNPD/CAPES) scholarships. TAM thanks partial support by CEAUL (funded by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia , Portugal, through the project UIDB/00006/2020 ).Annually millions of animals are killed as a result of human-wildlife impacts. Each year the NGO Associação Mata Ciliar (NGOMC), in Southeastern Brazil, receives and rehabilitates thousands of animals. We evaluated how natural and anthropogenic characteristics affect the risk of different types of human-wildlife impacts for mammals that arrive at the NGOMC; and explore the relationship between both the animal's size and the type of human-wildlife impact event, survival rates and the likelihood that these animals can be fully rehabilitated. To test our hypotheses regarding the drivers and consequences of the total number of human-wildlife impact events, traffic collisions, electrocutions, and requested removals, we used records of the mammals that arrived at the NGOMC between 2012 and 2018, and obtained data on environmental attributes and anthropogenic factors at the municipality level, as well as species weights. The total number of human-wildlife impact events and of requested removals were both positively correlated with deforestation rate and urban area. The number of traffic collisions was positively related to the number of fires. Municipalities with larger urban areas were more likely to have at least one electrocuted mammal. Temporally, the number of fires two months before was positively correlated with the number of human-wildlife impact events. Traffic collisions and electrocutions more frequently resulted in the death of the animal, than did other events. Animals that died were heavier on average than those that remained in captivity or were successfully released back into the wild. We conclude that human-wildlife impact event rates should decline with lower rates of deforestation, less anthropogenic fires and the adoption of other specific measures to avoid both traffic collisions with fauna and electrocutions.PostprintPeer reviewe

The PREDICTS database: A global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

© 2014 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015. The collation of biodiversity datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents is necessary to understand historical declines and to project - and hopefully avert - future declines. We describe a newly collated database of more than 1.6 million biodiversity measurements from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world

The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project – and avert – future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups – including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems – www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015

Foraging behavior of Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus (Suliformes: Phalacrocoracidae)

ABSTRACT Although the concept of optimal foraging has been extensively discussed, foraging efficiency is difficult to assess in vertebrates. In this study, we determined the foraging efficiency of the Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus Gmelin, 1789, by the direct, ad libitum observation of a group of four to thirteen individuals in an artificial pond at the University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Although this study was carried out in a highly anthropic environment, we can still conclude that the Brazilian cormorant is a relatively efficient browser and short-term diver. In anthropic environments, foraging success depends on the amount of time these birds spend diving, and stealing food is less common. Stealing occurs at relatively low rates but tends to be an efficient way to get food

Terrestrial non-volant small mammals in agro-silvicultural landscapes of Southeastern Brazil

The area covered by Eucalyptus plantations is significantly increasing in Brazil for economic reasons. However, the impact of such land use change is still unknown. In this study we evaluated the spatial-temporal distribution and abundance of terrestrial non-volant small mammals on a recently converted landscape whose matrix is formed by Eucalyptus plantations up to 3 years of age. From August 2007 to July 2009 we carried out monthly sampling campaigns over a grid of 30 sampling units, formed by pitfall traps covering both the landscape matrix of Eucalyptus plantations (n = 18) and legal conservation areas of native vegetation (n = 7) and abandoned pastures (n = 5). A total of 1640 individuals from 14 species of the orders Didelphimorphia (4 spp.) and Rodentia (10 spp.) were captured. However, only three species of rodents (Olygorysomys flavescens, Oligoryzomys nigripes and Calomy tener) represented 81.8% of the total amount. Eucalyptus plantations had a lower species richness and abundance than the abandoned pasture and the remaining fragments of native vegetation. Although the present species are predominantly generalists, there is clear distinction among environments in terms of their species composition and relative abundance, which also present a pronounced time variation. The assemblage found in this study suggests that silvicultural landscapes still have some conservation value, with species that seem to be resident at the Eucalyptus plantations. Moreover, the presence of the native and abandoned pastures patches imbibed in the Eucalyptus plantation matrix may increase the carrying capacity of such a silvicultural system and these landscapes may play a role in maintaining local biodiversity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.FAPESPFAPESP [Proc. 2006/60954-4, Proc. Ref.: 2011/00408-4]CNPq [Proc. 300480/2008-3]CNPqRipasa S.A. Papel e CeluloseRipasa S.A. Papel e CeluloseFundacao para a Ciencia e a TecnologiaFundacao para a Ciencia e TecnologiaFundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitario de Apoio)Fundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitario de Apoio) [SFRH/BPD/14435/2003

Foraging behavior of Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus (Suliformes: Phalacrocoracidae)

Although the concept of optimal foraging has been extensively discussed, foraging efficiency is difficult to assess in vertebrates. In this study, we determined the foraging efficiency of the Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus Gmelin, 1789, by the direct, ad libitum observation of a group of four to thirteen individuals in an artificial pond at the University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Although this study was carried out in a highly anthropic environment, we can still conclude that the Brazilian cormorant is a relatively efficient browser and short-term diver. In anthropic environments, foraging success depends on the amount of time these birds spend diving, and stealing food is less common. Stealing occurs at relatively low rates but tends to be an efficient way to get food

Foraging behavior of Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus (Suliformes: Phalacrocoracidae)

<div><p>ABSTRACT Although the concept of optimal foraging has been extensively discussed, foraging efficiency is difficult to assess in vertebrates. In this study, we determined the foraging efficiency of the Brazilian cormorant, Nannopterum brasilianus Gmelin, 1789, by the direct, ad libitum observation of a group of four to thirteen individuals in an artificial pond at the University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Although this study was carried out in a highly anthropic environment, we can still conclude that the Brazilian cormorant is a relatively efficient browser and short-term diver. In anthropic environments, foraging success depends on the amount of time these birds spend diving, and stealing food is less common. Stealing occurs at relatively low rates but tends to be an efficient way to get food.</p></div