Mamíferos em remanescentes florestais de um ecótono Mata Atlântica-Cerrado no sudeste do Brasil

Forest areas in southeastern Brazil were intensively fragmented by historical processes of land use, and even today this region is under severe anthropic pressure due to agricultural, mining, tourism, and high urban expansion. However, contemporaneous studies on its biodiversity, particularly those focusing on remaining fauna in higly fragmented landscapes are necessary. In the present study, we present a species list of mammals in forest remnants of an agricultural landscape from southeastern Brazil (RPPN Fazenda Lagoa), located in an ecotone of Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, with additional information on habitat use, vulnerability to roadkill and considerations for conservation purposes. We recorded 63 species of Chiroptera, Carnivora, Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Primates, Cingulata, Pilosa, Cetartiodactyla and Lagomorpha. Approximately 15% of the species are under some risk of extinction, including the endemic buffy-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix aurita). We also recorded invasive species and domestic dogs and cats living in feral condition. Ten species were reported as roadkills in the roads that give access to the RPPN. We concluded that these remnants play an important role in the maintenance and conservation of the mammals, serving as one of the last refuges for wildlife in a severely deforested region. Keywords: conservation, diversity, forest fragments, Mammalia, richness, roadkill.As florestas do sul de Minas Gerais foram intensamente fragmentadas pelos processos históricosde uso do solo, e ainda hoje essa região está sob severa pressão antrópica devido àampliação agrícola, mineradora, turística e urbana. No entanto, estudos contemporâneos sobresua biodiversidade, particularmente sobre a biodiversidade remanescente em paisagensprofundamente fragmentadas são necessários. No presente estudo, apresentamos uma listade espécies de mamíferos em remanescentes florestais de uma paisagem agrícola do sudestedo Brasil (RPPN Fazenda Lagoa), localizada em ecótono de Mata Atlântica e Cerrado,com informações adicionais sobre uso de habitats, vulnerabilidade a atropelamentos e consideraçõespara a conservação. Registramos 63 espécies de Chiroptera, Carnivora, Rodentia,Didelphimorphia, Primates, Cingulata, Pilosa, Cetartiodactyla e Lagomorpha. Cerca de 15%das espécies estão em algum risco de extinção, incluindo o endêmico sagui-da-serra-escuro, Callithrix aurita. Também registramos espécies silvestres invasoras, cães e gatos domésticosvivendo em condição feral. Dez espécies foram registradas como vítimas de atropelamentonas estradas de acesso a RPPN. Nós concluímos que esses remanescentes possuem umimportante papel na manutenção e conservação da mastofauna, servindo como um dosúltimos refúgios para a vida silvestre de uma região severamente desmatada.Palavras-chave: conservação, diversidade, fragmentos florestais, Mammalia, riqueza,animais atropelados

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