Este estudo foi realizado no período de 1990 a 1998, em quatro remanescentes de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual na região centro-oeste do Paraná, Brasil. Foram encontradas 204 espécies zoocóricas entre árvores, arbustos, trepadeiras, ervas, epífitas e hemiparasitas, sendo que 74% das espécies são árvores (n= 96) e arbustos (n=55). Frutos verdes predominam sobre frutos pretos e vermelhos, devido principalmente à abundância de Solanaceae e Piperaceae. O tamanho dos frutos é variável (2,1-360,0 mm x 2,0-270,0mm), predominando frutos pequenos (< 10mm); o tamanho (0,1-110,0mm x 0,1 x 70,0mm) e número de sementes (1 a +1000) também variam, sendo mais comuns frutos com 1 a 10 sementes pequenas (1,1-5,0mm x 0,1-6,0mm). O Parque Estadual de Vila Rica do Espírito Santo, Fênix, foi a área melhor amostrada, onde 190 das 204 espécies levantadas e dados fenológicos referentes à floração e frutificação destas foram coletados mensalmente ao longo do período de estudo. Embora entre diferentes formas de vida ocorram padrões peculiares de floração e frutificação, o pico de floração ocorre no início da estação chuvosa (setembro/outubro), como na maioria das florestas semideciduais tropicais, e o pico de frutificação durante a estação menos chuvosa (maio/junho), ao contrário de outras áreas estudadas nesta formação.

We used mark and recapture techniques to evaluate movements of bats within and between three brazilian forest remnants. We captured bats with mist-nets in four 1 ha plots representing different degrees of isolation of riparian (two plots) and submontane (two plots) forests between July 2002 and June 2003. Using numbered aluminium tags, we marked 635 bats of seven species and 54 individuals of six species were recaptured. Overall, we recaptured Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) (short-tailed fruit bat) most frequently, especially in plots where they were banded in the riparian forest plots. These results suggest that this bat has restricted feeding areas, which are probably determined by the abundance of Piper Linnaeus (Piperaceae), its preferred food item. In contrast, species of the genus Artibeus Leach, 1821 exhibited few recaptures, suggesting high mobility and larger feeding areas. In fact Artibeus seems to use more of the forest remnants in their search for food, especially Ficus Linnaeus (Moraceae), the preferred food of this bat. Our results suggest that even small forest isolates are valuable for the maintenance of some bat species because they offer many of the resources they need or because they are spatially distributed in a pattern that allows use of the entire landscape.

June 2003 bats were sampled with mist-nets set in four 1 ha plots representing different degrees of isolation of riparian and lowland forest. A total of 752 individuals of 14 species of Phyllostomidae (n = 10) and Vespertilionidae (n = 4), were captured. Considering the limitations of mist-net sampling, the study area was satisfactorily inventoried based on the ICE estimator. Nevertheless, if compared with similar studies conducted in other Semideciduous Seasonal Forest remnants, the obtained richness is less expressive, suggesting that local extinctions have taken place. Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) and Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) were dominant in the three studied forest fragments, followed by other three frugivores: A. fimbriatus Gray, 1838, A. jamaicensis Leach, 1821 and Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810). The Shannon's index showed subtle differences among the four studied plots and the Sorensen's index presented high similarities among most of them. However, the grouping analysis revealed higher similarities only between plots representing the same type of vegetation and exhibited two separate groups, one represented by riparian forests and the other by lowland forests, which could be related to particularities in habitat use by bat species. This study also indicated that the forest remnants sampled, in spite of being small, shelter a significant number of bat species and, for that reason, are important for biological conservation. KEY WORDS. Bat conservation, forest fragmentation, habitat use, Phyllostomidae, Semideciduous Seasonal Forest. RESUMO. A riqueza de espécies e a abundância relativa de morcegos foram avaliadas em três fragmentos de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual localizados no município de Fênix, noroeste do Estado do Paraná, sul do Brasil. Entre julho de 2002 e junho de 2003 os morcegos foram amostrados com redes-de-neblina instaladas em quatro parcelas de 1 ha cada, representando diferentes graus de isolamento das subformações florestais: aluvial e submontana. Foram capturados 752 exemplares pertencentes a 14 espécies de duas famílias, Phyllostomidae (n = 10) e Vespertilionidae (n = 4). No que se refere a capturas com redes a área foi considerada bem inventariada (estimador ICE). Entretanto, se comparada a estudos similares em Floresta Estacional, a riqueza de espécies foi pouco expressiva, havendo a suspeita que tenham ocorrido perdas de espécies em níveis locais. Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) e Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) foram numericamente dominantes nos três remanescentes amostrados, seguidas por outros três frugívoros: A. fimbriatus Gray, 1838, A. jamaicensis Leach, 1821 e Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810). O índice de Shannon demonstrou diferenças sutis entre as parcelas amostrais e o índice de Sorensen apresentou alta similaridade entre a maioria delas. Já a análise de agrupamento revelou uma maior afinidade entre parcelas da mesma subformação, exibindo dois grupamentos distintos, um representado pela subformação aluvial e outro pela submontana, ...

Abstract:The diet of some sympatric carnivore species in three Atlantic Forest remnants of Southern Brazil was studied in order to assess their food niche. We conducted monthly field trips between February 2003 and January 2004 to collect fecal samples that were subsequently examined together with others collected sporadically between November 1994 and January 2003. Of the 416 samples analysed, 198 had the "author" species identified through microscopic analysis guard hairs, which revealed the presence of 10 carnivores and some information about their diet. Puma yagouaroundi had the largest dietary niche breadth, whereas Leopardus tigrinus and Nasua nasua showed the lowest values. Extensive niche overlap was observed between L. tigrinus and N. nasua, L. tigrinus and L. wiedii, and between L. tigrinus and L. pardalis. Data presented here not only increases the understanding of carnivore feeding ecology, but also contributes towards their conservation in the study region and other fragmented landscapes in Brazil and neighboring countries.