Connectivity maintain mammal assemblages functional diversity within agricultural and fragmented landscapes

Abstract

amount of ecological functions, indicating some resistance of species to pressure from the agricultural matrix and advancing urbanization. The amount of ecological functions performed by mammal species within agricultural and fragmented landscapes was similar to pristine areas and more preserved landscapes. Functional connectivity (amount of area assessed for species able to cross 200 m of matrix) was the most plausible model (wAICc = 0.873). Thus, we concluded that improving functional connectivity guarantees high FD values, and we demonstrate the importance of maintaining and restoring structural connections between fragment patches within these landscapes for species conservation and the maintenance of populations over time.

Functional Diversity Metrics: How They Are Affected by Landscape Change and How They Represent Ecosystem Functioning in the Tropics

“…Notwithstanding, studies on similar taxonomic groups most commonly differ in their trait selection [35,38]. On the other hand, many studies still focus on species richness of functional groups.…”

“…(5) Connectivity: Compared with previous landscape metrics, few studies explicitly examined connectivity. Mammal functional richness was found to correlate positively with connectivity [35], whereas work on bats indicates that their functional divergence decreased as proximity to other patches increased [39].…”

“…More complex patterns have been observed, such as a non-linear relationship with patch size [29]. (4) Habitat amount: Mammal functional richness was positively correlated with forest cover [35], as was avian functional richness in agricultural and arable landscapes [36]. For bird species in forest fragments, no link between functional richness and forest cover was found and evenness decreased with increasing forest cover; however, functional integrity (similarity to control sites) increased with forest cover [12••].…”

Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) predation by puma (Puma concolor) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…Besides to the puma, Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771), the jaguarundi is the second most widespread felid of the Americas (Giordano 2016), and probably occurs at low densities (Caso 2013, Caso et al 2015. It is most diurnal (Caso 2013, Giordano 2016, and can inhabit from more pristine areas -from pine-oak forests to more tropical humid ones -to highly modified landscapes (Giordano 2016, Magioli et al 2016.…”

Mamíferos de médio e grande porte do Parque Ecológico Rancho dos Bugres, Sul do Brasil

“…Ações imediatas de conservação podem mitigar os acintosos declínios das populações de mamíferos . Nesse contexto, os inventários de mamíferos são essenciais e apresentam dados fundamentais para a conservação de espécies e populações (Magioli et al, 2016). Esta questão é particularmente importante na porção meridional do estado de Santa Catarina, devido à ausência de estudos sistemáticos de inventariamento de mamíferos de corpo médio a grande.…”