Mammals in forest remnants of an ecotonal Atlantic Forest-Cerrado area from southeastern Brazil

Abstract

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which permits reproduction, adaptation, and distribution provided the original author and source are credited. AbstractForest 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. ResumoAs florestas do sul de Minas Gerais foram intensamente fragmentadas pelos processos históricos de uso do solo, e ainda hoje essa região está sob severa pressão antrópica devido à ampliação agrícola, mineradora, turística e urbana. No entanto, estudos contemporâneos sobre sua biodiversidade, particularmente sobre a biodiversidade remanescente em paisagens profundamente fragmentadas são necessários. No presente estudo, apresentamos uma lista de espécies de mamíferos em remanescentes florestais de uma paisagem agrícola do sudeste do Brasil (RPPN Fazenda Lagoa), localizada em ecótono de Mata Atlântica e Cerrado, com informações adicionais sobre uso de habitats, vulnerabilidade a atropelamentos e considerações para 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 domésticos vivendo em condição feral. Dez espécies foram registradas como vítimas de atropelamento nas estradas de acesso a RPPN. Nós concluímos que esses remanescentes possuem um importante papel na manutenção e conservação da mastofauna, servindo como um dos últimos refúgios para a vida silvestre de uma região severamente desmatada. Palavras

Mammals recorded in isolated remnants of Atlantic Forest in southern Goiás, Brazil

“…On an ampler, and more directly comparable scale, the mammalian faunas recorded in fragments of Atlantic Forest in other regions of Brazil, such as São Paulo and Minas Gerais, were between 52% and 67% similar to that recorded in the present study (Magioli et al, 2014;Machado et al, 2016;Laurindo et al, 2017;Bovo et al, 2018 The similarities were even greater in comparison with fragments of Cerrado savanna, protected or otherwise, with an average of 83% of species in common (Rodrigues et al, 2002;Bocchiglieri et al, 2010;Campos et al, 2013;Leite et al, 2016;Cabral et al, 2017), reflecting the considerable influence of this biome on the mammalian fauna of the study area. The species richness recorded in the present study is probably also a reflection of the vegetation structure of the fragments surveyed, which are formed predominantly by seasonal semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest in transition with areas of Cerrado savanna (Melo et al 2013).…”

“…As medium/large mammals, in particular carnivores, require relatively large areas to support a viable population (Costa et al 2005), the environmental diversity of the fragments surveyed in the present study may be vital to the maintenance of the local populations of many of the species recorded in this study (Calaça et al 2010, Laurindo et al 2017. Southern Goiás has suffered intense habitat fragmentation to make way for plantations of cash crops and cattle ranching, and these habitat remnants may represent vital refuges for many mammals.…”

Mammals of medium and large size in Cerrado remnants in southeastern Brazil

“…Small fragments of native vegetation in landscapes modified by humans have been considered refuges for local fauna (Melo et al 2013) and may harbor high species richness, including endangered species (Laurindo et al 2017). In the present study, seven species were recorded exclusively from forest fragments, which could be linked to the biological characteristics of the species (e.g., primates have an arboreal habit and are generally not found in pastures) or to habitat preference (e.g., Lontra longicaudis is a semiaquatic species and, in this study, was only recorded in the interior of riparian forests).…”

Mamíferos De Médio E Grande Porte No Campus Da Universidade Federal De Lavras, Sul Do Estado De Minas Gerais, Brasil

“…A riqueza de mamíferos de médio e grande porte nativos encontrada no campus da UFLA representa 55,5% das espécies registradas para a região do sul de Minas Gerais (Prado et al 2008, Eduardo & Passamani 2009, Laurindo et al 2017, Machado et al 2017, Rosa & Souza 2017, Mazza et al 2018 e 80% das registradas para o município de Lavras (Silva & Passamani 2009, Santos et al 2016. Esta alta representatividade da comunidade de mamíferos ressalta a importância da área do campus da UFLA na conservação deste grupo quando comparada a outras áreas altamente fragmentadas e fora de Unidades de Conservação (UCs) da região (Tabela 2), onde a riqueza reportada variou de 13 a 19 espécies (Silva & Passamani 2009, Machado et al 2017 quando comparada a UCs próximas, em que a média de espécies registradas foi de 21,6 (Prado et al 2008, Eduardo & Passamani 2009, Laurindo et al 2017, Rosa & Souza 2017, Mazza et al 2018), a riqueza de espécies do campus da UFLA se apresenta bastante alta, novamente evidenciando a importância da conservação da área para manutenção destas espécies na região, principalmente as ameaçadas de extinção. A curva de rarefação não se estabilizou provavelmente devido à presença de sete espécies com apenas um registro cada (C. brachyurus, C. unicinctus, E. barbara, L. guttulus, L. pardalis, P. cancrivorus e T. tetradactyla), acentuando a subida da curva e indicando a possibilidade de registros de novas espécies para a área.…”