Medium- and large-sized mammals in a steppic savanna area of the Brazilian Pampa: survey and conservation issues of a poorly known fauna.

C C Espinosa,J R Marinho,B B Kubiak,D Galiano

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.12714

Abstract

The wildlife of the Brazilian Pampa is threatened by large-scale habitat loss, due in particular to the expansion of soybean cultivation and the conversion of grasslands areas into extensive areas of silviculture. It is essential to study how the mammal fauna copes with the highly fragmented, human-influenced, non-protected landscape. Our study presents the results of a survey of the large- and medium-sized mammals of a typical human-influenced steppic savanna area of the Pampa biome. The survey was conducted exclusively with the use of camera traps over a period of 16 months. The relative frequencies of species in the area were evaluated. We recorded 18 species, some of them locally threatened (Tamandua tetradactyla, Alouatta caraya, Leopardus colocolo, Leopardus geoffroyi, Leopardus wiedii, Puma yagouaroundi, Mazama gouazoubira and Cuniculus paca). Several species were found to thrive in the area; however, many species were considered rare, and undoubtedly new species could be recorded if we continued the sampling. Our results contribute to the knowledge of faunal diversity in the Pampa biome and associated habitats, warn about threats and provide support for conservation measures.

Highlights

Biomes are regions that can be distinguished by their geography, climate, and associated flora and fauna (Campbell, 1996)
In southern Brazil, the Pampa biome is located between latitudes 28o 00’ S and 34o 00’ S and longitudes 49o 30’ W and 58o 00’ W (IBGE, 2004), and covers approximately 176,000 km2, corresponding to 2.1% of the area of the country (Collares, 2006)
We obtained a total of 341 photographic records of 17 medium- and large-sized mammal species belonging to seven orders and 11 families: Artiodactyla (Cervidae), Carnivora (Canidae, Procyonidae, Mephitidae and Felidae), Cingulata (Dasypodidae), Didelphimorphia (Didelphidae), Lagomorpha (Leporidae), Pilosa (Myrmecophagidae) and Rodentia (Caviidae and Cuniculidae) (Paglia et al, 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Biomes are regions that can be distinguished by their geography, climate, and associated flora and fauna (Campbell, 1996). In southern Brazil, the Pampa biome is located between latitudes 28o 00’ S and 34o 00’ S and longitudes 49o 30’ W and 58o 00’ W (IBGE, 2004), and covers approximately 176,000 km, corresponding to 2.1% of the area of the country (Collares, 2006). The Brazilian Pampa is home to a total of 83 native mammal species with potential occurrence, 12 of which are endemic to this biome, and 35 of which are mammals of medium and large size (Paglia et al, 2012). The Brazilian Pampa is the third largest biome in Brazil in terms of the percentage of endangered mammal species, approximately 13% (Costa et al, 2005), and over time, it has been profoundly modified by human activities, often leaving only small remnants of native fields (Porto, 2002). 51% of the original grassland vegetation has been devastated as a result of human economic activities (Hasenack, 2006)

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