Abstract
The Pampa biogeographic province covers a mere 2% of the Brazilian territory (176,496 km²). However, it stands out as a complex and diverse ecosystem, although its mammal communities are still scarcely understood. Human activities are transforming the territory into a mosaic of agroecosystems, native and exotic forest fragments, and grasslands. Here we conducted the first investigation to determine the richness of small mammal assemblages in the region based on extensive analyses of owl pellets (Tyto furcata). Craniodental remains were studied from samples collected from 12 Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest sites in the municipality of São Lourenço do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. A total of 2,617 individuals belonging to 19 taxa were recorded, including 2 marsupials (Didelphidae; 0.42%), 2 chiropterans (Molossidae, Phyllostomidae; 0.12%), and 15 rodents (Cricetidae, Muridae, Caviidae; 99.46%). The rodent genera Oligoryzomys, Mus, Calomys, and Akodon were the most common taxa. Large samples also included poorly known taxa, such as the cricetids Bibimys, Juliomys (recording here its southernmost occurrence), Lundomys, and Wilfredomys. From a biogeographical point of view, the recorded assemblage embraces a mixture of Platan, Pampean, and Atlantic Forest elements, highlighting the role of the southernmost Brazilian hills as a wedge favoring the penetration of forest micromammals to higher latitudes. Our findings testify to the great diversity of the Pampa, but also point to a growing homogeneity and dominance of rodent species that are widespread in agroecosystems. Rapid inventories based on owl pellets emerge as a suitable, economic, non-invasive tool to document these community changes.
Highlights
The Pampa biogeographic province extends from the southern half of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, hereafter) in Brazil across the whole of Uruguay to Central Argentina (Morrone, 2001)
We uncritically referred the studied Lundomys material to the single species today recognized for the genus, L. molitor (Winge, 1887), it is important to note that the species has its type locality in Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, about 1,500 km northeast of SLS, where it became extinct (Voss & Carleton, 1993; Pardiñas & Teta, 2013)
L. molitor is mostly known from populations in the Uruguayan territory and three adjacent Brazilian localities (Silveira et al, 2011; Voss, 2015; Brandão & Fegies, 2017)
Summary
The Pampa biogeographic province extends from the southern half of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, hereafter) in Brazil across the whole of Uruguay to Central Argentina (Morrone, 2001). These forest environments have been almost totally converted to agroecosystems (IBGE, 2004b; Cordeiro & Hasenack, 2009). The few, but important, efforts directed at exploring the non-volant small mammals in these grassland-forest ecotones have revealed diverse
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