Mammal Richness Research Articles

Exposure to climate change drives stability or collapse of desert mammal and bird communities.

High exposure to warming from climate change is expected to threaten biodiversity by pushing many species toward extinction. Such exposure is often assessed for all taxa at a location from climate projections, yet species have diverse strategies for buffering against temperature extremes. We compared changes in species occupancy and site-level richness of small mammal and bird communities in protected areas of the Mojave Desert using surveys spanning a century. Small mammal communities remained remarkably stable, whereas birds declined markedly in response to warming and drying. Simulations of heat flux identified different exposure to warming for birds and mammals, which we attribute to microhabitat use. Estimates from climate projections are unlikely to accurately reflect species' exposure without accounting for the effects of microhabitat buffering on heat flux.

Non-volant small mammals in the different vegetation types of two protected restinga areas, Southeastern Brazil

Recent environments, such as restingas, present high habitat heterogeneity, with different vegetation types throughout its geographic range. In this study, we provided the first assessment of how the composition and abundance of non-volant small mammals are influenced by the habitat heterogeneity of the different vegetation types in the restinga of the Paulo Cesar Vinha State Park and the Environmental Protection Area of Setiba, state of Espirito Santo. We used live traps in 24 sampling sites distributed over four vegetation types from April to October 2019 to capture mammals. We found a pattern in the assemblage’s composition, showing a difference in richness and abundance of species among vegetation types. We recorded 21 species of small mammals. The restinga forest showed the highest richness and abundance of species, in contrast the beach vegetation zone showed the lowest richness and abundance. Our results pointed to a high richness of small mammals for the two protected restinga areas in general. This was the first study with non-volant small mammals in the restinga environment that assessed the habitat’s heterogeneity and how species change their composition in different vegetation types. We noted the veracity of the hypothesis of habitat heterogeneity, with higher richness and abundance of species in vegetation types with higher heterogeneity. In addition to verifying the specificity of habitat of species recorded exclusively in forest environments. These results represent the first step to assist in actions for the conservation of mammals in a coastal environment with high anthropogenic pressure.

Analysis of Differences in the Spatial Distribution among Terrestrial Mammals Using Geodetector—A Case Study of China

The survival and distribution of animals cannot be separated from a certain environment. How patterns in mammalian species depend on the environment remain unclear. This study incorporating spatial data on climate, precipitation, topography, and vegetation quantitatively analyzed the influence of specific geographical factors on the spatial distribution of terrestrial mammalian richness using the Geodetector model. We used the spatial analysis method of geographical information systems (GIS), separating the mammalian distribution of 621 species into 10 by 10 km grids to measure spatial richness. Our results showed that there were significant spatial differences in terrestrial mammalian richness in China. There was a low richness in the east and west, but high richness in the south. Individual factor detection results showed that annual precipitation (AP) and the minimum temperature of the coldest month (MTCM) were the dominant factors affecting the spatial pattern of mammal richness in China. Patterns in the distribution of species richness had distinct characteristics for different mammalian orders and were influenced by different environmental factors. The richness distribution of most orders was mainly affected by MTCM and AP. Interactive detection results showed that interacting factors in pairs play much bigger roles in the spatial distribution of species richness than individual factors. The synergistic effect of elevation with AP and MTCM best explained the distribution differences of species richness. We found that the Geodetector model is a valuable tool, hoping to be more widely used in biogeography.

Species composition of small non-volant mammals in the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo, Brasil

Abstract: This study provides the first inventory of small non-volant mammals in the Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga (PEFI), a protected area in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The data was collected from 2015 to 2017 in 16 research campaigns with a duration of five days each. Four areas with different phytophysiognomies were sampled throughout the dry and rainy seasons. We sampled small mammals using live-capture and pitfall traps. Eleven species were captured, composed of six rodents and five marsupials. The sampling effort involved 5,600 traps/night, there were 527 capture events, and we captured 302 distinct individuals: 174 marsupials and 128 rodents. Recaptures accounted for 42.7% of the total captures. No significant differences were observed in the richness and abundance of small non-volant mammals between the different phytophysiognomies. We also found no significant differences in the richness and abundance of small non-volant mammals between the dry and rainy seasons. The relative abundance (Ar) and constancy index (C) of the species showed that the three most abundant and common species in the PEFI are: Didelphis aurita, Akodon montensis and Oligoryzomys nigripes, which represented 93.7% of the captures. Tomahawk traps accounted for 69% of the total captures, and pitfall traps were responsible for detecting the greatest richness, capturing 81.8% of the species. Comparing the efficiency of the different sampling methods in capturing small mammals in the PEFI, we observed significant differences between both pitfall versus Tomahawk and pitfall versus Sherman in the understory. The results obtained in this study are consistent with the past and current situations of the forest fragment which are in recovery after significant altered by anthropic activity. In light of this scenario of degradation and isolation, a defaunation process affecting the mastofauna is very likely in the PEFI, which favors the establishment and dominance of generalist species. This study could be the basis for further monitoring programs of small non-volant mammals. The data obtained here will also increase knowledge about the diversity of small mammals in urban fragments of the Atlantic Forest and demonstrate the importance of the PEFI for the maintenance of ecologically important species within the largest metropolitan region in Brazil. These species play important biological roles for the maintenance of ecological interactions and for the provision of rare ecosystem services for the anthropic landscape, which is of great value to the city of São Paulo.

Small mammals from the lasting fragments of Araucaria Forest in southern Brazil: a study about richness and diversity

ABSTRACT Rodents and marsupials together, form the most rich group of mammals in Brazil, they are distributed in all biomes, including Atlantic Forest, and can be used to analyze environmental quality. The Araucaria Forest is a threatened formation of the Atlantic forest with few areas remaining intact and a huge lack of knowledge about the potential of its secondary forest fragments to act as habitat refuges to native fauna. This study evaluated the species richness and diversity of non-volant small mammals among five vegetation types within a protected area in an Araucaria Forest area from southern Brazil. The sampling was made in six bimonthly campaigns during a year, by pitfall and live traps. This effort resulted in 875 captures of 625 individuals from 16 species. The most common species in Pine Plantation was Oligoryzomys nigripes, in Natural Regeneration forest was Thaptomys nigrita and Akodon montensis was most often captured in the other vegetation. Although differences in species composition were found among the different vegetation types, there was no significant difference in species richness. Nevertheless, true diversity values were significantly lower in the Pine Plantation. The results demonstrated that the substitution of native for exotic vegetation generated a negative impact on the group diversity. More studies, in other Araucaria Forest areas are necessary to allow better understanding of the processes driving this loss of diversity in this biome threatened by antropic action.

The value of pastoral ranches for wildlife conservation in the Kalahari

Abstract Context Rangelands can play an important role in conservation by providing additional habitat for many threatened species and maintaining global biodiversity. Identifying areas that can integrate both pastoral and conservation activities is important for capturing benefits from wildlife in non-protected areas. Aims To investigate wildlife distribution in a contiguous landscape comprising both pastoral ranches and wildlife-based areas in western Botswana. Methods We deployed motion-activated camera traps to assess mammal richness and occupancy using a multi-species occupancy model. We tested whether environmental factors influenced these parameters in a commercial ranching block in the western Kalahari region of Botswana, and whether species-specific occupancy varied between ranches and neighbouring wildlife management areas. Key results In the ranching block, vegetation, season and distance to wildlife areas influenced species-specific occupancy and species richness, whereas farm type and water availability affected only a few carnivore species. Commercial ranches supported several threatened species such as African wild dog, cheetah and pangolin, and we detected two species, African civet and serval, not previously considered being present in this region. Mammal diversity was similar between ranches and wildlife areas, but species composition varied. Land use affected species-specific occupancy, with many carnivore species occurring close to or in wildlife areas. Conclusions We showed that commercial ranches in the Kalahari are utilised by many mammal species, and these areas may play an important role in the conservation of threatened species. Understanding species-, group- and community-level responses to the impacts of human activities in rangelands is vital as the need for pastoral land increases. Implications We predicted regions of high occurrence of carnivores that can be important for tackling human–wildlife conflict as well as regions with high species diversity that may be useful for increasing integration of conservation endeavours (e.g. eco-tourism) that promote the benefits of wildlife in predominantly livestock regions.

Checklist of mammals from Goiás, central Brazil

The state of Goiás, in central Brazil, is covered mainly by the Cerrado domain, with the Alto Paraná Atlantic Forest occupying its central-southern portion. Goiás is one of the 20 Brazilian federative units without a mammal checklist. In this study, we provide the first checklist of mammals from Goiás state. We recorded mammal species based primarily on the analysis of specimens housed in scientific collections as well as on literature with associated voucher material. We listed 191 mammalian species belonging to 125 genera, 31 families and 10 orders, which represents 25.2% of the mammal species occurring in Brazil. The most speciose orders were Chiroptera (90 spp.), followed by Rodentia (43 spp.), Carnivora (19 spp.) and Didelphimorphia (17 spp.). The following orders accounted for a smaller portion of the state diversity: Cetartiodactyla (7 spp.), Cingulata (7 spp.), Primates (4 spp.), Pilosa (2 spp.), Lagomorpha (1 sp.), and Perissodactyla (1 sp.). A total of 28 species (14.7%), mainly represented by medium and large-sized mammals, are nationally threatened while 12 (6.3%) are globally threatened. Our results indicate great portions of the state lacking a proper survey of mammals, especially the northwestern portion. We discuss species richness, distribution and conservation status of the mammals of Goiás state in national and regional scenarios. We highlight the need for mammal inventories based on complementary survey techniques with the collection of vouchers in order to provide karyologic, molecular, morphologic, parasitologic, and ecological data. These informations are the basis for integrative studies that lead to the understanding of current mammalian richness and diversity. Indeed, knowledge on species richness distribution in the state will guide conservation strategies, especially in areas undergoing habitat loss and fragmentation, such as the central-southern portion of Goiás.

Unveiling the drivers of local dung beetle species richness in the Neotropics

AbstractAimNearly 40 different hypotheses have been put forward to explain the latitudinal diversity gradient, implying that geographical variations of biodiversity may be the result of a complex array of factors affecting organisms in different ways. Our main goal was to identify the most important drivers of local dung beetle species richness in the Neotropics.LocationNeotropics.TaxonDung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae).MethodsWe used a multi‐model approach to identify which potential drivers correlate better with the variations in local dung beetle species richness. We surveyed published literature on dung beetle communities to extract information on species richness, abundance, type of bait, type of habitat and sampling effort (as hours/pitfall) for different localities, discarding sites with low sampling effort. We used environmental variables to account for six possible explanations of species richness gradients: productivity, water–energy, ambient energy, habitat heterogeneity, resource heterogeneity and seasonality, as well as spatial data to account for other geographically structured phenomena. We used mixed models—with abundance, ecoregion and bait type as random factors—to select the best model among the variables accounting for each explanation. Finally, we used structural equation models to assess which explanations are associated with variations in dung beetle diversity and how they interact.ResultsResource heterogeneity was the best single correlate of dung beetle richness. However, the best multiple model comprises three different explanations: productivity, resource heterogeneity and other spatially structured factors. Structural equation models show that abundance is directly (positively) associated with richness, followed by primary productivity and soil variables (a proxy for environmental heterogeneity), together with mammal richness, (a proxy for resource heterogeneity).Main conclusionsSeveral explanations need to be considered to account for Scarabaeinae local richness patterns. The diversity of dung beetle communities correlates with the interaction of water–energy dynamics and heterogeneity in both resources and habitats. However, while heterogeneity variables are directly associated with richness, energy relates with it through abundance, and water through resource diversity.

Medium and large sized mammals of the Cerrado domain of Tocantins state, Brazil

The Tocantins state is the youngest in Brazil. It is largely occupied by the Cerrado domain, a biodiversity hotspot. Despite estimates of the number of medium and large sized mammals, few studies cover the entire state broadly. In face of the threat that these animals has been suffering from the expansion of agro-pastoral and urban activities, here is presented a high mammal richness that was found on a wide geographic scale in 10 areas, which are distant at least 60 kilometers from each other, from the southern to the northern end of the state, data obtained over 10 years (2001-2011). Two methodologies were used for this study: the Irregular Path Methods and cameras-trap. Forty seven mammal species were recorded, from which 14 species are considered in threat. Records of common species associated with endangered species reinforce the need for further studies to increase knowledge and understanding of the distribution of the mammal community by creating technical and scientific arguments for the development of effective conservation measures and even for the selection of protected areas to wildlife.

Management Intensity and Forest Successional Stages as Significant Determinants of Small Mammal Communities in a Lowland Floodplain Forest

The conversion of forests from complex natural ecosystems to simplified commercial woodlands is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. To maintain biodiversity, we need to understand how current management practices influence forest ecosystems. We studied the effects of forest successional stage and management intensity on the abundance, species richness, and assemblage composition of small mammals. Our results show that management intensity significantly contributes to reducing the number of species after clearcutting. We revealed that intensively managed clearings can make the dispersal or foraging activity of small mammals difficult and hence negatively influence their abundance and species richness. The significantly higher species richness of small mammal species was recorded within more extensively rather than intensively managed clearings. In contrast, we did not observe significant changes in species richness and abundance after intensive management in old-growth forests. Species Clethrionomys glareolus and Apodemus flavicollis reached the greatest abundance in old-growth forest patches. On the other hand, Microtus arvalis and Microtus subterraneus were species mainly associated with the successionally youngest forest stands. Our analysis suggests that intensive management interventions (i.e., vegetation destruction by pesticides and wood debris removal by soil milling) in clearings produce unhostile environments for majority of the small mammal species.

Urbanization effects on Chinese mammal and amphibian richness: a multi-scale study using the urban-rural gradient approach

The scale and extent of global urbanization are unprecedented and increasing. As urbanization generally encroaches on natural habitats and the urban ecological footprint reaches far beyond the city limits, how urbanization affects biodiversity has received increasing attention from the scientific community. Nonetheless, the comprehensive syntheses of urbanization consequences for biodiversity, including diverse taxonomic groups, across multiple spatial scales and spanning a wide gradient range of urbanization intensity are still insufficient. Here, based on the urban-rural gradient approach, we assessed the effects of urbanization on Chinese mammal and amphibian richness across the entire urbanization gradient (i.e., urbanization level from 0 to 1) at the national, regional and urban agglomeration scales. We used the global mammal and amphibian distribution data along with corresponding background climate, habitat conditions and socioeconomic activities data for analysis. Our results revealed a detailed and diverse pattern of Chinese mammal and amphibian richness along the entire spectrum of urbanization gradient across three spatial scales. And an approximately monotonic decrease only existed in certain urban agglomerations. The imprint of urbanization on mammal and amphibian richness were largely masked by the overall primacy of background climate at the national and regional scales. As the scale of analysis shifting from the country to urban agglomerations, urbanization-associated variables and locally specific limiting factors started to play important roles in driving the richness patterns. Moreover, the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis can explain the relationship between biodiversity pressure and urbanization activities in certain Chinese urban agglomerations. However, the findings of urbanization effects on biodiversity using the urban-rural gradient analysis should be interpreted with caution because many possible driving forces simultaneously present along the urban-rural gradient and are very challenging to attribute.

Trypanosomatid species in Didelphis albiventris from urban forest fragments

Urbanization results in loss of natural habitats and, consequently, reduction of richness and abundance of specialist to the detriment of generalist species. We hypothesized that a greater richness of trypanosomatid in Didelphis albiventris would be found in fragments of urban forests in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, that presented a larger richness of small mammals. We used parasitological, molecular, and serological methods to detect Trypanosoma spp. infection in D. albiventris (n = 43) from forest fragments. PCR was performed with primers specific for 18S rDNA, 24Sα rDNA, mini-chromosome satellites, and mini-exon genes. IFAT was used to detect anti-Trypanosoma cruzi IgG. All hemoculture was negative. We detected trypanosomatid DNA in blood of 35% of opossum. Two opossums were seropositive for T. cruzi. The trypanosomatid species number infecting D. albiventris was higher in the areas with greater abundance, rather than richness of small mammals. We found D. albiventris parasitized by T. cruzi in single and co-infections with Leishmania spp., recently described molecular operational taxonomic unit (MOTU) named DID, and Trypanosoma lainsoni. We concluded that (i) trypanosome richness may be determined by small mammal abundance, (ii) D. albiventris confirmed to be bio-accumulators of trypanosomatids, and (iii) T. lainsoni demonstrated a higher host range than described up to the present.

Spatial epidemiology of yellow fever: Identification of determinants of the 2016-2018 epidemics and at-risk areas in Brazil.

Optimise control strategies of infectious diseases, identify factors that favour the circulation of pathogens, and propose risk maps are crucial challenges for global health. Ecological niche modelling, once relying on an adequate framework and environmental descriptors can be a helpful tool for such purposes. Despite the existence of a vaccine, yellow fever (YF) is still a public health issue. Brazil faced massive sylvatic YF outbreaks from the end of 2016 up to mid-2018, but cases in human and non-human primates have been recorded until the beginning of 2020. Here we used both human and monkey confirmed YF cases from two epidemic periods (2016/2017 and 2017/2018) to describe the spatial distribution of the cases and explore how biotic and abiotic factors drive their occurrence. The distribution of YF cases largely overlaps for humans and monkeys, and a contraction of the spatial extent associated with a southward displacement is observed during the second period of the epidemics. More contributive variables to the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of cases were related to biotic factors (mammal richness), abiotic factors (temperature and precipitation), and some human-related variables (population density, human footprint, and human vaccination coverage). Both projections of the most favourable conditions showed similar trends with a contraction of the more at-risk areas. Once extrapolated at a large scale, the Amazon basin remains at lower risk, although surrounding forest regions and notably the North-West region, would face a higher risk. Spatial projections of infectious diseases often relied on climatic variables only; here for both models, we instead highlighted the importance of considering local biotic conditions, hosts vulnerability, social and epidemiological factors to run the spatial risk analysis correctly: all YF cases occurring later on, in 2019 and 2020, were observed in the predicted at-risk areas.

Altitudinal variation of species composition of small non-flying mammals in the Yungas region of Bolivia

The Cotapata National Park and Natural Area for Integrated Management (PN-ANMI) is located on the eastern escarpments of the Eastern Cordillera in Bolivia. It has an altitudinal range between 1,100-5,600 masl, with five altitudinally delimited ecological zones. There is great variability of environments, which generates great animal species diversity, varying according to elevation, and in association with changes in climatic and ecological conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of richness and composition of small non-flying mammals along an altitudinal gradient in the PN-ANMI Cotapata and to evaluate responses of these species to the gradient. We worked at three different elevations: Yungas Forest (1,400 masl), Cloud Forest (2,100 masl) and Yungas Paramo (3,500 masl). Six temporary replicas were conducted. For each sampling period we run three 250 m linear transects were placed, separated by 50 m attitudinally. Each transect contained 25 sampling stations, with two snap traps. With the exception of Yungas Paramo (due to the rocky ground), we also run transects of pitfall barrier traps (five buckets, every 5 m). We captured 460 specimens corresponding to 20 species of rodents and two of marsupials. Although, species richness ( S ) and diversity ( Cinv ) were higher in Cloud Forest (intermediate elevation; S = 11, Cinv = 4.30), followed by Yungas Forest ( S = 9, Cinv = 3.47), and lower in Yungas Paramo (higher elevation; S = 8, Cinv = 2.12), only the diversity was significantly different ( H = 7.0, n = 17, P = 0.03). Species composition varied between places, showing the greatest turnover between Cloud Forest and Yungas Paramo, with a similarity of only 2 %. Yungas Paramo had the highest number of exclusive species (seven of the eight registered). The diversity was higher at medium altitude, giving a positive monoclinal hump-shaped pattern. This variation, responds to climatic influences associated with changes in vegetation, where Cloud Forest provides a greater diversity of ecological niches. The lower diversity in Yungas Paramo, and the almost total species turnover responds to inhospitable and stress conditions and to the physiological adaptations of these species to these elevations.

Redistribution of large and medium-sized mammals in a sacred natural site, western China

Sacred natural sites are the unique landforms protected and worshiped by local communities for cultural or religious purposes. Although the traditionally-managed sites are suggested to have potential in contributing towards biodiversity conservation, few studies have examined the effectiveness of such sites on the protection of animal diversity. In this study, we used large and medium-sized mammals (> 2 kg) as representative taxa to investigate the potential for conserving biodiversity in a Tibetan sacred natural site in western China, where access was commonly restricted, but local monks and pilgrims occasionally scheduled rituals and religious worship practices as part of Tibetan Buddhist practices. We recorded 13 species, relying on a census technique of counting feces. The results showed that neither the species richness nor relative abundance of large and medium-sized mammals protected by the sacred natural site differed significantly from the surrounding matrix (i.e., the portion of the landscape surrounding the sacred natural site). However, there was a difference in the distribution of mammals between the sacred natural site and the matrix. The results suggest that carnivores, potential predators, avoided the sacred natural site whereas it is a site favored by herbivores. Although our study is from a single-paired site and the analyses are exploratory, the current results provide insights into understanding the potential for sacred natural sites to act as refuges for wildlife. Future studies that examine the role of such sites in cultural ecosystem service are needed.

Efficient Mammal Biodiversity Surveys for Ecological Restoration Monitoring.

Efficient biodiversity surveys are critical for successful restoration monitoring and management. We studied the effect of varying sampling effort on the observed species richness of surveys of small mammals (trapping transects), bats (passive acoustic detection), and medium to large mammals (trail cameras). Field studies provided mammalian biodiversity data for 4 bottomland hardwood restoration sites in northeastern Indiana. Subsampled data were used to simulate monitoring surveys with a range of levels of effort. We then used hierarchical Bayesian nonlinear mixed models to analyze how different components of sampling effort affected observed species richness, a key monitoring outcome. We found that observed small mammal richness increased with the increased number of transects in a survey, while observed bat and medium to large mammal richness increased with the increased duration of sampling. Variation between sites was important for the observed richness of small mammals and bats but not for medium to large mammals. The key driver of richness observed in simulated surveys was related to the spatial scale at which target fauna interact with the habitat, with decreasing richness accompanied by a greater spatial scale of animal-habitat interactions. Our findings suggest taxon-specific recommendations for efficiently quantifying the mammalian diversity of managed sites. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;00:1-13. © 2020 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Environmental correlates of richness, community composition, and functional traits of terrestrial birds and mammals in a fragmented tropical landscape

Tropical forest loss and fragmentation and the associated loss in species diversity are increasing in both magnitude and scope. Much attention has been paid to how attributes of forest fragments, such as area and forest structure, impact the diversity and functional composition of vertebrate communities, while more recent work has begun to consider the importance of landscape-level variables, such as surrounding tree cover. Yet, the relative impacts of these factors on species diversity and functional composition remain unclear, particularly among under-studied taxonomic groups. We quantified how species richness, community composition, and functional traits of terrestrial birds and mammals are associated with variation in fragment area, elevation, habitat structure and surrounding tree cover. Our goal was to determine the degree to which these diverse explanatory variables contribute to species diversity. We used motion-activated camera traps to sample terrestrial birds and mammals in 22 forest fragments in northwestern Ecuador. We used a hierarchical multi-species occupancy model accounting for imperfect species detection to estimate species richness and species composition differences among fragments, weighted multiple regression and distance matrix regression to assess covariates of richness and composition, and an RLQ ordination to assess co-variation of environmental conditions and species traits. Terrestrial mammals and birds exhibited similar relationships to key environmental variables, but also showed guild-specific differences. Elevation was significantly associated with differences in species richness and community composition for both groups. Forest cover in the surrounding matrix was associated with higher species richness and changes in community composition in mammals, but not terrestrial birds. Canopy openness showed a positive association with mammalian species richness but no relationship with bird species richness. There was no association between density of large trees and richness for either group. We found no significant associations between environmental variation and functional composition among forest fragments. This work highlights the general importance of elevation and forest cover in shaping patterns of species diversity and composition in forest fragments and suggests heightened sensitivity to matrix conditions in mammals relative to terrestrial birds.

An effective culturomics approach to study the gut microbiota of mammals

The microbial characterization of the mammal’s gut is an emerging research area, wherein culturomics methodologies applied to human samples are transposed to the animal context without improvement. In this work, using Egyptian mongoose as a model, we explore wet bench conditions to define an effective experimental design based on culturomics and DNA barcoding with potential application to different mammal species. After testing a battery of solid media and enrichments, we show that YCFA-based media, in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, together with PDA supplemented with chloramphenicol, are sufficient to maximize bacterial and fungal microbiota diversity. The pasteurization of the sample enrichment before cultivation is central to gain insight into sporogenic communities. We suggest the application of this optimized culturomics strategy to accurately expand knowledge on the microbial richness of mammals’ gut, maximizing the application of common laboratory resources, without dramatic time and consumables expenditure but with high resolution of microbial landscapes. The analysis of ten fecal samples proved adequate to assess the core gastrointestinal microbiota of the mesocarnivore under analysis. This approach may empower most microbiology laboratories, particularly the veterinary, to perform studies on mammal’s microbiota, and, in contrast with metagenomics, enabling the recovery of live bacteria for further studies.

Causal explanations for the evolution of ‘low gear’ locomotion in insular ruminants

AbstractAimMammals on islands often undergo remarkable evolutionary changes. The acquisition of ‘low gear’ locomotion, namely short and robust limb elements, has been typically associated with the island syndrome in large mammals and, especially, ruminants. Here we provide an investigative framework to examine biotic and abiotic selective factors hypothesized to influence evolution of this peculiar type of gait.LocationIslands worldwide.TaxonBovidae.MethodsWe calculated response variables associated with ‘low gear’ locomotion in 21 extinct and extant insular bovids. We assembled data on the physiography of 11 islands and on life history and ecological traits of the focal taxa. We estimated 10 predictors (island area and four topographic indices, body mass, body size divergence, number of predators and competitors, large mammal richness) and used multiple regressions, regression trees, and random forests to assess their contextual importance.ResultsThe acquisition of ‘low gear’ locomotion generally happens on islands with a small number of competitors. However, the roughness of the island terrain appears to be also important, without being a main driver. Finally, although the most extreme cases of ‘low gear’ locomotion occurred on islands with no mammalian predators, our models show a non‐significant relationship with this factor.Main conclusionsThe evolution of ‘low gear’ locomotion in insular ruminants does not simply result from phyletic dwarfing and predatory release. Variation in morphological responses within Bovidae to ecological and topographic traits suggests, instead, a complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors. Current understanding on the main drivers of species evolutionary pathways and biogeographic patterns are disproportionally based on few taxa, mainly vertebrates, and in some extreme cases (like this one) even on few species. Here we show how adding more data, even within the same taxonomic group, can challenge historically accepted macroevolutionary and macroecological concepts.

Remnant Flowering Trees as Avifaunal Refuge in the Fringe Areas of Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Remnant trees are prominent structures in modified and anthropogenic landscapes globally and avian species and remnant trees, together play an imperative role in preservation of forest ecosystem by providing several services such as pollination, seed dispersal and insect pest predators/defender. In addition, these trees act as the refuges in an anthropogenic landscape to provide ecological functions such as maintaining microclimate, soil nutrients and support species richness and diversity of birds, mammals and insects. This study was aimed to investigate the conservation values of remnant flowering trees occur in the fringe villages of Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India in order to highlight their significance in the conservation of avian species through direct observation method. Through regular observations, we estimated a total of 2826 (45.59 ± 16.02) numbers of bird’s individuals from 56 species belonging to 28 families and 9 orders in five flowing tree species, viz. Bombax ceiba (Simolu), Moringa oleifera (Sojina), Erythrina indica (Modar), Cassia renigera (Radhachura) and Bauhunia purpurea (Kanchan) found in the village land. The utmost richness (n = 28 species) of avifauna were recorded in Bombax ceiba. A maximum number of the bird species was recorded from order Passeriformes. Pycnonotus cafer (Red vented bulbul: 31.2%) was recorded as dominant bird species followed by Acridotheres fuscus (Jungle Myna: 11.9%), Saroglossa spilopterus (Spot winged starling: 9.9%), Acridotheres grandis (Great Myna: 8.4%), Zosterops palpebrosus (Oriental white eye: 5.4%) and Sturnia malabarica (Chestnut tailed starling: 5.1%) and remaining bird species were recorded less than 5% during the entire study period. Out of 56 recorded avian species, 55 species recognized as least concern species and one species Psittacula alexandri (Red-breasted Parakeet) which belongs to near threatened (NT) under IUCN categories of conservation. The present findings showed that remnant trees have similar competence to conserve bird species as natural forest of Pakke. Thus, the remnant trees with flowering and fruiting in human modified landscape plays a mutual relationship with surrounding bird diversity and help to support the ecosystem and therefore, plantation of flowering and fruiting trees should be encouraged in fringe villages for not only to increase the aesthetic value of landscape but also to provide quality welfare factors for the avian species conservation.