Montane Forest Areas Research Articles

First report of Lycalopex sechurae (Carnivora, Canidae) in a montane forest area in southeastern Loja Province, Ecuador

First report of Lycalopex sechurae (Carnivora, Canidae) in a montane forest area in southeastern Loja Province, Ecuador

Joint Management of Shared Resources, Issues and Conflicts of the Nso and Oku Tribes in the Ngongbaa Montane Forest Area, NWR of Cameroon

Joint Management of Shared Resources, Issues and Conflicts of the Nso and Oku Tribes in the Ngongbaa Montane Forest Area, NWR of Cameroon

Climate Change Habitat Model Forecasts for Eight Owl Species in the Southwestern US.

The high-resolution forecasting of vegetation type shifts may prove essential in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of future climate change on bird populations. Here, we used the US Forest Service Ecological Response Unit (ERU) classification to develop and assess vegetation-based breeding habitat profiles for eight owl species occurring in the foothills and mountains of the Southwestern US. Shifts in mapped habitat were forecast using an ecosystem vulnerability model based on the pre-1990 climate envelopes of ERUs and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) A1B moderate-emission scenario for the future climate. For five of the eight owl species, the regional breeding habitat extent was projected to decline by at least 60% by 2090. Three species, the boreal owl (Aegolius funereus; at the trailing edge of its distribution), flammulated owl (Psiloscops flammeolus), and northern pygmy-owl (Glaucidium gnoma), were projected to experience the steepest habitat loss rates of 85%, 85%, and 76%, respectively. Projected vegetation shifts overlaid with well-documented flammulated owl breeding populations showed the complete or near complete loss of habitat by 2090 in areas of montane forest currently supporting dense aggregations of owl territories. Generalist or lower-elevation owl species were predicted to be less impacted, while, for the whiskered screech-owl (Megascops trichopsis), the contraction of the current habitat was nearly offset by a projected northward expansion. In general, the results of this study suggest high exposure to climate change impacts for the upper-elevation forest owls of semi-arid Southwestern North America. Long-distance migration and low natal philopatry may prove important to some montane owl populations in adapting to the regional loss of habitat.

Analysis of the tick communities associated to domestic mammals in rural areas of the Yungas montane forest from Argentina.

The aim of this work was to describe the tick community associated to domestic mammals in rural areas from the Yungas lower montane forest of Argentina. The circulation of tick-borne pathogens was also analyzed. Samples of ticks parasitizing cattle, horses, sheep and dogs were carried out in different seasons, and questing ticks were collected from vegetation and analyzed to detect the presence of Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Borrelia and Babesia by a battery of different PCRs. The structure of the tick communities was analyzed through the Chao1 species richness estimator, the Shannon-Wiener index and the Horn index of community similarity. Eight tick species were collected in the study area: Amblyomma sculptum, Rhipicephalus microplus, Amblyomma hadanii, Dermacentor nitens, Amblyomma ovale, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, Ixodes pararicinus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu stricto. However, A. sculptum was by far the dominant species in the tick assemblages analyzed, and this was reflected in the low diversity values obtained. Dermacentor nitens, A. sculptum and R. microplus were the three species associated to horses. The predominance of A. sculptum was also observed in the tick samples obtained from dogs, even on two tick species, namely A. ovale and R. sanguineus s.s., which have dogs as the principal domestic host. Rhipicephalus microplus and A. sculptum were the most abundant ticks on cattle, while few specimens of I. pararicinus, A. hadanii and D. nitens were found on bovines. Dermacentor nitens ticks were found to be infected with B. caballi, which indicate the circulation of this pathogen of horses in the Yungas area. The detection of a strain of Borrelia sp. belonging to the B. burgdorferi s.l. complex in I. pararicinus is consistent with previous findings made in Argentina, but the public health relevance of this vector-microorganism association is far from being similar to that occurs in the northern hemisphere because there are practically no records of these tick species parasitizing humans in South America. The tick community of rural areas of the Yungas lower montane forest is composed by species which are potential vectors of pathogenic microorganism with veterinary and public health importance, circulating in a human-wildlife-livestock interface.

Effects of Human Activities on the Nile Basin: Lessons from Kenya

Kenya has five major water towers arising from indigenous montane forest areas. Lake Victoria drainage basin is of special interest as nearly half of the country’s population lives in this basin. It is endowed with abundant water and other natural resources. Destruction of water towers and lack of proper harnessing of the other four water towers, places more pressure on Lake Victoria drainage system, which produces water for drinking, domestic, agricultural and industrial use, fisheries, biodiversity, and hydropower, among others. The systematic destruction of the Mau Complex in particular has had adverse effects in the nation’s weather pattern in general and the Nile (Lake Victoria) basin in particular. The paper documents the specific human activities on the Mau Complex and the Lake Victoria drainage system and their overall effect on the Nile basin. Research methods were in qualitative form. The qualitative study focused on secondary data (archival sources). Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Recommendation for policy is highlighted as it is hoped that the results of the study will improve our understanding on the Nile Basin and support policy-makers in designing better future policy.

An evaluation of vegetation loss due to the super typhoon Sarika in Hainan Island of China

With the continued strengthening of global climate change, various extreme climate events have become increasingly prominent. Typhoons are the most disastrous weather event that cause severe losses to the economy, agriculture, transportation, communication, and ecosystem in coastal regions. The super typhoon Sarika that hit Hainan Island on October 18, 2016, lasted for 15 h, and it was the most severe typhoon that hit this island in October since 1970. The coastal land of Hainan Island experienced gales with an average speed of 35 m/s. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the super typhoon Sarika on vegetation by performing normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) difference analysis using MODIS multi-temporal images acquired before and after the typhoon. The assessment of typhoons depends on the land-use types and landscape topography of slope, aspect, and altitude. The results indicated that the super typhoon Sarika seriously hit forestry, agriculture, shrubs, plantations, and orchards on Hainan Island. Overall, 79% of vegetation exhibited a negative change, whereas only 21% of vegetation exhibited a positive change in NDVI after the super typhoon Sarika. Agriculture was most severely impacted by the typhoon, where more than 81% of areas exhibited a decrease in NDVI, followed by plantations and orchards, where 77% of areas exhibited a decrease in NDVI. Additionally, the impact of the typhoon on vegetation was affected by the degree of NDVI decrease with the altitude, slope, and aspect. In conclusion, vegetation damage is associated with land cover types, altitude, aspect, and slope. NDVI decreased more in low-altitude plain and coastal areas than in higher altitude montane forest areas.

NEW RECORDS AND AN UPDATED LIST OF THE HERPETOFAUNA FROM NA HAU NATURE RESERVE, YEN BAI PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Na Hau Nature Reserve (NR) was established in 2006, located in Van Yen district, Yen Bai province with a total area of 16,950 hectares. The nature reserve consists of a large area of natural montane forest with the habitat is evergreen broad-leaved forests and limestone forests with karst caves. The herpetofauna of this protected area is still poorly known, there is not much research about herpetofauna in this area, only one checklist in 2009 and one article in 2015. As a result of our field survey in Na Hau NR in September 2020, 13 species of amphibians and reptiles were recorded for the first time from Na Hau Nature Reserve, namely Takydromus sexlineatus, Sphenomorphus cryptotis, Tropidophorus hainanus, Oligodon cinereus tamdaoensis, Hebius boulengeri, Pareas hamptoni, Boulenophrys palpebralespinosa, Xenophrys maosonensis, Microhyla butleri, Amolops shihaitaoi, Odorrana nasica, Sylvirana maosonensis, Rana johnsi. In addition, we provide an updated list of 37 reptile species and 23 amphibian species from the study area. The nature reserve also harbors a high level of conservation concern with 17 threatened species, including 14 species listed in the IUCN Red List (2022), 13 species listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book (2007), and 10 species listed in the Governmental Decree No. 84 (2021).

Community structures of mid-sized to large-bodied mammals in tropical lowland and lower montane forests in Gunung Pueh National Park, Western Sarawak, Borneo

Habitat types are closely associated with altitude gradients in tropical rainforests and play an essential role in species assemblages where terrain heterogeneity is often used to understand effects of climate change on species distribution. The response of larger mammals to habitat variation along altitudes is largely unexplored in Borneo. This study has utilised camera traps to better understand the community structure of larger mammals in Gunung Pueh National Park. Gunung Pueh National Park (1550 m a.s.l.) contains two major habitat types, which include lowland forests (< 1100 m a.s.l.) and the lower montane (> 1100 m a.s.l.) forests. The spatio-temporal niches of mid-sized to large-bodied mammal species across these altitude gradients and habitats were assessed. Cameras located at 23 locations, along varying altitude gradients, resulted in 3109 trap nights. Using these cameras, the collected recordings have revealed a total of 22 mid-sized to large-bodied mammals, including 19 species recorded in lowland forest areas, and 18 species in the lower montane forest areas; 15 species were found in both habitats. Four species were exclusively detected in the lowland forest, namely Rusa unicolor, Viverra tangalunga, Presbytis chrysomelas, and Hystrix brachyura. Three species were detected only in the lower montane forest, namely Herpestes semitorquatus, Mustela nudipes, and Hemigalus hosei. In the lowland forest, Macaca nemestrina was recorded with the highest naïve occupancy (naïve ψ = 1.00), while Hemigalus derbyanus had the highest naïve occupancy (naïve ψ = 0.93) in the lower montane forest. The temporal diel activity patterns of selected species in the two habitats have shown relatively close similarities, with overlapping patterns ranging between 67–90%. The further conservation of a large area, which encompasses mountainous ranges, is recommended to facilitate the conservation efficacy of such Protected Areas and for supporting diverse, mid-sized to large-bodied mammals in Borneo.

Mapping standing dead trees in temperate montane forests using a pixel- and object-based image fusion method and stereo WorldView-3 imagery

Information about the distribution of standing dead trees (SDT) is essential for forest biodiversity estimation, forest disturbances monitoring, and forest management strategy planning. Although remote sensing techniques offer unique capabilities to map SDT over large areas, three major hurdles exist: (1) the sporadic distribution of SDT in the study area; (2) often poor spectral separability between SDT and bare ground in forests; (3) the prominent spectral variability within SDT due to variations in background effect and canopy illumination. To address these problems, we proposed a pixel- and object-based image fusion (POBIF) approach using very high-resolution (VHR) stereo WorldView-3 (WV-3) data. The stereo WV-3 derived spectral bands, canopy height model (CHM), vegetation indices (VIs), and texture features were used as inputs in six classification scenarios with different variable combinations. A deep learning algorithm, deep neural network (DNN), and two machine learning algorithms, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), were utilized to process the pixel-based (PB) and object-based (OB) information. All PB and OB classifiers were then combined using a stacked generalization strategy to develop the POBIF model. Comparing the six scenarios we assessed the importance of the CHM, VIs, and textures for accurate SDT mapping. As a result, we found (1) the POBIF outperformed both PB and OB methods for SDT mapping, generating notably higher F1-score (p < 0.05); (2) Adding the CHM reduced the commission and omission errors caused by bare ground and artificial surfaces, and the highest classification accuracy was achieved when combing all the WV-3 derived variables; (3) SDT covered 0.89% of the forest areas in the study area and was particularly distributed on higher and steeper north-facing (northeast and northwest) slopes. Large tracts of SDT were found in the strictly protected forests. The study highlights the potential of VHR stereo WV-3 imagery and the POBIF for SDT mapping in a temperate montane forest area with high accuracy. The map created in this study could be used for guiding field investigations and for planning management measures.

Key factors affecting succession in upper montane forest areas of "Planalto Sul Catarinense" Region, Brazil

The understanding of the succession process is a fundamental condition in defining strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of forest ecosystems. Therefore, we aimed at testing which ecological factors affect short-term successional changes in the upper-montane forests of the “Planalto Sul Catarinense” Region, Brazil. We evaluated the influence of propagules source, soil seed bank, edaphic and topographic variables, nucleating elements and natural regeneration floristic-structural composition on demographic rates of tree-shrub regenerating component in three disturbed open vegetation areas at São Joaquim National Park. We inventoried the regenerative component in 2014, 2015 and 2016, within one 20x100 m transect in each area. Afterwards, demographic rates were determined for each period. The influence of explicative variables on demographic rates of the regenerating component was tested through the Generalized Least Square (GLS) model. We found an increment in both individuals and richness over time. When analyzing the influence of the explanatory variables on the speed of the successional process, we observed that only the floristic-structural composition of the natural regeneration was determinant. We conclude that the speed of the represented succession is, to a large extent, a feature related to the phase of the successional trajectory in which the vegetation is found.

Montane forest expansion at high elevations drives rapid reduction in non‐forest area, despite no change in mean forest elevation

AbstractAimAt the elevational limit of forest distribution, montane forests show diverse responses to environmental change with upward shifts, increased tree density and lateral expansion reported. To enable informed analysis of the consequences forest advance will have on montane biodiversity, we quantify changes in the area and elevation of the tree line ecotone and identify how patterns of forest advance are modified by topography and over time.LocationCentral Mountain Range, Taiwan.Time period1963–2016.Major taxa studiedMontane Forests.MethodsChanges in the area and elevation of montane forest at the tree line ecotone were quantified using a stratified random sample of aerial photography captured in 1963, 1980, 2001 and 2016. Weighted estimates of habitat area and elevation for each time step were used to quantify the influence of slope aspect and inclination on tree line ecotone change and identify how the rate of habitat change varies over time.ResultsNon‐forest area declined by 29% between 1963 and 2016 driven by a 295.0 ha increase in forest area within the study region. Despite no change in mean forest elevation, the mean elevation of establishing forest has increased at a rate of 2.17 m/yr. Changes in forest area and elevation are spatially variable, driven by the complex montane topography. East and south facing slopes show the largest gains in forest area and 0–20° slopes show an increasing rate of forest establishment up to 2016, while slopes facing west or with incline &gt; 46° show negligible change.Main conclusionsClimate‐linked montane forest expansion in the Central Mountain Range in Taiwan is dominated by infilling rather than increases in forest elevation. Forest expansion has significantly reduced non‐forest habitat area in this endemic species‐rich region. However, considerable terrain‐dependent variation in forest advance occurs, offering the potential that non‐forest species will continue to persist at high elevations with reduced population size.

An assessment of the conservation status of Restrepia (Orchidaceae) reveals the threatened status of the genus

ABSTRACT Background The genus Restrepia occurs throughout Central and South America in areas of montane forest heavily affected by deforestation. Aims The current study was designed to test the feasibility of using available online resources to establish the threats facing these orchids and their conservation status for later inclusion in the IUCN online database. Methods Online resources were searched for primary data on the distribution of species of Restrepia. The Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool (GeoCAT) was used to produce semi-automated IUCN Red List assessments. Locations of populations were examined in Google Earth to establish habitat loss. A comparison of the data produced a Red List assessment for each species. Results The observed losses of Restrepia habitat were: Venezuela 45% of recorded locations for 15 species, Colombia 28% for 30 species, Ecuador 36% for 18 species, Peru 41% for eight species, Costa Rica 81% and Panama 32% for three species. This habitat loss coincided with the route of the Pan-American Highway in these countries. Conclusions It was possible to establish the Red List Status of Restrepia species even with minimal data. The degree of threat facing these and other epiphytic orchid genera in these habitats was shown to be considerable.

Mid- and late Holocene vegetation, climate and fire dynamics in the Serra do Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil

We present a high-resolution pollen and charcoal record from the 350-cm Agulhas Negras (AN) sediment core from the Serra do Itatiaia, Itatiaia National Park, located at 2410 m altitude in Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern (SE) Brazil. Diverse campos de altitude (high elevation grassland) with small areas of montane forest and periodic fires dominated the landscape during the period of the last 7430 cal yr BP. Montane forest expanded after 4870 cal yr BP, reflecting a transition to wetter late Holocene climatic conditions. Araucaria angustifolia was rare in the Serra do Itatiaia and is evidenced only after 4200 cal yr BP. Fires may have markedly reduced montane forest cover between 4450 and 4000 cal yr BP. Continuous expansion of montane forest under moister conditions and the general absence of fire after 1960 cal yr BP was interrupted by a local fire event at about 530 cal yr BP. Increased fires may have limited montane forest expansion under the wet climatic conditions of the last 600 years. During this period Araucaria angustifolia became more frequent in the montane forest. Further paleoecological work is necessary to better document the natural and human-influenced relationships between climate, vegetation and fire in the high mountain vegetation of SE Brazil.

Community forest management (CFM) in south-west Ethiopia: Maintaining forests, biodiversity and carbon stocks to support wild coffee conservation

Community forest management (CFM) is increasingly recognised as a potentially effective way of maintaining forests, especially in the Global South. Despite the growing adoption of this approach, the results have been mixed and there is a need to explore both the ways in which a wider range of benefits can be obtained and how CFM can be implemented more effectively. New forest legislation on community forest management in the Southern Region of Ethiopia in 2012, alongside the development of a highly devolved method of CFM, provided a natural experiment for testing the effectiveness of this method as a way of maintaining forest and also supporting biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. The specific circumstances and details of the methods applied also provided an opportunity to compare this approach against other experiences of CFM to assess factors seen to be influencing success. This study was undertaken in an area of montane forest in south-west Ethiopia, which includes some of the remaining stands of wild Coffea arabica, and so it also sought to create supportive conditions for the in situ conservation of the wild coffee. Analyses of this approach to CFM over the six years show that the loss of forest was reduced to 0.18% per annum in the CFM managed areas compared to 2.6% per annum in the non-CFM forest, while biodiversity, in terms of species diversity, richness and evenness of distribution, was maintained in the natural forest managed under CFM. Carbon storage also increased in the natural forest managed under CFM. While the long-term results will only be seen after several decades, the findings show that the use of a highly devolved form of CFM, responding to felt needs and building up a community of practice were some of the positive influences which helped in achieving multiple impacts towards sustainable forest management and wild coffee conservation.

Vegetation, floristic composition and structure of a tropical montane forest in Cameroon

Background: The Rumpi Hills Forest Reserve (RHFR) is a montane forest area in south-western Cameroon. Although RHFR is presumed to be rich in biodiversity and vegetation types, little information exists regarding its floristic composition and vegetation patterns.Objectives: Our goal was to characterise vegetation patterns in the reserve and to understand how elevation influences distributions and diversity of species. We aimed to provide a first detailed plant species inventory for this important forest area, as well as basic information on forest structure.Method: We characterised floristic composition and vegetation patterns of the reserve in 25 1-ha plots along an elevational gradient from 50 m to 1778 m. In each plot, trees and lianas of diameter at breast height (dbh) ≥ 10 cm were measured; shrubs 10 cm were measured in nested plots of 0.01 ha.Results: In all, 16 761 trees, shrubs and lianas with dbh ≥ 1 cm were censused, representing 71 families, 279 genera and 617 morphospecies. Floristic composition ranged from 94 to 132 species, with a mean of 117.5 species per hectare in lowland forest (50 m – 200 m) and 36–41 species, with a mean of 38.5 species per hectare in montane cloud forest (1600 m – 1778 m) near the summit of Mount Rata. Two-way indicator species analysis classified the 25 plots into six vegetation types corresponding to lowland evergreen rainforest, lowland evergreen rainforest on basalt rocks, middle-elevation evergreen forest, submontane forest, transitional submontane forest and montane cloud forest. In all, 0.006% of the reserve was included in our sample plots. Detrended correspondence analysis highlighted the importance of elevation in shaping vegetation patterns.Conclusion: The RHFR is composed of different vegetation types, which show impressive variation in terms of structure, species composition and diversity. The detailed, fine-scale inventory data obtained in this study could be useful in planning efficient management of this and other montane tropical forests.

Termite assemblages (Blattaria, Isoptera) in two montane forest (Brejo de Altitude) areas in northeastern Brazil

Abstract: Wet enclaves of montane forests in Caatinga domain, locally known as "Brejos de Altitude", are associated with plateau at altitudes greater than 500 m a.s.l. and to orographic rainfall. Termite assemblage structures were studied in two areas of montane forest (Brejo de Altitude) located in the municipalities of Bezerros and São Vicente Ferrer, Pernambuco State, Brazil. Sampling was performed in 65 x 2 m transects, totaling 300 m2/per area; the densities of nests in each area were estimated using six 1300 m2 plots. A total of 35 morphospecies were recorded that belonged to 21 genera and three families, with 133 encounters. The soil-feeders feeding group predominated, followed by wood-feeders species. A total of five species constructing conspicuous nest were recorded in the two areas. The mean density of active conspicuous nests was 2.6 ± 6.3 nests/ha (mean ± sd) in Bezerros, and 21.8 ± 21.4 nests/ha in São Vicente Ferrer. Termite richness in the study areas were within the amplitude ranges recorded in other montane forests. Thus, the results presented here, combined with data from literature, reinforce need additional studies of the termite fauna in montane forest areas, once the "Brejos" are currently under high ecological pressure and their preservation is urgent.

Breeding density and habitat selection of Large-billed Crows &lt;i&gt;Corvus macrorhynchos&lt;/i&gt; in montane forest areas of Japan

Breeding density and habitat selection of Large-billed Crows &lt;i&gt;Corvus macrorhynchos&lt;/i&gt; in montane forest areas of Japan

A new terrestrial frog (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the montane cloud forests of the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the Tinajillas-Rio Gualaceño Ecological Conservation Area, Morona Santiago province, an area of montane forest in the southeastern Andes of Ecuador. Pristimantis nimbus sp. nov. is similar to P. altamazonicus, P. ardyae, P. bambu, P. bellator, P. caeruleonotus, P. cethospilus, P. churuwiai, P. croceoinguinis, P. cryptomelas, P. diadematus, P. flavobracatus, P. gualacenio, P. nigrogriseus, P. ventrimarmoratus, and P. versicolor from which it can be distinguished by the presence of flash marks on flanks, groin, and arm insertion composed of bright-yellow oval spots and blotches surrounded by dark brown to black, forming a reticulated pattern, by having slightly enlarged toe pads, a finely shagreen dorsum lacking dorsal folds, and males having nuptial pads but lacking vocal slits. Pristimantis nimbus sp. nov. is only known from the type locality, at elevations between 2200–2400 masl. All individuals of the new species were found at night, perching on leaves and branches between 80 cm to 150 cm above the ground. The analysis of stomach contents rendered a total of 17 prey items of different unidentified species in five orders (Aranae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera). Other species found in the area are Pristimantis aff. altamnis, P. galdi, P. proserpens, P. tinajillas, P. versicolor, Rhinella margaritifera, Noblella sp. and three unidentified species of Pristimantis.

A hundred years later: new record of the rare Cryptotis tamensis (Soricidae: Mammalia) from Tama National Natural Park, Colombia

Here we present the most recent record of the Tama Small-eared Shrew for Colombia as a contribution to this poor-known species in the country. The record of the Tama Small-eared Shrew is located within the Tama NNP, Herran and Toledo municipalities, Norte de Santander department, Colombia on the border with Venezuela. The park presents an altitudinal range between 350 and 3.450 masl, and covers approximately 48.000 ha mostly composed of large areas of paramo, montane forest and tropical forest.

BOTHROPS JARARACUSSU: A NEW RECORD FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Bothrops jararacussu is a terrestrial snake, predominantly nocturnal, and mainly found in forested areas. Our objective was to provide the first record of B.jararacussu for the municipality of Sao Paulo, in the highland of Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar (PESM), Nucleo Curucutu. The register ocurred through monthly samplings in the Nucleo Curucutu, during one year. The specimen was found in a transitional area of Atlantic upper montane forest and Pinus sp. reforestation. It represents a new altitude record (>800m) in a well-preserved area, reiterating the importance of this park for the maintenance of biodiversity in this municipality and evinces the region potential to house rare species in Sao Paulo highland.