Pernambuco Endemism Center Research Articles

Reconsidering mammal extinctions in the Pernambuco Endemism Center of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

espanolSe ha calculado que, en los ultimos 500 anos, se han extinguido 21 mamiferos en el Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco. En el presente estudio, realizamos un examen critico de los datos aportados en las publicaciones cientificas historicas y recientes, y concluimos que el numero real de mamiferos extintos es de siete, lo que indica que la cifra anterior de 21 especies extintas es una sobrestimacion de aproximadamente 30%. Nuestra lista difiere de las publicaciones previas en que incluye especies aun existentes (n = 5) y excluye otras que nunca habian sido registradas en el Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco (n = 8). Asimismo, senalamos que, al elaborar listas de fauna extinta a escala regional, es necesario adoptar un planteamiento mas riguroso en relacion con los registros historicos y recientes, dado que las identificaciones erroneas y las suposiciones falsas podrian conducir a la perdida de credibilidad ante las partes interesadas y, en ultima instancia, ser negativas para la conservacion de especies. EnglishIn the last 500 years, there have been an estimated 21 mammal extinctions in the Pernambuco Endemism Center. We critically reviewed the published historical and recent literature records and concluded that the actual number of mammal species extinction was seven, indicating that the previous figure of 21 species lost is an overestimation of approximately 30%. Our checklist differs from previous publications by including species that are still extant (n = 5), and removing species that have never been recorded in the Pernambuco Endemism Center (n = 8). We point out that a more rigorous approach towards historical and recent records is needed when producing lists of regionally extinct fauna, given that the implications of misidentifications and false assumptions can potentially lead to loss of credibility by stakeholders and ultimately have a negative effect on species conservation.

The herpetofauna of the Serra do Urubu mountain range: a key biodiversity area for conservation in the brazilian atlantic forest

The Serra do Urubu mountain range is considered a key biodiversity area. It is situated in the Pernambuco Endemism Center, one of the most threatened regions of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. However, despite the high importance of this area little research on its herpetofauna has been performed. The present study presents an inventory of the herpetofauna of the region, through bibliographic review, searches in museum collections and field expeditions to the RPPNs Frei Caneca and Pedra D’Antas, in the municipalities of Jaqueira and Lagoa dos Gatos. The conservation status of the amphibians of the region is discussed. Five expeditions, between 2012 and 2013 were made. The methods employed were visual transect surveys, acoustic census and pitfall traps. We recorded a total of 46 amphibian species, belonging to nine families: Craugastoridae (3 spp.), Bufonidae (3 spp.), Ranidae (1 sp.), Hylidae (25 spp.), Leptodactylidae (8 spp.), Odontophrynidae (1 sp.), Hemiphractidae (2 spp.), Phyllomedusidae (2 spp.) and Microhylidae (1 sp.). We recorded 42 species of squamates: 16 species of lizards families Phyllodactylidae (1 sp.), Gekkonidae (1 sp.), Gymnophthalmidae (1 sp.), Polychrotidae (1 sp.), Leiosauridae (1 sp.), Tropiduridae (3 spp.), Dactyloidae (2 spp.), Diploglossidae (2 spp.), Teiidae (2 spp.), Scincidae (1 sp.), and Iguanidae (1 sp.); and 24 species of snakes: Boidae (3 spp.), Colubridae (2 spp.), Dipsadidae (13 spp.), Elapidae (2 spp.), Typhlopidae (1 sp.), and Viperidae (3 spp.). The occurrence of rare and/or threatened species such as the snakes Dipsas sazimai, Lachesis muta and Sibynomorphus sp. and the amphibians Hylomantis granulosa, Chiasmocleis alagoana, Boana freicanecae and Phyllodytes gyrinaethes reinforces the need for conservation measures at this highly threatened region of the Atlantic Forest.

Floristic checklist from an Atlantic Forest vegetation mosaic in Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Tabatinga, Pernambuco, Brazil

A floristic inventory was made in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Tabatinga to show the importance of small forest fragments for conservation of the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest. The reserve protects a vegetation mosaic typical of coastal habitats in an area of ca. 20 ha, located in the northern part of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Samples of vascular plants were collected between January 2010 and November 2011, and altogether 329 species were recorded. These are classified in 230 genera and 79 families of angiosperms and two genera and two families of ferns. Among the species found, 28 are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, while others are rare and restricted to the Pernambuco Endemism Center. In addition, three threatened species were detected. The presence of endemic, rare, and threatened species, along with floristic patterns typical of coastal areas of Brazil, reinforce the importance of the area for the conservation.

Distribution and conservation of three important bird groups of the Atlantic Forest in north-east Brazil.

The Pernambuco Endemism Center in north-east Brazil has the most fragmented forest cover and the largest number of threatened birds of the whole Atlantic Forest. We analyzed the distribution of three groups of bird species: forest-dependent, endemic and/or threatened using the interpolation method of Inverse Distance Weighting. We also checked the concentration of these birds in protected and unprotected areas, suggesting new sites that need to be protected. The richness concentration of forest-dependent, endemic and/or threatened birds in 123 sites were analysed. There was a greater concentration of the three groups in north Alagoas, south and north Pernambuco, and north and west Paraíba. The distribution of the three groups was almost regular in different vegetation types, although a lower concentration was found in the pioneer formation. There was a greater concentration of birds from all three groups between Pernambuco and Alagoas, and this must be due to the presence of more forest fragments with better structure and vegetation heterogeneity. The protected and unprotected areas hosted important records of endemic and/or threatened birds. We suggested some important places for implementation of new protected areas due to the larger concentrations of the target birds and because they are located within the boundaries of the Important Bird Areas.

Mass Extinction and the Disappearance of Unknown Mammal Species: Scenario and Perspectives of a Biodiversity Hotspot's Hotspot.

We aimed to determine the conservation status of medium- and large-sized mammals and evaluate the impact of 500 years of forest fragmentation on this group of animals in the Pernambuco Endemism Center, in the biogeographical zone of the Atlantic forest north of the São Francisco River in northeastern Brazil. Line transect surveys were performed in 21 forest fragments, resulting in a checklist of the mammals of the entire Pernambuco Endemism Center area. We ran a generalized linear model (Factorial ANCOVA) to analyze to what extent the vegetation type, fragment area, isolation, sampling effort (as total kilometers walked), or higher-order interactions predicted (a) richness and (b) sighting rates. To determine if the distribution of the species within the forest fragments exhibited a nested pattern, we used the NODF metric. Subsequently, we performed a Binomial Logistic Regression to predict the probability of encountering each species according to fragment size. Out of 38 medium- and large-sized mammal species formerly occurring in the study area, only 53.8% (n = 21) were sighted. No fragment hosted the entire remaining mammal community, and only four species (19%) occurred in very small fragments (73.3% of the remaining forest fragments, with a mean size of 2.8 ha). The mammalian community was highly simplified, with all large mammals being regionally extinct. Neither the species richness nor sighting rate was controlled by the vegetation type, the area of the forest fragments, isolation or any higher-order interaction. Although a highly significant nested subset pattern was detected, it was not related to the ranking of the area of forest fragments or isolation. The probability of the occurrence of a mammal species in a given forest patch varied unpredictably, and the probability of detecting larger species was even observed to decrease with increasing patch size. In an ongoing process of mass extinction, half of the studied mammals have gone extinct. The remaining medium-sized mammal community is highly simplified and homogenized. The persistence of these species in a forest patch is determined by their ability to adapt to a novel simplified diet, the efficient use of the surrounding matrix without being engulfed by the sink effect, and escaping hunting. Our results suggest that the 21st century medium-sized mammalian fauna of this region will comprise only four species unless strict conservation measures are implemented immediately and every forest fragment is effectively protected.

Serra do Urubu, a biodiversity hot-spot for angiosperms in the northern Atlantic Forest (Pernambuco, Brazil)

A list of angiosperms from Serra do Urubu, a montane forest area in the state of Pernambuco, is here provided. Based on 14 botanical expeditions and material deposited in herbaria, 832 taxa belonging to 442 genera and 118 families have been recorded in this area, with about 90% of the taxa identified to species level. The richest families are Orchidaceae (86 spp.), Fabaceae (51 spp.) and Rubiaceae (42 spp.). Miconia and Solanum (14 spp. each), and Psychotria (13 spp.) are the richest genera. About 15% of the recorded species are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, and another 10% are disjunct between this area and the Amazon Rainforest. The results indicate that the Serra do Urubu is one of the richest areas in terms of number of species of the Atlantic Forest in the Northeast, and corroborates the Pernambuco Endemism Center.

Dipsas sazimai Fernandes, Marques & Argolo, 2010 (Squamata: Dipsadidae): Distribution extension and new state record

We provide the first record of Dipsas sazimai for the state of Pernambuco, at RPPN Pedra D’Antas, municipality of Jaqueira, extending the known distribution in 73 km north from the closest locality, municipality of Murici, state of Alagoas. The discovery of a new population of this rare snake reinforces the need of conservation of the reminiscent Atlantic forest of the Pernambuco Endemism Center.

Hawkmoth fauna (Sphingidae, Lepidoptera) in a semi-deciduous rainforest remnant: composition, temporal fluctuations, and new records for northeastern Brazil

We carried out a qualitative and quantitative inventory of the hawkmoth fauna (Sphingidae) of an area of semi-deciduous seasonal rainforest in the state of Pernambuco (Tapacurá Ecological Station), northeastern Brazil. Hawkmoths were sampled monthly from October 2004 to February 2007 (27 months). We recorded 31 species from 16 genera, three tribes, and three families. Macroglossinae was the most abundant subfamily and represented ca. 71% of all species. Out of the 277 individuals collected, 88.4% were males. Five new records were made for northeastern Brazil: Enyo gorgon (Cramer, 1777), Perigonia stulta (Herrich-Schäffer, [1854]), Eupyrrhoglossum sagra (Poey, 1832), Nyceryx coffaeae (Walker, 1856) and Xylophanes chiron (Drury, 1773). Eight further species were recorded for the first time for the Pernambuco Endemism Center, showing the important role played by Tapacurá Station in preserving the biodiversity of this insect group. Species richness and abundance were directly related to rainfall: about 70% of all individuals were captured during the rainy season. Changes in Sphingidae populations may, however, be caused by other factors that directly affect either larvae and adults of those insects, such as matrix effect and forest fragment size, which influence migration processes and the presence of predators.

<b>Disponibilidade de microhabitats para Myxomycetes em Floresta Atlântica: Bromeliaceae</b><br>doi: 10.5007/2175-7925.2010v23n3p1

Some species belonging to the Bromeliaceae family are called tank-bromeliads, due to the arrangement of its leave in rosettes information about the presence of myxomycetes on Bromeliaceae is scarce, we evaluated the availability and occupation of microhabitats for these organisms offered by bromeliads in fragments of Atlantic Forest located in the Pernambuco Endemism Center. Sampling of sporocarps and substrates for cultivation in moist chambers was carried out at the Janga Ecological Reserve (Paulista Municipality), Tapacura Ecological Station (Sao Lourenco da Mata Municipality) and Mata do Estado (Sao Vicente Ferrer Municipality), between 2007 and 2008. Ten species were present in the dead parts of representatives of Bromelioideae and Tillandsioideae: Arcyria cinerea , Craterium leucocephalum , C. paraguayense , Cribraria intricata , Diachea silvaepluvialis , Hemitrichia serpula , Physarum compressum , P. nucleatum , Stemonitis fusca and Trichia . All taxa are newly reported for the sites studied, including rare species in Brazil, such as D. silvaepluvialis . The microhabitat studied had high taxonomic diversity, and the species recorded in it were rare or occasional.

The small mammals of the highly impacted North-eastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Pernambuco Endemism Center

The Atlantic forest of Brazil is nowadays reduced to less than 8% of its total original area and yet many species remain to be described. The Atlantic Forest north to the São Francisco river - The Pernambuco Endemism Center (CEPE) - has less than 2% of its original forest cover and yet the knowledge on small mammals is scarce. Aiming to assess the small mammal community of this region surveys were carried out in 12 forest fragments of different sizes in distinct geographic areas of the CEPE. The capture-mark-recapture technique was used with live-traps set along linear transects. We recorded 15 species, two of which are in the IUCN Red List, but not in the Brazilian List of Threatened Species. The highest richness and abundance indices were recorded in medium-sized fragments and in the rainy season. More marsupial species were recorded compared to rodents. Our results suggest that fragmentation caused the extinction of those most specialized species, currently remaining only those most tolerant to fragmentation and urbanization. It is recommended that urgent measures should be taken to reconnect and restore these fragments to allow recolonization and reestablishment of the gene flow among the populations.