Terrestrial Mammal Communities Research Articles

Human disturbance increases spatiotemporal associations among mountain forest terrestrial mammal species.

Spatial and temporal associations between sympatric species underpin biotic interactions, structure ecological assemblages, and sustain ecosystem functioning and stability. However, the resilience of interspecific spatiotemporal associations to human activity remains poorly understood, particularly in mountain forests where anthropogenic impacts are often pervasive. Here, we applied context-dependent Joint Species Distribution Models to a systematic camera-trap survey dataset from a global biodiversity hotspot in eastern Himalayas to understand how prominent human activities in mountain forests influence species associations within terrestrial mammal communities. We obtained 10,388 independent detections of 17 focal species (12 carnivores and five ungulates) from 322 stations over 43,163 camera days of effort. We identified a higher incidence of positive associations in habitats with higher levels of human modification (87%) and human presence (83%) compared to those located in habitats with lower human modification (64%) and human presence (65%) levels. We also detected a significant reduction of pairwise encounter time at increasing levels of human disturbance, corresponding to more frequent encounters between pairs of species. Our findings indicate that human activities can push mammals together into more frequent encounters and associations, which likely influences the coexistence and persistence of wildlife, with potential far-ranging ecological consequences.

Comparison of soil eDNA to camera traps for assessing mammal and bird community composition and site use.

Species detections often vary depending on the survey methods employed. Some species may go undetected when using only one approach in community-level inventory and monitoring programs, which has management and conservation implications. We conducted a comparative study of terrestrial mammal and bird detections in the spring and summer of 2021 by placing camera traps at 30 locations across a large military installation in northern Michigan, USA and testing replicate soil samples from these sites for environmental DNA (eDNA) using an established vertebrate metabarcoding assay. We detected a total of 48 taxa from both survey methods: 26 mammalian taxa (excluding humans, 24 to species and two to genus) and 22 avian taxa (21 to species and one to genus). We detected a relatively even distribution of mammalian taxa on cameras (17) and via eDNA analysis (15), with seven taxa detected from both methods. Most medium-to-large carnivores were detected only on cameras, whereas semi-fossorial small mammals were detected only via eDNA analysis. We detected higher bird diversity with camera traps (18 taxa) compared to eDNA analysis (eight taxa; four taxa were detected with both methods), but cameras alone were most effective at detecting smaller birds that frequently occupy arboreal environments. We also used Bayesian spatial occupancy models for two widely distributed game species (white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, and ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus) that were moderately detected with both survey methods and found species-specific site use (occupancy) estimates were similar between cameras and eDNA analysis. Concordant with similar studies, our findings suggest that a combination of camera trap and eDNA surveys could be most useful for assessing the composition of terrestrial mammal communities. Camera traps may be most efficient for assessing bird diversity but can be complemented with eDNA analysis, particularly for species that spend considerable time on the ground.

Prevalence, genetic diversity and eco-epidemiology of pathogenic Leptospira species in small mammal communities in urban parks Lyon city, France.

Rodents are recognized as the main reservoirs of Leptospira spp. Rats, in particular, serve as hosts for the widely predominant Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, found worldwide. Several studies have shown the importance of other reservoirs, such as mice or hedgehogs, which harbor other leptospires' serovars. Nevertheless, our knowledge of circulating Leptospira spp. in reservoirs other than rats remains limited. In this context, we proposed an eco-health approach to assess the health hazard associated with leptospires in urban green spaces, where contacts between human/small mammals and domestic animals are likely. We studied the prevalence, the diversity of circulating strains, and epidemiology of pathogenic Leptospira species in small terrestrial mammal communities (rodents and shrews), between 2020-2022, in two parks in Lyon metropolis, France. Our study showed a significant carriage of Leptospira spp. in small terrestrial mammals in these parks and unveiled a global prevalence rate of 11.4%. Significant variations of prevalence were observed among the small mammal species (from 0 to 26.1%), with Rattus norvegicus exhibiting the highest infection levels (26.1%). We also observed strong spatio-temporal variations in Leptospira spp. circulation in its reservoirs. Prevalence seems to be higher in the peri-urban park and in autumn in 2021 and 2022. This is potentially due to differences in landscape, abiotic conditions and small mammal communities' composition. Our study suggests an important public health relevance of rats and in a lesser extent of other rodents (Apodemus spp., Clethrionomys glareolus and Mus musculus) as reservoirs of L. interrogans, with rodent species carrying specific serogroups/serovars. We also emphasize the potential hazard associated between the shrew Crocidura russula and L. kirschneri. Altogether, these results improve our knowledge about the prevalence of leptospirosis in an urban environment, which is an essential prerequisite for the implementation of prevention of associated risks.

Mammal responses to human recreation depend on landscape context.

Rapid growth in outdoor recreation may have important and varied effects on terrestrial mammal communities. Few studies have investigated factors influencing variation in observed responses of multiple mammal species to recreation. We used data from 155 camera traps, in western Alberta (Canada), and a hierarchical Bayesian community modelling framework to document 15 mammal species responses to recreation, test for differential responses between predators and prey, and evaluate the influence of local context. Factors characterizing context were trail designation (i.e., use by motorized vs non-motorized), management type, forest cover, landscape disturbance, and season. We used three measures to characterize variation in recreation pressure: distance to trail, trail density, and an index of recreation intensity derived from the platform Strava. We found limited evidence for strong or consistent effects of recreation on mammal space use. However, mammal space use was better explained by an interaction between recreation and the influencing factors than by either on their own. The strongest interaction was between trail density and management type; mammals were more likely to avoid sites near a higher density of trails in areas with more restrictive management. We found that responses to recreation varied with the trail designation, although there were not clear or consistent differences between responses to trails designated for motorized vs. non-motorized use. Overall, we found that responses were species- and context-dependent. Limiting the density of trails may be important for reducing negative impacts to mammals within conservation areas. We show that using multiple measures of recreation yields more insight into the varied effects of human disturbances on wildlife. We recommend investigating how different characteristics of recreation (noise, speed, and visibility) influence animal behaviors. Multispecies monitoring and modelling across multiple landscapes that vary in recreation pressure can lead to an adaptive management approach to ensuring outdoor recreation coexistence with wildlife.

Energy use of modern terrestrial large mammal communities mirrors Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions

Energy use of modern terrestrial large mammal communities mirrors Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions

Comparing diversity of the terrestrial mammal communities inhabiting native forests and exotic plantations in southern Chile

The mammal community of the Coastal Range of southern Chile has been little studied even though they inhabit an environment under severe threats due to anthropic disturbance. During the spring-summer seasons of 2020–2021 and 2021–2022, we characterized the communities of wild terrestrial mammals in a native forest (NF) and an exotic plantation of Eucalyptus (PL) of the Coastal Range of Osorno province by phototrapping. We used 1,060 camera-trap days in the NF and 960 camera-trap days in the PL to explore the effect of habitat type on wild mammal diversity in two localities (L-1 and L-2). We quantified the species richness, abundance, community similarity and daily distribution of mammal communities. Species richness was higher in the NF (7–8 spp) than in the PL (3–4 spp). Two community similarity index (CSI) was significantly higher between native forests (CSI = 0.728 ± 0.088) than between Eucalyptus plantations (CSI = 0.211 ± 0.097) (95% CI). Mean abundance was also higher in the NF than in the PL (L-1: 0.011 vs. 0.004 occurrence/camera-trap day (OCT); L-2: 0.008 vs. 0.004 OCT). In L-1, the most abundant mammals in the NF were Leopardus guigna (45.3% of relative occurrence (RO)) and Pudu puda (18.9% RO), and in the PL, they were Lycalopex culpaeus (50% RO) and L. guigna (37.5% RO). In L-2, the highest abundances in the NF were for P. puda (34.5% RO) and Puma concolor (27.6% RO), while in the PL, P. puda was predominant (66.7% RO). In NF of both localities, 22.2% of melanic L. guigna individuals were observed. The highest frequency of occurrences in both locations was between 12:00 and 23:59 hours, with 60% and 76.9% of detections, respectively. The species richness found in native forest is in accordance with studies carried out in other temperate rainforests of southern Chile. In addition, native forests support a richer and more similar community of terrestrial mammals than exotic forest plantations, which indicates that native forests are the main habitat for most mammals detected and that exotic plantations function as a complementary habitat for some species.

An objective approach to select surrogate species for connectivity conservation

IntroductionConnected landscapes can increase the effectiveness of protected areas by facilitating individual movement and gene flow between populations, thereby increasing the persistence of species even in fragmented habitats. Connectivity planning is often based on modeling connectivity for a limited number of species, i.e., “connectivity umbrellas”, which serve as surrogates for co-occurring species. Connectivity umbrellas are usually selected a priori, based on a few life history traits and often without evaluating other species.MethodsWe developed a quantitative method to identify connectivity umbrellas at multiple scales. We demonstrate the approach on the terrestrial large mammal community (24 species) in continental Europe at two scales: 13 geographic biomes and 36 ecoregions, and evaluate the interaction of landscape characteristics on the selection of connectivity umbrellas.ResultsWe show that the number, identity, and attributes of connectivity umbrellas are sensitive to spatial scale and human influence on the landscape. Multiple species were selected as connectivity umbrellas in 92% of the geographic biomes (average of 4.15 species) and 83% of the ecoregions (average of 3.16 species). None of the 24 species evaluated is by itself an effective connectivity umbrella across its entire range. We identified significant interactions between species and landscape attributes. Species selected as connectivity umbrellas in regions with low human influence have higher mean body mass, larger home ranges, longer dispersal distances, smaller geographic ranges, occur at lower population densities, and are of higher conservation concern than connectivity umbrellas in more human-influenced regions. More species are required to meet connectivity targets in regions with high human influence (average of three species) in comparison to regions with low human influence (average of 1.67 species).DiscussionWe conclude that multiple species selected in relation to landscape scale and characteristics are essential to meet connectivity goals. Our approach enhances objectivity in selecting which and how many species are required for connectivity conservation and fosters well-informed decisions, that in turn benefit entire communities and ecosystems.

Untangling key abiotic predictors of terrestrial mammal diversity patterns across ecoregions and species groups in Kenya

Understanding the interactions between abiotic (environmental and anthropogenic) factors and species diversity and distribution patterns is fundamental to improving the ecological representativeness of biodiversity management tools such as protected areas (PAs). However, significant knowledge gaps remain about how species’ ecological and evolutionary opportunities are associated with abiotic factors, especially in biodiversity-rich but economically ill-equipped countries such as Kenya. Here, we explored the interactions of terrestrial mammal diversity patterns and abiotic factors across species groups and ecoregions in Kenya. We coupled data on terrestrial mammal occurrences, phylogeny, functional traits, and environmental predictors in Kenya to derive multiple diversity indices, encompassing species richness and phylogenetic and functional richness, and mean pairwise and nearest taxon distances. We explored the interactions of these indices with several abiotic factors using multivariate regression analyses while adjusting for spatial autocorrelation. The results showed weak correlations between species richness versus the phylogenetic and functional diversity indices. The best-fit models explained variable proportions of diversity indices between species groups and ecoregions and consistently retained annual temperature and precipitation averages and seasonality and human footprint as the strongest predictors. Compared to the species-poor xeric northern and eastern Kenya regions, the predictors had weak associations with diversity variances in the species-rich mesic western and central Kenya regions, similar to focal species groups compared to ordinal classifications and the combined species pool. These findings illustrate that climate and human footprint interplay determine multiple facets of terrestrial mammal diversity patterns in Kenya. Accordingly, curbing human activities degrading long-term climatic regimes is vital to ensuring the ecological integrity of terrestrial mammal communities and should be integrated into biodiversity management frameworks. For a holistic representation of critical conservation areas, biodiversity managements should also prioritize terrestrial mammal phylogenetic and functional attributes besides species richness.

Status of terrestrial mammals in the Yangambi Landscape, Democratic Republic of the Congo

AbstractIn this study we provide the first comprehensive camera-trap assessment of terrestrial mammals in the Yangambi landscape, comprising the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve and a logging concession in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The terrestrial mammal community in this area exhibits lower occupancy and species richness compared to other conservation areas in the Congo Basin. The community is dominated by four species: Emin's pouched rat Cricetomys emini (1.3 kg), African brush-tailed porcupine Atherurus africanus (2.8 kg), blue duiker Philantomba monticola (5 kg) and bay duiker Cephalophus dorsalis (12 kg), which are known to be highly resilient. Large ungulates and medium-sized carnivores have particularly low abundances. Our study also confirmed the presence of four species categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List: the chimpanzee Pan troglodytes, giant ground pangolin Smutsia gigantea, black-bellied pangolin Phataginus tetradactyla and white-bellied pangolin Phataginus tricuspis. Our findings highlight the need to consider wildlife conservation at the landscape level, including the logging concession, where species showed higher occupancy levels compared to the Biosphere Reserve, and highlighting the need for planning infrastructure construction and developing mitigation schemes, reducing forest degradation from logging and developing permanent cash crop agriculture. Landscape-level conservation will only be possible if a collaborative management model steered by local communities is developed with the participation of all constituencies.

Habitat use patterns suggest that climate‐driven vegetation changes will negatively impact mammal communities in the Amazon

AbstractClimate change will affect species persistence and distribution, particularly in high‐diversity ecosystems like the Amazon. Studies predict that as temperature and deforestation increase and precipitation patterns change in the Amazon, areas along its southern and eastern borders will suffer large‐scale savannization, the conversion of tropical forest to degraded savannah‐like vegetation. Here, we aim to identify the terrestrial mammal species potentially most at risk from savannization by studying their use of natural forest and savannah habitats within four protected areas, using camera‐trap surveys and community occupancy models. We grouped species into categories according to the overlap of their global distributions with the Amazon and Cerrado biome (Amazon, Cerrado and generalist species) and investigated the effect on their space use of savannah cover within a 100‐m buffer, and of the immediate habitat type (continuous forest, riparian forest and savannah) at the camera trap. Both savannah cover and savannah habitat type affected space use of most Amazon and generalist species strongly negatively. Only Cerrado species ever showed strong positive responses to savannah cover. These results suggest that most of the terrestrial mammal community is potentially vulnerable to savannization, including several species typically considered habitat generalists. Negative effects of disturbed savannah‐like habitats are likely even stronger than effects of natural savannah reported here. Although less favorable than continuous forest, riparian forest had a strong negative effect for only a small fraction of species, indicating that effects of savannization may be buffered to some extent by riparian forests. Our results suggest that climate change‐induced vegetation changes may reduce the ability of protected areas in the southern Brazilian Amazon to safeguard populations of terrestrial mammals and should be considered when assessing potential climate‐change effects on these species.

A camera trap survey in the community zone of Lobéké National Park (Cameroon) reveals a nearly intact mammalian community

AbstractEstimating the richness and abundance of animal species remains central to any conservation strategy of a given area. In remote and challenging environments such as tropical forests, camera traps have proven to be successful in documenting secretive wildlife communities compared to other survey methods, as they allow continuous monitoring without the presence of a human observer. Here, we used camera traps to characterise the community of medium and large terrestrial mammals in the community zone of Lobéké National Park, in southeastern Cameroon. We deployed a grid of 40 camera traps over a 5‐week period, recording 5156 independent detection events over 1284 camera days. We recorded 35 species, many of them showing high detection rates compared to other sites in central Africa. These results highlight the little disturbance of the studied area within the park despite its accessibility to local communities. These results obtained from a standardised approach using an expanding technology offer valuable information about the wildlife community of Lobéké, and new insights for reconciling human activities with wildlife conservation.

Small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia and Soricomorpha) along a gradient of forest anthropisation (reserves, managed forests, urban parks) in France.

Understanding the relationships between wildlife biodiversity and zoonotic infectious diseases in a changing climate is a challenging issue that scientists must address to support further policy actions. We aim at tackling this challenge by focusing on small mammal-borne diseases in temperate forests and large urban green spaces. Small mammals are important reservoirs of zoonotic agents, with a high transmission potential for humans and domestic animals. Forests and large urban green spaces are ecosystems where efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity. They are put forward for their contribution to human well-being in addition to other ecosystem services (e.g. provisioning and regulating services). Moreover, forests and large urban green spaces are environments where small mammals are abundant and human/domestic-wildlife interactions are plausible to occur. These environments are, therefore, focal points for conservation management and public health issues. The European Biodiversa BioRodDis project (https://www6.inrae.fr/biodiversa-bioroddis) aims at better understanding the relationships between small terrestrial mammal biodiversity and health in the context of global change and, in particular, of forest anthropisation and urbanisation. Here, we present the data gathered in France. The dataset will enable us to describe the diversity of small terrestrial mammal communities in forested areas corresponding to different levels of anthropisation and to evaluate the variability of this diversity over time, between seasons and years.The dataset contains occurrences of small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia and Soricomorpha) trapped in forested areas in eastern France (administrative Departments: Rhône, Ain, Jura). The sampling sites correspond to different degrees of anthropisation. Forests included in biological reserves are the least anthropised sites. Then, public forests and urban parks experience increasing levels of anthropisation. Data were collected during spring and autumn 2020 (three to four sampling sites), 2021 (six sampling sites) and 2022 (four sampling sites). These variations in the number of sites between years were due to lockdown restrictions in 2020 or to the legal authorisation to trap around biological reserves granted in 2021 only. The capture of animals was carried out in various types of forests (pine, deciduous, mixed) and in different habitats within urban parks (wooded areas, buildings, hay storage yards, riverside vegetation, restaurants, playground for kids, botanical garden, landfills). Animals were captured using live traps that were set on the ground for one to 11 nights. During this study period, 1593 small mammals were trapped and identified. They belong to 15 species, amongst which were nine species of rodents (Muridae, Cricetidae, Gliridae) and six species of shrews (Soricidae). They were weighted (gram) and measured (cm): head-body length, tail length and hind-foot length. Sexual characteristics were also recorded.

Terrestrial small mammal community structure in a relic forest and anthropogenic habitats in Man region, Western Côte d’Ivoire

Terrestrial small mammals play important ecological roles in tropical ecosystems. They are regularly used to measure the level of habitat disturbance. This study aimed to determine the impacts of human activities on the species composition and relative abundance of terrestrial small mammal communities in Man region. Four types of habitats, including a relic forest, a […]

Examining diversity of terrestrial mammal communities across forest reserves in Sabah, Borneo

Examining diversity of terrestrial mammal communities across forest reserves in Sabah, Borneo

What factors affect species richness and distribution dynamics within two Afromontane protected areas?

Context Biodiversity monitoring programs provide information on the status and trends in wildlife populations. These trends are unknown for most mammals within African montane forests, which harbour many endemic and threatened species. Camera traps are useful for assessing mammal populations, because they allow for the estimation of species richness, occupancy, and activity patterns. Aims We sought to explore the richness and distribution of small- to large-sized mammals by using occupancy models while accounting for imperfect detection in Volcanoes and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, in Rwanda and Uganda. Methods We used camera-trap data collected from 2014 to 2017 by the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) network and multi-season occupancy models with multispecies data to assess the dynamics of species richness and distribution in the Virunga Massif and the influence of site covariates on species detection probability, occupancy, colonisation and extinction. Key results We identified 17 species from 7047 trap-days, with most of them showing an uneven distributional pattern throughout the park. We found that average species richness per site increased from five to seven species in 2017. Average local colonisation was estimated at 0.13 (s.e. 0.014), but the probability of local extinction was 0.17 (s.e. 0.028) and negatively influenced by distance from the park boundary. Detection probability was highest for medium-sized species. For species distribution, we found that black-fronted duiker, Cephalophus nigrifrons, and bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus, declined in distribution but remained widespread in our study area, while all other species showed an increase in distribution over the study period. Conclusions Our approach allowed us to draw inferences on rare species, such as African golden cat, Caracal aurata, by estimating detection probability on the basis of shared covariate information with more common, widespread species. As such, we were able to estimate all occupancy parameters across the terrestrial mammal community. Implications The results of this study on the distribution of terrestrial mammal species can be used by park management to inform optimal ranger patrolling efforts for mitigating threats in areas of high species presence. Additionally, the results can highlight locations of potential human–wildlife conflicts on the basis of species commonly found along the park boundary.

Wealth and urbanization shape medium and large terrestrial mammal communities.

Urban biodiversity provides critical ecosystem services and is a key component to environmentally and socially sustainable cities. However, biodiversity varies greatly within and among cities, leading to human communities with changing and unequal experiences with nature. The "luxury effect," a hypothesis that predicts a positive correlation between wealth, typically measured by per capita income, and species richness may be one indication of these inequities. While the luxury effect is well studied for some taxa, it has rarely been investigated for mammals, which provide unique ecosystem services (e.g., biological pest control) and exhibit significant potential for negative human-wildlife interactions (e.g., nuisances or conflicts). We analyzed a large dataset of mammal detections across 20 North American cities to test whether the luxury effect is consistent for medium- to large-sized terrestrial mammals across diverse urban contexts. Overall, support for the luxury effect, as indicated by per capita income, was inconsistent; we found evidence of a luxury effect in approximately half of our study cities. Species richness was, however, highly and negatively correlated with urban intensity in most cities. We thus suggest that economic factors play an important role in shaping urban mammal communities for some cities and species, but that the strongest driver of urban mammal diversity is urban intensity. To better understand the complexity of urban ecosystems, ecologists and social scientists must consider the social and political factors that drive inequitable human experiences with nature in cities.

Diversity and activity patterns of medium- and large-sized terrestrial mammals at the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, México

Studies on diversity of animal communities allow determination of their species richness and composition. This information is particularly relevant to establish sound conservation programs in biosphere reserves, where human activities should be focused on the sustainable use of natural resources and ensure biodiversity protection. This study estimated the diversity and species richness and determined the species composition and activity patterns of medium- and large-sized terrestrial mammals in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (LTBR) located in Veracruz, Mexico. We set 18 camera traps to record medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals from August 2016 to January 2017. We calculated the trapping rate, guilds, and activity patterns of species. Diversity was estimated with Hill numbers. We compared our estimates with other studies in tropical forest in Mexico. We obtained 308 independent captures of 13 species; Cuniculus paca and Dasyprocta mexicana were the species with the highest trapping rate. Order-0, order-1, and order-2 diversity values were 13.99, 6.50, and 4.75 effective species, respectively, which ranks LTBR the fourth-most diverse reserve of medium- and large-sized terrestrial mammals compared to six other tropical rainforest sites in southern Mexico. We recorded mammals representing five trophic guilds, of which frugivore-folivores (five species) and omnivores (three species) ranked highest. All recorded species were primarily nocturnal (six species) or diurnal (six species). Tamandua mexicana, Leopardus pardalis, L. wiedii, and Eira barbara are listed as endangered in the Mexican Official Standard Norm NOM-059-2019, and L. wiedii is listed as near threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. We were able to record 40.6 % of the terrestrial mammal species known to inhabit the LTBR. The absence of large-sized species such as large predators and herbivores was notable. Comparison of medium and large-sized mammal diversity of camera trapping studies in Mexico show that landscape degradation is impoverishing terrestrial mammal communities.

Site and species contribution to β-diversity in terrestrial mammal communities: Evidence from multiple Neotropical forest sites

In a scenario where escalating human activities lead to several environmental changes and, consequently, affect mammal abundance and distribution, β-diversity may increase due to differences among sites. Using the ecological uniqueness approach, we analyzed β-diversity patterns of ground-dwelling mammal communities recorded through comprehensive camera trap monitoring within eight tropical forests protected areas in Mesoamerica and South America under variable landscape contexts. We aimed to investigate whether the contribution of single sites (LCBD) and single species (SCBD) to overall β-diversity could be explained by community metrics and environmental variables, and by species metrics and biological traits, respectively. Total β-diversity was also partitioned into species replacement and richness difference. We related LCBD to species richness, total relative abundance, functional indices, and environmental variables (tree basal area, protected area size, NDVI, and precipitation seasonality), and SCBD to species naïve occupancy, relative abundance, and morphoecological traits via beta regression. Our findings showed that LCBD was primarily explained by variation in species richness, rather than relative abundance and functional metrics. Protected area size and tree basal area were also important in explaining variation in LCBD. SCBD was strongly related to naïve occupancy and relative abundance, but not to biological traits, such as body mass, trophic energy level, activity cycle, and taxonomic category. Local β-diversity was a result of species replacements and to a lesser extent differences in species richness. Our approach was useful in examining and comparing the ecological uniqueness among different sites, revealing the regional scale current status of mammal diversity. High LCBD values comprised sites embedded within smaller habitat extents, hosting lower tree basal areas, and harboring low species richness. SCBD showed that relatively ubiquitous species that occur at variable abundances across sites contributed most to β-diversity.

Assessing mammal species richness and occupancy in a Northeast Asian temperate forest shared by cattle

AbstractAimAsian forests are becoming increasingly degraded and fragmented by the extensive intensification of anthropogenic activities; these activities threaten wildlife and ecosystem sustainability. Facing a defaunation crisis, managers need more information on species assemblages to guide conservation efforts. We tested the relative influence of natural and anthropogenic factors on mammalian species richness and occupancy in temperate forests in Northeast Asia.LocationNortheast China.MethodsCamera‐trapping data and multispecies occupancy models were used to estimate the species richness of a terrestrial mammal community in a working landscape and assess community‐, group‐, and species‐specific responses to natural and anthropogenic features while accounting for imperfect detection. Species were grouped based on body size, diet and activity pattern.ResultsWe deployed 138 cameras and photographed 21 mammalian species over 22,976 trap days across the China–Russia border. Both natural and anthropogenic correlates varied in their importance in predicting the presence of different animals. Vegetation cover and cattle were found to have significantly positive and negative influences on community‐level mammalian occupancy, respectively. The positive relationship with vegetation cover was most evident for large or diurnal species; the negative relationship with cattle was most evident for diurnal and wild ungulate species. Large species occupancy was also negatively associated with human settlements. The predicted richness across each station varied from 5 to 14 unique species, and species had a mean occupancy probability of 0.45 (95% credible interval = 0.09–0.86). Species richness was generally the lowest in livestock grazing areas and close to human settlements. Human influence is more important than the influences of vegetation and environmental variables.Main conclusionsOur results highlight that livestock grazing was the primary human disturbance that had a negative impact on species occupancy and richness. Multispecies occupancy models helped to identify drivers of biodiversity declines and will inform conservation strategies in human‐dominated landscapes in Northeast Asian forests. We suggest that landscape conservation planning seeks to maximize forest protection and ecosystem services such as biodiversity and carbon storage.

Artisanal mining impacts small mammals while chainsaw milling is a more sustainable practice in Ghana

Logging and mining are widespread in most West African countries and considering their socio-economic importance, little is known about their ecological impacts. In this study, we investigated the effects of chainsaw milling (logging) and artisanal mining on terrestrial small mammal communities in a tropical forest in Ghana. For this, we compared abundance, diversity measures and community composition of small mammals active at the forest floor in logged, mined and undisturbed forest sites. We found that abundance was higher in logged and undisturbed forest sites than in mined sites. Small mammal species richness, Shannon diversity and Pielou’s evenness did not differ significantly among the three forest disturbance categories. Community composition of small mammals varied between mined and undisturbed sites as well as between mined and logged sites, suggesting differential species responses to altered environments. This may be due to the presence of pits in mined forest sites, hence a reduction in exploitable ground habitat structures for shelter, nesting or food. Overall, our results suggest that artisanal mining has strong impacts on community composition of forest floor small mammals in tropical forests while the effect of logging by chainsaw milling activities is minimal, especially when practiced at low intensity. This effect was moderated by elevation and distance to streams that equally shaped small mammal communities. More research on the effects of specific forms of logging and mining activities on small mammals are urgently needed to better protect species in forests impacted by logging and mining.