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Understanding the main patterns that affect biodiversity in local and biogeographic scale is central in ecological and conservation studies. Here, we investigated the trappability of small mammals by different methodologies in a fragmented landscape on Atlantic Forest-Cerrado ecotone, and compared the estimated richness and composition of this study community with small mammals surveyed in central Brazil phytogeographic domains. We compared the number of captures between trap type, trap position and the interaction between these variables using a generalized linear mixed model, and compare our findings with those from published data in a radius of 1000 km, using rarefaction and extrapolation methods. Pitfall traps were essential in capturing Monodelphis kunsi, Calomys tener and Oligoryzomys fornesi, whereas wire-cage traps were more efficient on capturing Didelphis albiventris. Calomys expulsus and D. albiventris were significantly more captured in traps on the ground, and Gracilinanus agilis, Marmosa murina, Oecomys bicolor, O. catherinae and Rhipidomys macrurus had more captures in traps on understory. The use of different trap types, mainly pitfall traps, as sampling the vertical strata of habitat, is a good strategy for achieving the completeness sampling of small mammals in the Neotropics. The relative lower small mammal richness in Atlantic Forest-Cerrado ecotone compared to other domains could be explained by the historical higher habitat loss reported for this ecotone zone; thus, we highlight the need of conservation efforts for the preservation of small mammals and else biota that inhabit such type of environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cerrado ecoregion, although threatened, holds an important diversity of medium- and large-sized mammals, which play considerable ecological functions. However, the functional diversity of medium- and large-sized mammals is considerably affected by landscape characteristics. Thus, we inventoried medium- and large-sized mammals in nine patches (natural forest remnants) in the Cerrado ecoregion of central Brazil and investigated the influence of patch and landscape attributes (buffer with 5 km around patch) on their functional diversity. We surveyed these species from August 2016 to January 2017 through camera trapping and active search techniques (tracks, vocalizations, and burrows). Functional diversity was calculated based on body mass, behavior (presence or absence of social behavior), type of locomotion, dietary habits, and environmental sensitivity. For analysis, we divided species into two groups: forest dependent mammals (FDM) and forest non-dependent mammals (NDM). We used Akaike's information criterion corrected for small sample size to select the models that best explain the functional diversity at the local (patch) and landscape scales. The FDM species were influenced by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and patch size at the patch scale and by mean patch size and edge density at the landscape scale. The NDM were not influenced by patch and landscape scale attributes. Our results indicated that analyses at two scales with the mammal species grouped considering their differences in dependence of forest remnants is a valid approach for evaluating diversity patterns of medium-and large-sized mammals in the Brazilian Cerrado ecoregion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a description of the external morphology of Phyllomedusa azurea and describe the internal oral morphology of P. azurea and P. oreades from populations of the Brazilian Cerrado. We also present a comparison with the available descriptions of the external morphology of tadpoles from the P. hypochondrialis group and review the internal oral morphology of the Phyllomedusa genus. The tadpole of P. azurea is characterized by a tooth row formula of 2(2)/3(1), few submarginal papillae, and spiracle positioned ventrally. Phyllomedusa oreades has a diamond-shaped buccal floor, numerous pustulations randomly distributed throughout the buccal floor arena, and a triangular buccal roof. The variation observed in the morphology of P. azurea tadpoles highlights the need to understand how morphological variation affects traits used in species diagnosis and the extent to which this variation could be explained by resource use, geographic variation, and/or ontogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic signals are employed to support the correct designation of species and enables the discrimination between individuals. We analyzed both intra and interindividual variability of the advertisement call ofPhysalaemus centralison the basis of specimens recorded in eight localities of the Cerrado in central Brazil. Within-individual variation, most of the call parameters were static properties. Both spectral and temporal call properties were dynamic between individuals. All call proprieties varied more between individuals than within an individual. Our study adds important data for future studies on the taxonomy and phylogeny of theP. cuviericlade. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]