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To use the method of parsimony analysis of endemism to identify areas of endemism for passerine birds in the Atlantic Forest, South America, and to compare the locations of these areas with areas previously identified for birds as well as other taxa. The Atlantic Forest, eastern South America. We analysed a matrix composed of the presence (1) or absence (0) of 140 endemic species in 24 quadrats of 1 × 1 degree distributed along the Atlantic Forest to find the most parsimonious area cladogram. Fourteen most parsimonious cladograms were found and then summarized in a single consensus tree. Four areas of endemism were identified: Pernambuco, Central Bahia, Coastal Bahia, and Serra do Mar. Avian areas of endemism in the Atlantic Forest have significant generality, as they are highly nonrandom and congruent with those of other groups of organisms. A first hypothesis about the historical relationships among the four areas of avian endemism in the Atlantic Forest is delineated. There is a basal dichotomy among areas of endemism in the Atlantic Forest, with Pernambuco forming a northern cluster and Coastal Bahia, Central Bahia and Serra do Mar comprising a southern cluster. Within the southern cluster, Central Bahia and Serra do Mar are more closely related to each other than to Coastal Bahia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To quantify the latitudinal gradient in species richness in the New World Triatominae and to explore the species-energy and area hypotheses as possible causes. The gradient was studied for North and South America, between 43° N and 32° S. A database was constructed containing the geographical distribution of the 118 New World Triatominae species based on data extracted from several published sources. Species richness was recorded as the number of species present within 5° latitudinal bands. We used univariate and multivariate models to analyse the relationship between area within each latitudinal belt, land surface temperature, and potential evapotranspiration as explanatory variables, and species richness. All variables were georeferenced and data were extracted using a GIS. Species richness of Triatominae increases significantly from the poles towards the Equator, peaking over the 5°−10 ° S latitudinal band. It increases according to a linear model, both north and south of the Equator, although a quadratic model fits better to southern hemisphere data. Richness correlates with habitable geographical area, when it is analysed through a nonlinear multiple regression factoring out latitude, only in the southern hemisphere. Regarding the species-energy hypothesis, a multiple regression analysis controlling the effect of latitude shows a significant relationship between temperature and species richness. This effect is more pronounced in the southern hemisphere. Species richness shows a strong longitudinal trend south of the Equator (increasing to the east), but not north of the Equator. This differential pattern is reflected in significant interactions between longitude and both latitude and temperature in models of the species richness of the New World Triatominae. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a latitudinal gradient in species richness has been shown and analysed for obligate haematophagous organisms, and it shows that the species–energy hypothesis can account for this phenomenon. This relationship is stronger in the southern hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants, an ecologically successful and numerically dominant group of animals, play key ecological roles as soil engineers, predators, nutrient recyclers, and regulators of plant growth and reproduction in most terrestrial ecosystems. Further, ants are widely used as bioindicators of the ecological impact of land use. We gathered information of ant species in the Atlantic Forest of South America. The ATLANTIC ANTS data set, which is part of the ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, is a compilation of ant records from collections (18,713 records), unpublished data (29,651 records), and published sources (106,910 records; 1,059 references), including papers, theses, dissertations, and book chapters published from 1886 to 2020. In total, the data set contains 153,818 ant records from 7,636 study locations in the Atlantic Forest, representing 10 subfamilies, 99 genera, 1,114 ant species identified with updated taxonomic certainty, and 2,235 morphospecies codes. Our data set reflects the heterogeneity in ant records, which include ants sampled at the beginning of the taxonomic history of myrmecology (the 19th and 20th centuries) and more recent ant surveys designed to address specific questions in ecology and biology. The data set can be used by researchers to develop strategies to deal with different macroecological and region‐wide questions, focusing on assemblages, species occurrences, and distribution patterns. Furthermore, the data can be used to assess the consequences of changes in land use in the Atlantic Forest on different ecological processes. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set, but we request that authors cite this data paper when using these data in publications or teaching events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a spatial rural economy model of adaptation to climate change that accounts for a multitude of rural enterprises across a diversity of ecosystems in South America using household surveys. We model adoptions of crops, livestock, and forests. Both specialized and diversified enterprises are modelled. This paper finds that livestock, forests, and a diversification into crops, livestock, and forests are key adaptation strategies. Under the UKMO (United Kingdom Meteorological Office) scenario, a livestock-only enterprise would expand by 4 per cent, a crops-livestock-forests by 3 per cent, and a forests-only by 3 per cent. Adaptation behaviours are closely tied with ecosystem changes under global warming. A livestock-only would increase especially in the grasslands. A crops-livestock-forests enterprise expands into xeromorphic forests. A crops-livestock expands in Andean grasslands and tall grasslands. A forests-only expands in the coasts and woody zones. A crops-only enterprise decreases across South America. Resumen Utilizando encuestas a hogares, en este artículo se desarrolla un modelo espacial de economía rural para la adaptación al cambio climático, con la capacidad de representar una gran cantidad de empresas rurales dentro de una diversidad de ecosistemas en América del Sur. Se modeliza la adopción de cultivos, ganado y bosques. Se modelizan tanto empresas especializadas como diversificadas. El artículo encontró que el ganado, los bosques, y una diversificación en cuanto a cultivos, ganado y bosques son estrategias claves de adaptación. Bajo un escenario propuesto por la Oficina Meteorológica del Reino Unido (UKMO, siglas en inglés), una explotación dedicada solamente a la ganadería aumentaría en un 4 por ciento, una dedicada a cultivos-ganadería-bosques un 3 por ciento, y una dedicada exclusivamente a bosques un 3 por ciento. Los comportamientos para la adaptación están estrechamente ligados a cambios en los ecosistemas debidos al calentamiento global. Una explotación exclusivamente ganadera aumentaría especialmente en el ecosistema de pastizal. Una explotación de cultivos-ganadería-bosques podría expandir en bosques xeromórficos. Una explotación basada en cultivos-ganado expandiría en áreas de pastizales Andinos y pastizal alto. Las explotaciones basadas solamente en bosque expandirían en las costas y zonas boscosas. Una explotación exclusivamente de cultivos disminuiría en América del Sur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphibians and reptiles are ectothermic animals and therefore depend on environmental temperatures to maintain their physiological functions. Despite being poorly documented, data on thermal behavioral thresholds to avoid overheating in their habitats are essential to improve the understanding of their thermal ecology and physiology. Here we provide a data set of 312 individual voluntary thermal maximum (VTMax) values, the maximum temperature tolerated by individuals before actively moving to a colder place, for 53 species of amphibians and reptiles of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado savannas of southeastern South America. Voluntary thermal maximum values were recorded as the body temperature at which the individuals exited a heating box experimental setup. This data set comprises 25 species of 15 genera and eight families of amphibians and 28 species of 24 genera and 12 families of reptiles. Of the total number of individual records, 67.9% derived from the Cerrado and 32.0% derived from the Atlantic Forest ecoregions. Overall, lizards had higher VTMax than amphibians and snakes, and individuals in the Atlantic Forest had overall higher VTMax values than the ones in Cerrado. This data set is the first to compile VTMax values for South American herpetofauna, along with detailed experimental information such as heating rates and time to reach VTMax. This data set provides a baseline for understanding thermal tolerances and requirements of Neotropical ectothermic vertebrate species, which might be useful for future research on the impact of climate change and to test novel ecological hypotheses. There are no copyright or proprietary restrictions except that this data paper should be cited when data are used for publications. In addition, the authors would appreciated being informed of research projects or teaching purposes when these data are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hundreds of publications dealing with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout the world exist, but little data have been published from South America. Epidemiological studies of MS vary according to environmental, racial and genetic factors; a better understanding of MS in South America would help us to elucidate the disease pattern in this population. The aim of this study is to review the evidence relevant to MS epidemiology in South America. We performed a systematic review of articles of MS epidemiology in South America, with special emphasis on those providing information on the incidence and prevalence of MS (population-based studies). Six papers provided information on MS epidemiology. One paper used the capture-recapture methodology, while the remainder employed traditional methods to collect the data. Population-based studies showed an MS prevalence rate ranging from 1.48 to 17 per 100 000 inhabitants. Available data suggest that the prevalence of MS is lower in South America than in developed countries. The reason for this observation is unknown. Some investigators suggest that certain environmental factors like sun exposure and vitamin D supplementation or the called ‘hygiene hypothesis’ may protect this population. Future studies will contribute to elucidate the etiology of that difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity inventories contain important information about species richness, community structure, and composition, and are the first step in developing any conservation and mitigation strategies. The Atlantic Forest of South America is home to around 334 species of small‐, medium‐, and large‐sized mammals, and is currently restricted to less than 12% of its original cover. Here, we present the ATLANTIC MAMMALS, an open data set on information on medium‐ and large‐sized mammal assemblages in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. A total of 129 studies were compiled, including published and in press peer‐reviewed papers, book chapters, theses and unpublished data. We mapped 244 assemblages, eight orders, 63 genera, and 94 species (24 of which are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List) distributed in 128 protected and 116 unprotected areas. Species richness of the mammalian assemblages varied from 1 to 39 species (mean 15). The most recorded species in the entire biome was Dasypus novemcinctus, followed by Cerdocyon thous and Procyon cancrivorous. These data can be useful in support of macroecological studies and conservation planning strategies. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the soya bean yield variability in the Argentine Pampas in relation to the atmospheric circulation patterns in southern South America. The region studied is the main soya bean production area in Argentina and contributes a high percentage to world trade in soya beans and their byproducts.Two datasets were used: the soya bean yield series of 58 provincial districts and daily average fields of 1000 and 500 hPa geopotential height corresponding to the NCEPReanalysis 2 in the period 1979–2001. Adverse impacts on final yield may be mainly associated to weather types WTs related to intense rainfall during harvest time April and May and to structures which favour stability and warm advection in the summer at lower levels. The thermal effect on soya bean may be observed in the WTs whose configuration of anomalies favours the incursion of cold air at the lower levels contributing to low temperatures during seed germination and early vegetative growth stages. Positive impacts may be associated with WTs that reduce thermal stress during flowering and pod set stages summer and WTs which favour stability at harvest time April.In general terms, atmospheric circulation structures have been identified as elements which may be added to the set of climate predictors to explain a part of interannual yield variability. The structures found have direct implications for short and middle term forecasts. They constitute a primary element for the monitoring of the growing season of the soya bean crop and for planning strategies. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oldest Cenozoic mammalian assemblages in South America have been recovered from levels of the Hansen Member of the Salamanca Formation, Punta Peligro locality in Argentina, and from the Santa Lucía Formation in Tiupampa, Bolivia. These faunas led to the recognition of the Peligran and Tiupampan South American Land Mammal Ages (SALMAs), each alternatively regarded as the oldest Paleocene SALMA. Due to the lack of radioisotopic dates for mammals bearing levels at these localities, no agreement has been reached yet about their relative ages. In this paper, the role of mammal faunas in age inference is discussed. Analysis of the SALMAs shows that the presence of non-therian mammals in the Peligran is of little consequence to the biochronological evaluation, reflecting instead a relict Mesozoic distribution. In contrast, therian mammals are particularly important in that (1) they were Lauraisan immigrants and (2) they support direct comparisons between the Tiupampa and Punta Peligro faunas. Parsimony and cluster analysis were used to quantitatively test hypotheses concerning the relative age of the Peligran and Tiupampan SALMAs. Our results support the hypothesis that the Tiupampan SALMA (early Danian) is older than the Peligran SALMA (early Selandian). This alignment results in an interpretation of the evolutionary history of South American land mammals that is more straightforward than the alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The pappus is one of the most distinctive features of the genera belonging to the sunflower family, and is an efficient mechanism for dispersion by wind. The pappose Holocheilus (seven species) and the non-pappose Panphalea (nine species) are two genera of the monophyletic subtribe Nassauviinae (Asteraceae, Mutisieae), which overlap in their areas of distribution. This paper aims to reconstruct the biogeographical histories that shaped the distribution of these two genera, which are phylogenetically and geographically related, but differ in their means of dispersion. Our initial expectation was that the dispersion capability of the pappus should be reflected in more dispersal events in Holocheilus than in Panphalea. Location South-eastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Methods Morphological data were acquired from the literature and by analysis of specimens. Two cladistic analyses, one for Holocheilus and one for Panphalea, were based on morphological characters, and data matrices were analysed with the Fitch parsimony algorithm ofpaup. The ancestral distributions were reconstructed usingdiva ver. 1.1 according to the dispersal–vicariance optimization method. Results The Paranense-fields were identified as the most likely ancestral area of Holocheilus and Panphalea. Biogeographical reconstruction of Holocheilus shows several dispersal events from the Paranense-fields: two ancestral dispersal events to the Yungas, followed by vicariance events (Paranense-fields/Yungas) and numerous terminal dispersals to the surrounding areas such as Chacoan, Pampean and Espinal.diva reconstruction of Panphalea distribution also shows frequent terminal dispersals, with no vicariant events, from the Paranense-fields to the other areas: (1) to Espinal, Pampean-Uruguayan, Pampean-oriental; (2) to Paranense-hills; (3) to Pampean-Uruguayan; and (4) to Paranense-pine lands. Main conclusions In the past, both genera probably originated in the Paranense-fields area, which was subject to the dry and humid cycles of the Quaternary glaciations. Dispersal was the process that predominantly shaped the distribution of Panphalea and Holocheilus, with approximately the same number of dispersal events in both genera, despite differing ranges of dispersion. The main barriers to dispersal were the dry Cerrado and Chaco, the latter promoting vicariance in Holocheilus. The lack of a pappus in Panphalea was a limitation for its dispersion compared with Holocheilus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South American Cerrado is the largest tropical savanna of the world, and one of the most threatened biomes on the Earth. Levels of bird endemism in this biome are controversial, but the most up-to-date study points to 30 endemic species. In this paper, I analysed the recent range shift by one of those species, the curl-crested jay Cyanocorax cristatellus, comparing it with three other alleged Cerrado endemics (lesser nothura Nothura minor, chestnut-capped foliage-gleaner Hylocryptus rectirostris, and grey-backed tachuri Polystictus superciliaris) and a ‘near-endemic’ (white-banded tanager Neothraupis fasciata). The curl-crested jay expanded its range considerably into south-eastern Brazil during the last century, colonizing extensive areas formerly covered by the Atlantic forest, which has been almost completely cleared by human activity. I found no evidence of recent range shift for the four other species studied, but demonstrated that the grey-backed tachuri is not a Cerrado endemic. I found that the vegetation map used by previous authors to classify birds as endemics is imprecise and out-of-date, not depicting well the biome limits, resulting in an arbitrary, sometimes erroneous, classification. I suggested the adoption of a more modern and detailed Cerrado map. The necessity of a comprehensive review in the list of Cerrado's endemic birds in light of modern vegetation maps is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Epilepsy was a well-recognized disease in pre-Columbian cultures. However, anthropological studies about epilepsy in native cultures living at the present time are scarce. The objective of this paper was to study native perception and myths about epilepsy, their magic-religious healing rites and ceremonies, and the natural treatments that archaic cultures used. Methods: An anthropological fieldwork was performed in Central and South America with Tzeltal Maya (Chiapas, Mexico, 1995), Kamayurá (Matto Grosso, Brazil, 1999) and Uru-Chipaya people (Bolivian Andes, 2004). We collected information from shamans and medicine men about epilepsy beliefs and the use of traditional treatments. Results: Epilepsy is called tub tub ikal by Tzeltal people. It is caused by an attack suffered by the animal spirit who accompanies the person, after a fight between the spirits who serve the forces of good and evil. People with chronic epilepsy are considered witches. Epilepsy is called teawarup by Kamayurá, and is caused by the revenge of the spirit ( mama'e) of the armadillo killed by a huntsman. It is treated with two roots, tsimó and wewurú, kneaded and diluted in water. Epilepsy is called tukuri by the Chipaya people, and is originated by a witchcraft that enters into the nose and the head, as a wind. Tukuri is treated with a ritual animal sacrifice called willancha, and by taking several dried insect infusions and bird's blood. Conclusion: These American native cultures have developed a system of orally transmitted knowledge about epilepsy based on magic-religious traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Species richness depends on climate and land use. Maintaining locations with favourable climate and land-use patterns is critical for protecting biodiversity because the loss of either can reduce the species richness that an area supports. Currently, the Guiana Shield (GS) receives abundant precipitation and has relatively light land use. For species richness this constitutes a good–good combination of climate and land use, respectively. In contrast, much of eastern Brazil receives low levels of precipitation and has heavy land use, which is a bad–bad combination for species richness. Thus, the current distribution of precipitation and land use in northern South America is relatively favourable for biodiversity. Palaeoclimate and model studies suggest, however, that the precipitation patterns for the two regions have switched before and could switch in response to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines the potential consequences of reconfiguring climate with respect to existing land-use patterns using South America as an example. Location South America north of 20° S and east of the Andes. Methods Ecosystem structure and function are modelled under (1) historical climate and (2) altered precipitation following a shift in the location of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The distribution of precipitation, biomes, net primary productivity (NPP) and land use are then used to predict levels of species richness under the two climate scenarios. Results Climate changes could shift the distribution of vegetation and NPP such that conditions favourable for species richness in the GS region disappear. If land-use patterns were not prohibitive in eastern Brazil, the improved climate conditions there could compensate for the GS loss (assuming migratory barriers are overcome). Instead, existing land-use patterns cause the combined species richness projected for the two regions to plummet. Main conclusions Human activities will alter current configurations of land use and climate throughout the world. For species richness, new configurations are likely to include both positive and negative combinations of climate and land use. However, the irreversibility of past extinctions due to land-use patterns loads the dice against species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical ecology may be defined as the undertaking of a diachronic analysis of living ecological systems, with the view to accounting more fully for their structural and functional properties. Historical ecology, more an approach or a research strategy than a paradigm, addresses a central question: ‘How does environmental change relate to the historical development of human societies?’ An integral part of the new ecological anthropology, historical ecology seeks to dereify the concepts of nature and culture, and to rethink critically the complexity of the biological world, particularly the problematic distinction between the wild and the domesticated, which has hitherto inspired natural science research on the diversity of biological life. This paper examines the ways in which historical ecology has been used to research nomadic bands subsisting with few or no domesticates in lowland South America. I argue that current knowledge of the Amazon biome, which is far more sophisticated than it was in the late 1940s and the early 1950s, when Steward edited the Handbook of South American Indians, allows us to rethink human occupation of, and adaptation to, the Amazon; to redefine the forces that have shaped the material dimensions of social life, and to recognize that Amazonian hunter-gatherers have played an active part in the making of the natural environment that they have occupied for millennia. I also argue that ‘trekking’, far from representing a necessary intermediary stage in the regression from horticulture to foraging, constitutes, in some cases, a sui generis solution to deep contradictory forces of a political, religious, and social character. Such internal processes may have long predated the Conquest and the disruptions it caused. I conclude that reliance on resources created in the past may be a characteristic shared by various trekking and foraging groups of the Upper Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the longevity and diversity of the Amazonian rainforest and to assess its likely future. Palaeoclimate and palaeoecological records suggest that the Amazon rainforest originated in the late Cretaceous and has been a permanent feature of South America for at least the last 55 million years. The Amazon rainforest has survived the high temperatures of the Early Eocene climate optimum, the gradual Cenozoic cooling, and the drier and lower carbon dioxide levels of the Quaternary glacial periods. Two new theories for the great diversity of the Amazon rainforest are discussed – the canopy density hypothesis and the precessional-forced seasonality hypothesis. We suggest the Amazon rainforest should not be viewed as a geologically ephemeral feature of South America, but rather as a constant feature of the global Cenozoic biosphere. The forest is now, however, entering a set of climatic conditions with no past analogue. The predicted future hotter and more arid tropical climates may have a disastrous effect on the Amazon rainforest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through analysis of fossil records, the aim of this paper is to show that fossil representatives of at least three land-mammal clades (pitheciine atelid primates, heteropsomyine echimyid rodents, and megalonychid phyllophagan xenarthrans) that once lived in the Greater Antilles are as old as, if not older than,‘first’ occurrences of these same groups on the South American mainland.Greater Antilles, South America, Antarctic Peninsula.Analysis of Cenozoic land-mammal fossil records for the three areas.Comparison reveals an interesting similarity to the Tertiary vertebrate palaeontological record for the Antarctic Peninsula (Seymour Island), in the sense that the latter also includes early (Eocene) representatives of some typical‘South American’ groups (e.g. meridiungulates, sloths, certain marsupial groups).Given how limited the Antillean and Antarctic records are in quantity and quality, it seems unlikely that these‘first’ appearances have much bearing on real origins (basal divergences). Rather, it suggests that the fossil basis for interpreting the origin and earliest diversification of‘South American’ clades during the latest Cretaceous/early Cenozoic is probably even scantier than generally realized. In particular, the Antillean record strengthens arguments that some crown-group continental lineages are considerably older than fossil evidence currently allows– a point increasingly (if unevenly) supported by molecular studies of many of the same clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘geographical pivot of history’ concept, subsequently developed into his famous‘Eurasian heartland thesis’, marginalizes South America, yet his ideas have attracted considerable interest there, including interpretations (and fantasies) of a‘South American heartland’. This paper examines the reception of Mackinder's ideas in Latin American geopolitics and how his heartland thesis was adapted for the South American context. It traces the roots of this adaptation in earlier South American geopolitical writing, and examines these ideas of counter-insurgency policies and global geopolitical strategies, analysing their relationship to military and anticommunist perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body mass is one of the most important phenotypic attributes in animal ecology and life history. This trait is widely used in the fields of ecology and macroevolution, since it influences physiology, morphological functions, and a myriad of ecological and social interactions. In this data set, our aim was to gather a comprehensive bird and mammal body mass data set from northern South America. We report body mass, discriminated by sex, for 42,022 individual birds and 7,441 mammals representing 1,317 bird species (69% of Colombia's avifauna) and 270 mammal species (51% of Colombian mammals) from the Neotropics. The data were sourced from vouchers collected between 1942 and 2020 and from individuals captured and released at banding stations over the last two decades for birds (2000–2020) and the last decade for mammals (2010–2020), by 10 research groups and institutions in Colombia. This data set fills gaps identified in other similar databases, as it focuses on northern South America, a highly diverse Neotropical region often underrepresented in morphological data sets. We provide wide taxonomic coverage for studies interested in information both at regional and local scales. There are no copyright restrictions; the present data paper should be appropriately cited when data are used for publication. The authors would appreciate learning about research projects, teaching exercises, and other uses given to this data set and are open to contribute in further collaborations using these data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author reflects on the strategy of the editorial team of the journal in improving the standard of the journal. He says that the team will work on strengthening some aspects of the journal which includes increasing the number of submission, solidifying the position of the journal in North and South America and balancing the papers in various fields of regional science. He further states that the best strategy is to specify the nature of the journal.

Scientists have long been trying to understand why the Neotropical region holds the highest diversity of birds on Earth. Recently, there has been increased interest in morphological variation between and within species, and in how climate, topography, and anthropogenic pressures may explain and affect phenotypic variation. Because morphological data are not always available for many species at the local or regional scale, we are limited in our understanding of intra‐ and interspecies spatial morphological variation. Here, we present the ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS, a data set that includes measurements of up to 44 morphological traits in 67,197 bird records from 2,790 populations distributed throughout the Atlantic forests of South America. This data set comprises information, compiled over two centuries (1820–2018), for 711 bird species, which represent 80% of all known bird diversity in the Atlantic Forest. Among the most commonly reported traits are sex (n = 65,717), age (n = 63,852), body mass (n = 58,768), flight molt presence (n = 44,941), molt presence (n = 44,847), body molt presence (n = 44,606), tail length (n = 43,005), reproductive stage (n = 42,588), bill length (n = 37,409), body length (n = 28,394), right wing length (n = 21,950), tarsus length (n = 20,342), and wing length (n = 18,071). The most frequently recorded species are Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 1,837), Turdus albicollis (n = 1,658), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 1,468), Turdus leucomelas (n = 1,436), and Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 1,384). The species recorded in the greatest number of sampling localities are Basileuterus culicivorus (n = 243), Trichothraupis melanops (n = 242), Chiroxiphia caudata (n = 210), Platyrinchus mystaceus (n = 208), and Turdus rufiventris (n = 191). ATLANTIC BIRD TRAITS (ABT) is the most comprehensive data set on measurements of bird morphological traits found in a biodiversity hotspot; it provides data for basic and applied research at multiple scales, from individual to community, and from the local to the macroecological perspectives. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching and educational activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Measures of traits are the basis of functional biological diversity. Numerous works consider mean species‐level measures of traits while ignoring individual variance within species. However, there is a large amount of variation within species and it is increasingly apparent that it is important to consider trait variation not only between species, but also within species. Mammals are an interesting group for investigating trait‐based approaches because they play diverse and important ecological functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, predation, grazing) that are correlated with functional traits. Here we compile a data set comprising morphological and life history information of 279 mammal species from 39,850 individuals of 388 populations ranging from −5.83 to −29.75 decimal degrees of latitude and −34.82 to −56.73 decimal degrees of longitude in the Atlantic forest of South America. We present trait information from 16,840 individuals of 181 species of non‐volant mammals (Rodentia, Didelphimorphia, Carnivora, Primates, Cingulata, Artiodactyla, Pilosa, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla) and from 23,010 individuals of 98 species of volant mammals (Chiroptera). The traits reported include body mass, age, sex, reproductive stage, as well as the geographic coordinates of sampling for all taxa. Moreover, we gathered information on forearm length for bats and body length and tail length for rodents and marsupials. No copyright restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]