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Aims: To assess trends in rainfall and temperature as evidence of climate change in the Kakamega tropical forest ecosystem over the last 30 years (1980-2010). Study Design: Secondary data on temperature, rainfall and other climate related phenomena that have occurred within the Kakamega forest ecosystem over the last 30 years were obtained from the Kenya Metrological Department (KMD), Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), and local metrological stations and analysed to assess trends. This data was supplemented with data from questionnaires and structured interviews. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out among forest adjacent communities in the Kakamega tropical forest ecosystem between April and December 2020. Methodology: Data on awareness and preparedness for climate change was collected using structured questionnaires, focused group discussions (FGD) and structured interviews. Three villages in the east, west, north and south of the forest that are within a 2km radius of the forest were randomly selected for sampling. From the 52,729 households, 397 households were randomly chosen from each of the three selected villages. Questionnaires targeted family heads in all the selected households. The questionnaire sought first-hand information on climate change awareness and impacts of climate change among the forest-adjacent communities. Each questionnaire comprised of open and closed-ended questions. Focused Group Discussion involved specialized groups of women, village elders, local administrators, CBOs working in the ecosystem, among others. Further information was obtained using key informants. A total of forty-eight (48) key informants were randomly selected for discussion. The interview method involved key personnel working within the forest ecosystem which included staff from KWS, County environmental officers, National Environment Officers, Agriculture officers at the national and county levels. The interviews focused on preparedness, mitigative and adaptive capacity to climate change by the forest adjacent communities. Results: Analysis of the mean rainfall trends over the last 30 years (1980-2018) reveal that, mean monthly rainfall ranged from a monthly minimum 36mm (2012) to a maximum mean of 402.30mm (2018). Similarly, analyses of the mean monthly rainfall reveal dissimilarities in amounts of rainfall in each year over the last 30 years. The mean monthly rainfall fluctuations appear to increase overtime. Analysis of temperature records for the last 30 years (1990-2018) revealed a maximum mean daily temperature of 27.720C, a minimum temperature of 25.35⁰C and a maximum of 31.96⁰C with a range of 25⁰C - 30⁰C. From 2005 to 2018, higher temperatures (above 30⁰C) are evident. When a moving cumulative mean, using data on the minimum temperature over the last 30 years (1982 – 2018) was calculated, a forecasted trend gave a mean minimum temperature of 14.41⁰C, a minimum temperature of 12.33⁰C and a maximum temperature of 18.67⁰C. In the year 1990, the minimum temperature rose from 150C to 18⁰C. The forecasted temperature for 2019 also follows the same trend, with temperatures now stabilizing above 30⁰C. Majority of the respondents (96.7%, n=290) were aware of changes in climatic conditions now, compared to previous years. Most of the respondents had moderate (53%, n=159) to high (30.7%, n=92) knowledge about changes in climate. Majority of the respondents (57.7%, n=173 ) affirmed that information on climate change was obtained from broadcast media. Majority of the respondents were very concerned about climate change 91.7% (n=275) suggesting that they understood the seriousness of the changing climate. Further analyses of the data revealed that many of the respondents were aware that natural causes (31%, n=93), human activities (34.3%, n=103) and a combination of both (34.7%, n=104) were the main causes of climate change, while many of the respondents (58%, n=174) had experienced some extreme weather events in the last five years. Conclusion: There is a clear evidence of climate changes in the Kakamega forest ecosystem as observed from the rising temperatures and variability in precipitation. Most people adjacent to the forests are aware of climate changes and its effects. The main sources of information are the electronic media. The increase in temperature may be due to deforestation, urbanization and agricultural activities.

The UN declaration of the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 emphasizes the need for effective measures to restore ecosystems and safeguard biodiversity. Large herbivores regulate many ecosystem processes and functions; yet, their potential as a nature-based solution to buffer against long-term temporal declines in biodiversity associated with global change and restore diversity in secondary forests remains unknown. By means of an exclusion experiment, we tested experimentally the buffering effects of large wild herbivores to avert against long-term biodiversity collapse in old-growth and secondary tropical forests in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil where sapling abundance and species richness declined c. 20% over the course of 10 years. The experiment comprised 50 large herbivore exclosure-open control plot pairs (25 at the old-growth forest and 25 at the secondary forest), where 2 m2 were monitored in every plot during a 10-year period. Large herbivores were able to decelerate diversity declines and compositional change in the species-rich old-growth forest, but only decelerated compositional change in the secondary forest. In contrast, declines in species richness and abundance were unaffected by large herbivores on either forest. The buffering effects of large herbivores were strongly nonlinear and contingent on the initial level of diversity at the patch scale: highly diverse communities suffered the strongest collapse in the absence of large herbivores. Thus, larger buffering effects of large herbivores on the old-growth forest are the logical consequence of large herbivores buffering the many high diversity plant communities found in this forest. Conversely, as the secondary forest held fewer high diversity patches, buffering effects on the secondary forest were weak. Synthesis and applications. Our study indicates that large herbivores have moderate yet critical effects on slowing down community change and diversity loss of highly diverse plant communities, thus suggesting that the conservation of (and potentially trophic rewilding with) large herbivores is a fundamental nature-based solution for averting the global collapse of the strongholds of biodiversity. Its buffering effects on biodiversity loss operate at very small spatial scales, are likely contingent on successional stage and are most effective in old-growth or high diversity secondary forests.

Grass composition was assessed by plot method (1 m2; n= 1,749) in three habitats (dry deciduous-DDF, moist deciduous-MDF, and thorn forest-TF) at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, southern India across different seasons from Jan 2004 to Dec 2007. The grass species richness and availability (per cent composition) varied significantly with habitats. Seventy-four species of grasses and sedges were recorded in all three habitats, with a few species common in all habitats. Grass availability varied significantly in different habitats across seasons and was positively influenced by precipitation. Among biotic factors, regeneration and shrub density had a primary influence on grass availability, followed by herb, sedge and weed density. The principal coordinate analysis revealed seven major associations in the tropical forest. There were considerable changes in the composition and association of grasses when compared to the past. Fire resistant species such as Themeda triandra, Heteropogan contortus and T. cymbaria dominated in the DDF. Grass species Aristida/Eragorstis were recorded in the TF, which were considered as indicators of heavy grazing pressure. Grass species that were reported rare and sporadic in the earlier study were not recorded, which emphasizes better pasture management in the tropical forest. Grass species composition and availability was threatened by invasion of weeds.

SummaryThe semiarid Caatinga is the largest Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest and Woodland (SDTFW) in the Neotropics. Yet the vast majority of the Caatinga is unprotected, with severe chronic anthropogenic use, exotic species and global warming among its most immediate threats. Here, we contrast the current Caatinga protected areas (PAs) scenery with that of other SDTFWs in the Neotropics. We also analyse the growth process of the PAs in the Caatinga over time across Brazilian PA categories and jurisdictions. The percentage of Caatinga that is protected is average among the SDTFWs. Caatinga has more state than federal PAs; however, the size of the PAs is greater under a federal jurisdiction. Nonetheless, in both jurisdictions, Environmental Protected Areas, one of the least restrictive categories, are more representative in terms of total area, corresponding to nearly 80% of the Caatinga PA system. Our results are relevant for international conservation goals because they depict the current PA scenery and clarify the challenges for achieving the actual preservation of the unique Caatinga biome.

Lowland forest vegetation can still be found on the Jambi University Campus, namely at the Jambi Mendalo University Educational Forest (HPUJM). Jambi University Educational Forest is administratively located in Mendalo Indah Village, Jambi Luar Kota District, Muaro Jambi Regency, Jambi Province. Vegetation communities are formed by the presence and interaction of the various types of plants that compose them. The form of interaction between plant species in a community is called an association. Associations can be in the form of positive associations and negative associations. This research was conducted to know the association between dominant tree species. This study used a purposive sampling method by determining a sampling area of ​​9600 m2 or 0.96 ha measuring 160m x 60m, divided into 24 sub-plots, each measuring 20m x 20m. Species having an Importance Value Index (IVI) of ≥ 10% were used as the association analysis. The 2x2 contingency table was used to analyze whether or not associations were present between tree species. The results showed, of 15 dominant tree combinations, there were only 4 associated combinations, namely the association between Aporosa lucida and Vitex pinnata, the association between Endospermum diadenum and V.pinnata, the association of Litsea ferruginea with Gironniera diadenum, the association of L. ferruginea with V.pinnata. Key words: association, dominant tree, lowland forest

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T09:31:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-01-01 The Atlantic Forest, a hotspot for biodiversity conservation, harbours five forest deer species (Mazama spp.). Due to their elusiveness, there is a severe scarcity of occurrence data to support ecological studies and conservation planning. Thus, we assembled an occurrence dataset of Atlantic Forest deer with reliable taxonomic information aggregating data from scat and camera traps surveys, and opportunistic data collection over the last 20 years. From 2002 to 2019, we surveyed 77 protected areas using scats detection dogs and genetically identifying the faecal samples. We successfully identified 1,147 out of 1,450 collected samples. From 2000 to 2020, we sampled six protected areas in 92 sampling points with 13,328 camera trap days of sampling effort. In addition, we established an active search for potential contributors within the scientific community and environmental consultants since 2010, offering a taxonomic identification service for camera traps images, and biological field-collected samples. With our efforts, we assembled a dataset with 1,456 records of forest deer occurrence at the Atlantic Forest. Of these records, 494 are from M. americana, 350 from M. bororo, 309 from M. gouazoubira, 268 from M. nana and 35 from M. nemorivaga. The faecal sampling was the most predominant method in these records (n = 1043) followed by photographs from camera traps (n = 388); both methods represent 98.2% of our dataset records. Most of the records (79.5%) in the dataset are inside protected areas (n = 1,130). Our dataset is the most comprehensive source of information on Neotropical forest deer occurrence to date. Deer Research and Conservation Center São Paulo State University, SP Federal University of Latin American Integration, PR Neotropical Institute: Research and Conservation, PR Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biodiversidade Universidade Federal Do Oeste Do Pará Santarém, PA Caipora Cooperativa, SC Wildlife Ecology Management and Conservation Lab (LEMaC) Forest Science Department “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture University of São Paulo, SP Manacá Institute, SP Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia E Conservação Universidade Federal Do Paraná Instituto de Pesquisas Cananéia, SP Pró-Tapir Institute for Biodiversity, ES Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica, ES Federal University of Espírito Santo, ES Federal University of Maranhão, MA Laboratório de Biodiversidade Conservação e Ecologia de Animais Silvestres (LABCEAS) Programa de Pós-Graduação E Ecologia E Conservação Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal Do Paraná (UFPR), SP Deer Research and Conservation Center São Paulo State University, SP

The ability to accurately assess liana (woody vine) infestation at the landscape level is essential to quantify their impact on carbon dynamics and help inform targeted forest management and conservation action. Remote sensing techniques provide potential solutions for assessing liana infestation at broader spatial scales. However, their use so far has been limited to seasonal forests, where there is a high spectral contrast between lianas and trees. Additionally, the ability to align the spatial units of remotely sensed data with canopy observations of liana infestation requires further attention. We combined airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR data with a neural network machine learning classification to assess the distribution of liana infestation at the landscape‐level across an aseasonal primary forest in Sabah, Malaysia. We tested whether an object‐based classification was more effective at predicting liana infestation when compared to a pixel‐based classification. We found a stronger relationship between predicted and observed liana infestation when using a pixel‐based approach (RMSD = 27.0% ± 0.80) in comparison to an object‐based approach (RMSD = 32.6% ± 4.84). However, there was no significant difference in accuracy for object‐ versus pixel‐based classifications when liana infestation was grouped into three classes; Low [0–30%], Medium [31–69%] and High [70–100%] (McNemar’s χ2 = 0.211, P = 0.65). We demonstrate, for the first time, that remote sensing approaches are effective in accurately assessing liana infestation at a landscape scale in an aseasonal tropical forest. Our results indicate potential limitations in object‐based approaches which require refinement in order to accurately segment imagery across contiguous closed‐canopy forests. We conclude that the decision on whether to use a pixel‐ or object‐based approach may depend on the structure of the forest and the ultimate application of the resulting output. Both approaches will provide a valuable tool to inform effective conservation and forest management.

Wild foods contribute to the food security of multiple communities in tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. However, wild foods are not regularly considered in the planning of strategies for food and nutrition security mainly due to the lack of technical and/or scientific knowledge so that they can be considered suitable for human consumption. This paper proposes a multidisciplinary method that estimates the potential of wild foods as alternative resources when planning interventions in favour of food and nutrition security in tropical forest territories. When designing the method, four dimensions were identified in science, technology and innovation (STI) that define this potential as well as ten assessment criteria. The wild foods chosen for applying the method were Alibertia patinoi (a fruit commonly known as Borojó) and Proechimys semispinosus (Mouse of thorns), which are two of the main wild foods traditionally used by human communities in a tropical forest territory in the northwest of Colombia. In both cases, although there are significant advances in STI, compliance with some criteria is still required to regard them as viable alternatives for nutrition and food security within this territory. This research is useful for promoting the inclusion of wild food in food security programmes for communities where this food is already included in their traditional pattern of consumption and identifies the progress needed in STI to achieve this purpose. It may also promote the early recognition of possible traditional and cultural practices with high risk of transmission of pathogenic elements by the handling and/or inadequate consumption of wild foods. This early recognition could contribute to the prevention of diseases of wild animal origin, including those of rapid global spread.

During a survey of caves in a seasonally dry tropical forest area in northeastern Brazil, a new species of the genus Maxchernes was discovered and it is formally described here. The new species, na...

Understanding the predator–prey relationship is essential for implementing effective conservation management practices on threatened species. Leopard is a threatened apex mammalian predator that plays a crucial role in ecosystem functions in India’s tropical forest. We assessed the diet and activity pattern of leopards in relation to their prey using diet analysis and camera trapping data from Similipal Tiger Reserve, eastern India. Our results indicated that leopard prefers medium-sized prey such as wild pig, common langur and barking deer represented 60% of the total biomass consumed collectively. Results of 6413 camera trap night in 187 locations revealed that leopards showed cathemeral activity pattern and exhibited positive co-occurrence pattern and significant spatial and temporal overlap with their main prey, the wild pig. However, leopards showed very low spatial and temporal overlap with the second main prey, the common langur. Leopards avoided humans and showed low spatial and temporal overlap with humans. Our findings reveal that a trade-off might drive leopard activity between consuming prey and avoiding anthropogenic disturbances like human activity.

In 1997, I went to Borneo to investigate fires which had been raging uncontrolled for months across a vast area of pristine tropical forest. An intense El Nino event had triggered a deep drought, and a thick yellow haze had settled over much of Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond.

Anisoptera costata Korth, an endangered species is distributed in lowland tropical forests of southern Vietnam. Habitat loss and over-exploitation are the major reasons for threatening this species. Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to analyze 64 adult trees from three A. costata populations in lowland tropical forests of Tan Phu, Dinh Quan district, Dong Nai Province in Southeast Vietnam to detect the effects of deforestation on gene flow and the differentiation among populations in lowland tropical forests. The results showed that all A. costata populations have the moderate levels of the genetic diversity within populations with mean values of observed and expected heterozygosities, 0.242 and 0.269, respectively, moderate genetic differentiation among A. costata populations (0.179), and indicating limited gene flow (Nm = 1.15). Analysis of molecular variance indicated high genetic variation within populations (64.68%) and indicating moderate genetic structure in A. costata in Tan Phu. Bayesian analysis detected two genetic lineages, cluster 1 including one population of Mieu Co Nam and cluster 2 including two populations, Thac Mai and Bau Nuoc. These results contribute understanding genetic diversity of A. costata in lowland forests of Southeastern Vietnam and will provide guidelines for conservation, management and resoration of the species.

Seasonal dynamics in tropical forests are closely related to the variation in forest canopy gaps. The canopy gaps change continuously in shape and size between the rainy and dry seasons, leading to the variation in the vegetative indicators. To monitor the variation of the canopy gaps, UAVs were used to collect datas in the mentioned tropical forests at an altitude of over 1,000m in Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve, Vietnam with a post-processing image resolution of about 8cm, which allows the detection of relatively small gaps. The analysis results at 10 squares of 1 ha showed a decrease in the area of ​​ canopy gaps from the rainy season in September 2019 to the dry season of May 2020. The mixed broad-leaved or broadleaf forest dominates with a greater variation, when the area of ​​the gaps decreases significantly. The variation in forest canopy gaps and vegetative indicators are closely related to the high differentiation of terrain, the seasonal and the dry season climatic characteristics. The fluctuation of the vegetation cover affects the habitats of the species under the forest canopy such as animals, birds and soil fauna. This is one of the scientific bases that contributes to the management and conservation of flora and fauna biodiversity, especially in mountainous tropical forests such as Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve.

Protecting tropical forests and their biological diversity is a global priority. Understanding if thresholds of forest cover exist beyond which biodiversity displays non-linear declines is key to developing appropriate conservation strategies and policies, but uncertainty remains around the identification and characteristics of these thresholds. We performed a global systematic review of studies using forest cover gradient to identify an ecological threshold across tropical forest ecosystems. Our systematic review finds 68 ecological thresholds reported in 33 peer-reviewed publications. Three main conclusions emerged: first, we show clear geographical gaps in ecological thresholds studies, with 72% of reported thresholds found in South America, over half in Brazil; second, we see ecological threshold studies follow taxonomic biases in line with wider conservation research; and third, there is a lack of homogeneity and comparability in the metrics and sampling designs used to identify a threshold. This global review shows interest in ecological thresholds continues to grow, but further evidence is needed to understand their application in tropical forest management. We identify the main gaps in knowledge and provide guidance to focus research efforts on six key aspects to better understand their potential as a policy-making tool for tropical forest conservation.

La distribución espacial y temporal de la disponibilidad de agua impacta el comportamiento de las especies. Particularmente en hábitats áridos, los pozos de agua son fuentes de agua para muchas especies. Presentamos registros interesantes de vertebrados que visitaron pozos de agua naturales mediante cámaras-trampa durante la estación seca en un bosque tropical seco del centro de México. Durante la estación seca (diciembre de 2015, mayo de 2016 y abril-mayo de 2019), colocamos siete cámaras-trampa durante 135 días en siete pozos de agua. Este método utilizado fue parte de las actividades de monitoreo y conservación, implementadas dentro de una amplia unidad de manejo de vida silvestre en el centro de México. Registramos 20 especies de vertebrados visitando los pozos de agua: 15 mamíferos, cuatro aves, y un reptil. La co-ocurrencia entre especies sin interacciones negativas, y algunos registros de conducta incluyeron: eventos de juego, acicalamiento y frotamiento contra piedras; se observó a algunas especies esperando su turno para beber. Pudimos identificar al menos cuatro individuos de Mephitis macroura. Nuestro estudio también enfatiza un aspecto básico, pero quizás subestimado en los últimos años producto del uso de cámaras-trampa: la observación cualitativa de animales a través de fotografías. Estas observaciones pueden revelar aspectos básicos e interesantes de la historia natural de las especies que permiten mejorar el conocimiento sobre la coexistencia en un mismo lugar.

Widespread and unregulated hunting of ungulates in Southeast Asia is resulting in population declines and localised extinctions. Increased access to previously remote tropical forest following logging and changes in land-use facilitates hunting of elusive wild cattle in Borneo, which preferentially select secluded habitat. We collated the first population parameters for the Endangered Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi and developed population models to simulate the effect of different hunting offtake rates on survival and the recovery of the population using reintroduced captive-bred individuals. Our findings suggest that the banteng population in Sabah is geographically divided into 4 management units based on connectivity: the Northeast, Sipitang (West), Central and Southeast, which all require active management to prevent further population decline and local extinction. With only 1% offtake, population growth ceased in the Northeast and Sipitang. In the Southeast and Central units, growth ceased at 2 and 4% offtake, respectively. Extinction was estimated at 21-39 yr when offtake was 5%, occurring first in Sipitang and last in the Central unit. Supplementing the population with captive-bred individuals suggested that inbreeding was likely to limit population growth if using ≤20 founder individuals. Translocating 2 individuals for a 10 yr period, starting after 20 yr of captive breeding resulted in a faster population recovery over 100 yr and a lower extinction probability. Our results suggest that shielding the population against further losses from hunting will be key to their survival in the wild, provided that active management in the form of captive breeding is developed in the interim.

La ocurrencia de dos o más especies en espacio y tiempo (coexistencia) es la condición inicial para las interacciones interespecíficas. Por ejemplo, el binomio Urocyon cinereoargenteus y Spilogale angustifrons que es poco conocido. Nuestro objetivo es contribuir con información sobre la coexistencia de estos mesocarnívoros en Komchén de los Pájaros, en el norte de Yucatán, dominada por selva baja caducifolia. Colocamos ocho cámaras-trampas del 23 de diciembre de 2019 al 20 de junio de 2020 distribuidas en ocho estaciones de muestreo. Representamos los patrones de actividad diaria mediante un diagrama circular por horas con base en la frecuencia de los registros fotográficos. Obtuvimos 68 foto-registros con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 4,320 hr-trampa en 180 días, tres corresponden a la coexistencia de U. cinereoargenteus y S. angustifrons. La actividad de U. cinereoargenteus ocurrió todo el día durante la temporada seca. El índice de abundancia relativa de la coexistencia de S. angustifrons-U. cinereoargenteus fue de 0.7 y solo para U. cinereoargenteus fue de 15.74. En tres momentos registramos la sincronización de la actividad de U. cinereoargenteus y S. angustifrons. Estos eventos ocurrieron en la noche, madrugada y al amanecer, lo que confirmó la coexistencia de ambas especies en espacio (selva baja caducifolia) y tiempo (temporada de seca). Los registros fotográficos no mostraron eventos antagónicos y el seguimiento de una especie por la otra sugiere un mutualismo. Confirmamos la coexistencia basada en el comportamiento de seguimiento de U. cinereoargenteus por S. angustifrons y planteamos que son especies mutualistas en temporada seca y en la selva baja caducifolia.

Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) is one of the tropical forest plants in Indonesia, which is utilized as a raw material in the manufacture of various modern and traditional medicines. However, information regarding the potential and conservation of this plant in indigenous communities in Karimun, Riau Islands has not been well-documented. Therefore, researchers conducted a study in Pongkar Village and Karimun Anak, Tabing, Riau Islands concerning the potential and conservation of tongkat ali for the lives of the people in these research locations. Data were collected through an ethnobotanical approach and interviews with selected respondents, traditional healers, village heads, the representative from Karimun Forestry Conservation Office, and local people who utilize this plant in their daily lives. The results showed that the local community utilized tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack) as medicinal ingredients to treat fever caused by malaria, to increase stamina, and to be an alternative source to increase the family’s income. In addition, efforts to conduct in-situ and ex-situ conservation supported by the community, indigenous communities, and government agencies are highly needed so that its utilization can be carried out sustainably.

An ectomycorrhiza plays a vital role in the maintenance and strengthening the forest ecosystems and diversity. This study attempts to assess the ecology and diversity of ectomycorrhiza in tropical Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) forest in Sunsari district, eastern Nepal. The collection of ectomycorrhiza was carried out from June to September (rainy season) for the year 2019-2020. A total of 18 species of ectomycorrhiza belonging to 12 genera and 7 families were collected. Russulaceae was found to be the dominant family representing 7 species. As per the diversity indices, the Shannon Weiner index and Simpson’s index were found to be 2.60 and 0.913, respectively indicating a higher value for the index of diversity. The results conclude that the moist tropical forest of Sunsari district is rich in ectomycorrhizal fungi, which consequently may provide a great opportunity for nutrient absorption

Snakebites are considered a serious public health problem due to its incidence and severity; in 2017 it was considered a neglected tropical disease. Mato Grosso state have a large territorial extension, composed by a tropical forest and semi-humid climate, and this could contributed for accidents with snakes, principally in rural areas. Regarding the state, epidemiological studies of accidents with snakes are scarce, so the present study aimed to evaluate the clinical-epidemiological aspects of snakebites in Mato Grosso state from 2007 to 2019. It was a retrospective descriptive study with data obtained from the Health Information Notification System (SINAN). In the analyzed period, there were 13,754 cases of snakebites, 90.77% were caused by Bothrops genus. The profile of individuals were male with age from 20 to 59 years old. The time that had elapsed between the accident and care being administered in 66.19% of the cases was up to 3 hours, the cases were considered mild or moderated (86.76%) with 89.25% evolution to cure. The incidence rate varied from 41.2 (in 2010) to 25.4 (in 2018) cases per 100,000 inhabitants with a central tendency to reduction of the cases over the years, and according to the macro-regions were observed higher incidences in East. Future investigations are necessary to explain the variation of incidence according to the macro-regions of Mato Grosso state.

Habitat loss and subsistence hunting are two of the main activities that affect wildlife in frontier areas. We compared subsistence hunting patterns in four villages with different ethnic composition and degree of habitat disturbance in the vicinity of Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Campeche, Mexico. We also compared differences between some of these villages in harvest composition and prey availability to determine hunting preferences. We used a Landsat TM satellite image to analyze the degree of disturbance around the villages. We conducted periodic surveys of subsistence hunting and prey availability. Wildlife availability was assessed monthly on nine transects (3000 m) established in the vicinity of three villages. The relative amount of disturbed habitat was smaller in an indigenous Maya village ( IV ) and larger in a mestizo village ( MV ). The two mixed-composition villages ( MCVs) had intermediate levels of disturbance. Ten species, four large and six small, of birds and mammals accounted for 97% of the hunting records. Hunting was more intense in IV and less intense in MCV1. The three village types had different hunting preferences. The habitat-mosaic composition in the vicinity of the villages influenced prey availability and subsistence-hunting preferences. Changes in the habitat mosaic were caused by the size of the holding and by ethnic composition. In spite of longer settlement time, the habitat mosaic in the vicinity of IV was less transformed than that of the other sites. Their larger holding size and greater diversity of economic activities may explain why the Mayas at IV have transformed the landscape less than the other groups and can hunt more and larger prey. Resumen: La perdida de habitat y la caceria de subsistencia son dos de las principales actividades humanas que tienen un efecto negativo sobre la fauna en las fronteras de la colonizacion. En el presente estudio comparamos los patrones de caceria de subsistencia en cuatro poblados con diferente composicion etnica y diferente grado de perturbacion del habitat en los alrededores de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Calakmul en Campeche, Mexico. Entre algunos de estos poblados, tambien comparamos las diferencias en la composicion de la caza y la disponibilidad de presas para determinar preferencias. Utilizamos imagenes de satelite Landsat TM para analizar el grado de perturbacion alrededor de los poblados. Llevamos a cabo registros de la caceria de subsistencia y de la disponibilidad de las presas. La disponibilidad de las presas se evaluo mensualmente en nueve transectos de 3000 m cada uno, establecidos en la cercania de tres poblados. Comparativamente, el area de habitat perturbado fue menor en la comunidad con poblacion indigena maya ( IV ) y mayor en la comunidad con poblacion mestiza ( MV ). Los dos poblados con composicion poblacional mixta ( MVC1 y MVC2) presentaron niveles intermedios de perturbacion. Diez especies (4 grandes y 6 pequenas) de aves y mamiferos representaron el 97% de los registros de caceria. La caceria fue mas intensa en IV y menos intensa en MCV1. Se registraron diferencias en las preferencias de caceria en los tres tipos de comunidad. La composicion del mosaico de habitat en los alrededores de los poblados influencio la disponibilidad de presas y las preferencias de caceria de subsistencia. Los cambios en el mosaico de habitat se deben al tamano de las propiedades y a la composicion etnica. A pesar de que el poblado IV tiene mas tiempo asentado en el area, el mosaico de habitat a sus alrededores esta menos transformado que el de los otros sitios. Los mayas tienen una propiedad de mayor tamano y actividades economicas muy diversificadas, lo cual ha evitado la transformacion del habitat, proporcionandoles mayor disponibilidad de presas grandes.

Land-cover changes translate into shifts in habitat available to wildlife species. I analyzed the effects of land-cover changes on habitat availability for 54 mammal species in a 2.7 million-ha area in southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. I considered the regional variability of these changes and the effect of variation in management and development trends. Using cluster analysis, I grouped mammal species into assemblages with similar associations of land-cover type. Based on data from a remote-sensing, land-cover change analysis (1974–1986), I created simple linear Markov models for a heuristic tool to simulate land-cover changes over a 60-year period and to explore temporal trends of change in habitat availability for the mammal species. I used elasticity analyses to identify land-cover transition probabilities critical for these trajectories. Of the 12 land-cover classes considered, four dominated the area: grasslands, tropical secondary vegetation, tropical moist forests, and wetlands. Transition probabilities to and from these four land-cover types were key in determining the availability of habitat for mammals. Thus, the relatedness of mammal species to these land-cover types seems critical for their long-term persistence in the region. According to general simulated trends in fluctuation of habitat availability, I classified species into seven categories: (1) opportunistic and highly adaptable species, occupying most of the area; (2) opportunistic, human-commensal species, with restricted range in the study area; (3) species with stable and moderate habitat availability; (4) species with moderate but increasing habitat availability; (5) species with originally moderate but declining habitat availability; (6) species with already reduced and sharply declining habitat availability; and ( 7) species with declining habitat availability and a restricted range. Markovian trajectories suggest a declining trend of habitat availability for 32 species (59%). Land-cover change trends, however, were highly variable between the nine subregions. As a result, habitat availability for many species varied regionally. Likewise, changes in management and development policies and trends in the study area will lead to contrasting habitat availability for declining and increasing species, but not for the rest of the species. The approach I used is useful for (1) assessment of land-cover changes resulting from different development trends and management practices and (2) exploration of how changes may affect species habitat availability and survival perspectives. This examination can be accomplished for a substantial part of a biota and for entire regions, even in the context of limited information. Resumen: Los cambios en la cobertura del suelo se traducen en cambios de la disponibilidad del habitat para las especies de vida silvestre. Analice los efectos de los cambios en la cobertura del suelo sobre la disponibilidad de habitat para 54 especies de mamiferos en un area de 2.7 millones de hectareas del sureste de Mexico y el norte de Guatemala, tomando en cuenta la variabilidad regional de estos cambios y los efectos de la variacion en el manejo y tendencias de desarrollo. Agrupe las especies de mamiferos en ensamblajes con similar asociacion a los tipos de cobertura del suelo (i.e., requerimientos de habitat), usando un analisis de cumulos. Con base en datos de percepcion remota de los cambios de la cobertura del suelo (1974-1986), elabore modelos lineares simples de Markov usados como una herramienta heuristica para simular cambios en la cobertura del suelo por un periodo de 60 anos y para explorar tendencias temporales de cambio en la disponibilidad de habitat para las especies de mamiferos. Utilice analisis de elasticidad para identificar las probabilidades de transicion en la cobertura del suelo mas criticas para estas trayectorias. De las 12 clases de cobertura consideradas, cuatro dominaron el area de estudio: pastizales, vegetacion tropical secundaria, bosque tropical humedo y humedales. Las probabilidades de transicion hacia y desde estos cuatro tipos de cobertura fueron de importancia clave para determinar la disponibilidad de habitat para los mamiferos. Por lo tanto, el grado de relacion entre los mamiferos y estos tipos de cobertura parece ser critico para su persistencia en la region. De acuerdo con las tendencias generales simuladas de fluctuacion de la disponibilidad del habitat, hubo siete categorias de especies: (1) especies oportunistas y altamente adaptables, ocupando la mayoria del area de estudio; (2) especies oportunistas, comensales de humanos, con distribucion restringida en el area de estudio; (3) especies con disponibilidad de habitat estable y moderada; (4) especies con disponibilidad de habitat moderada, pero en incremento; (5) especies con disponibilidad de habitat originalmente moderada, pero actualmente en disminucion; (6) especies con disponibilidad de habitat ya reducida y disminuyendo rapidamente; y ( 7) especies con disponibilidad de habitat en disminucion y con distribucion restringida en el area de estudio. Las trayectorias Markovianas sugieren una tendencia de disminucion en la disponibilidad del habitat para 32 especies (59%). Sin embargo, las tendencias de cambio en la cobertura del suelo fueron altamente variables entre las nueve subregiones consideradas. Asimismo, la disponibilidad del habitat para muchas especies vario regionalmente. De la misma manera, los cambios en el manejo y en las politicas y tendencias de desarrollo en el area de estudio conduciran a una disponibilidad contrastante de habitat para las especies en disminucion y para aquellas en incremento, pero no para el resto de las especies. La metodologia que utilice es muy util para: 1) la evaluacion de los cambios en la cobertura del suelo que resultan de diferentes tendencias de desarrollo y practicas de manejo y 2) para explorar la forma en que estos cambios pueden afectar la disponibilidad de habitat y las perspectivas de supervivencia de las especies. Este analisis puede ser llevado a cabo para una parte substancial de una biota y para regiones enteras, aun cuando se disponga de informacion limitada.

Aims We aimed at disentangling the effects of spatial distance, current and past environmental dissimilarity, and their combinations on tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover by addressing the following questions: (i) Is tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover related to the indirect effects of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity? (ii) Does tree community taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover respond to paleoclimate (Last Glacial Maximum and Mid-Holocene)? Methods The study was carried out in 14 Atlantic rainforest sites in Brazil (20.4 ha sampled) containing 615 tree species from 83 plant families. We obtained plot-level geographic coordinates and soil variables and site-level bioclimatic variables in the current, Mid-Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum. We used structural equation models with a distance-based approach to (i) test the direct effects of spatial distance and environmental dissimilarity and (ii) test the indirect effects of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity on taxonomic (Bray–Curtis distance) and phylogenetic turnover (Comdist and Comdistnt distances). Important Findings Our results suggest a weak indirect effect of spatial distance via environmental dissimilarity on taxonomic and phylogenetic turnover. Tree community turnover was driven by the direct effects of neutral, niche-based and historical processes. Thus, we inferred that the paleoclimate (historical processes) promoted the selection of the clades that gave rise to the current flora, while spatial distances (neutral processes) limited the dispersal range of species from the regional pool and environmental conditions (niche-based processes) locally selected the taxa that are able to persist.

Trees are significant components of ecosystems built by several widespread species. For instance, Papua forest is known to comprise abiotic and biotic elements. Also, certain plants have grown in popularity to a point where they are discovered almost everywhere. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate tree diversity, distribution, and the importance of conservation. Data were collected in four locations using a total of 24 sample plots spread across Idoor, Karst, Persemaian, and Torembi, where seven, four, seven, and five plots were allocated, respectively. These forests formed a mixed natural plantation comprising 76 species from 35 families. Furthermore, Idoor and Karst generated the highest species diversity and varied significantly compared to Persemaian, while Torembi showed similarities with the other three locations. This condition formed three ecosystem communities across Persemaian, Karst, Idoor, and Torembi. Also, the composition of the dominant species showed variations at the seedling and sapling levels believed to structure the understory, while the pole and tree levels characterized the overstory. The total species status was described as critically endangered (CR) of two species, vulnerable (VU) of six species, least concern (LC) of 28 species, and data deficient (DD) species. Therefore, location management is advised to not only pay significant attention in terms of economic benefits but also ecological, including the provisions for ex-situ and in-situ conservation to support sustainable forest management.

Background: Mangrove forests worldwide are highly valued for their social, ecological and environmental roles. Participatory forestry has been recognized as a tool for improvement of forest conditions. The current study assessed impacts of PFM implementation on structure and regeneration of mangroves at Gazi Bay, Kenya. Forest data was collected along belt transects perpendicular to waterline in both community and state managed blocks. Results: Basal area and standing density were significantly higher in the co-managed forests (16 m2 ha-1 and 4,341 tree ha-1) as compared to the state managed forests (eastern block 10.3 m2 ha-1 and 2,673 trees ha-1; western block 6.2 m2 ha-1 and 2,436 trees ha-1). There were significantly higher (p = 0.0068) densities of quality class poles in co-managed forest block as compared to state-managed eastern and western blocks. Natural regeneration values of 38,822 juveniles ha-1 in the co-managed central block and 23,556 and 35,061 juveniles ha-1 in the state managed eastern and western blocks respectively are considered adequate to support recovery of the forest. A higher complexity index (CI) recorded in the co-managed mangrove forest compared to the state managed eastern and western blocks is particularly due to improved stand density, tree height, and biomass resulting from increased surveillance and protection by the community. The results have wide implications in the management of mangroves for community and biodiversity benefits and climate change mitigation.Conclusion: The results support community participation for improved management of mangrove forests and are in conformity with sectoral policies on natural resources management in Kenya.

Riparian zones are a small portion of a watershed but hold a diverse and important ecosystem functioning. We assessed diversity and carbon density of pole (5–10 cm DBH) and canopy (>10 cm DBH) trees along a riparian zone in Pasonanca Natural Park, southern Philippines. We identified 66 species, which included 41 canopy and 54 pole tree species, and comprised 46 indigenous, 18 Philippine endemics, and two exotic species. We recorded eight vulnerable (VU) and two endangered (EN) species under the Philippine Red List, whereas five VU, three EN, and six critically endangered (CR) species were recorded under the IUCN Global Red List. We estimated the Hill number of canopy trees at 60.91 ± 12.14 species and the Shannon diversity H' was 49.57 ± 5.15, whereas the pole tree was 77.87 ± 12.60 species with diversity H' of 33.07 ± 3.77. The estimated carbon density was 128.42 ± 39.04 MgC ha−1, majority from canopy trees (101.51 ± 63.52 MgC ha−1). We found an asymptotic and strong positive relationship (R2 = 0.81; p =

Haut-Sassandra classified forest (FCHS) lost more than 70% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2011 due to armed conflict and cocoa cultivation. The government is concerned about the future of this forest and whether it can regenerate naturally. Observations likely to uncover plant species that are capable of regenerating the forest were collected through systematic sampling comprising 18 line transects each containing 20 segments. In each segment, it was noted, firstly, the species present and their height and, secondly, the forest cover and the artificial features that reflect human actions. Different observations recorded in the field were processed by frequency analysis in order to find the species able to regenerate easily for a best forest because they belong to a vegetation reconstitution. Principal results showed that the numerous coexistences, in the segments, of the fallow and forest characters in reconstitution mean that fallow land allows for the reconstitution of the forest, in a progressive vegetation sequence. Fifty-nine species appeared capable of naturally regenerating the classified FCHS. This result will help authorities and other deciders to adopt an adequate scenario for this forest management. Key words: Deforestation, abandoned cocoa farms, forest regeneration, agricultural activity, tropical forest.

Jaguar populations have declined dramatically in the last century. The Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) within the Selva Maya (SM) is a priority area for jaguar conservation. Influential factors in the jaguar seasonal distribution include the availability of surface water in wetlands such as the “aguadas” and the availability of prey. Aguadas are formed by isolated depressions in the landscape and serve as a water supply for wildlife during dry periods. The goal of this study was to describe the visitation patterns of jaguars to aguadas in a Tropical forest at Dos Lagunas Protected Biotopo, a core zone of the MBR, Guatemala. We used camera-trap data from seven aguadas during the dry seasons 2014-2017. We determined visitation rates (VR, records for 1,000 trap-days) and activity patterns (AP) of jaguars for all years, aguadas, and sexes. We tested for significant differences in AP between sexes, and we estimated the coefficient of overlap (D) for female and male jaguar activity. We recorded 14 individuals (five females, eight males, and one unsexed) in 60 visit events. Jaguars have significant more diurnal activity at aguadas, and showed a VR = 13.1 for 1,000 trap-days. VR varied between aguadas (VR = 9.5 – 19.4), years (VR = 1.9 – 39.2) and sexes (VR = 6.1 for females and 5.5 for males). We did not find significant differences in the AP of female and male jaguars (P > 0.05). The coefficient of overlap between activity of females and males was D = 0.77 (95 % confidence interval: 0.70 to 0.84; P > 0.05). Aguadas may represent regular sites of jaguar home-ranges overlap for the important resources they provide for wildlife during the dry season. Aguadas could play an important role in the conservation and management of jaguar populations since the spatial distribution of these bodies of water is scattered, but ecologically important for jaguars within the MBR and the SM. Aguadas also, are important landscape features that could influence the spatial interactions of individuals. We encourage jaguar researchers to increase investigation on jaguars visiting aguadas and other wetlands in the SM to better understand the jaguar activity patterns and sex-specific habitat requirements.

The Antillean genus Leptocereus represents an in-situ radiation among the Greater and Lesser Antilles of 19 currently recognized species. Extensive fieldwork carried out in the Dominican Republic over recent years has revealed that the species limits of Leptocereus of Hispaniola are more complex than previously thought. There are four currently recognized species that occur on the island, L. demissus, L. paniculatus, L. undulosus and L. weingartianus. We evaluate species limits in this group based on DNA sequence data and phylogenetic analysis, morphological characters and a survey of herbarium specimens from across Hispaniola. Based on our analyses, it is clear that at least five species occur on the island of Hispaniola, with the new species from Sierra de Bahoruco, L. velozianus, described here. We provide an identification key, distribution maps and photographic plates for all species on Hispaniola based on our own fieldwork and the study of herbarium specimens. The description of yet another species of Leptocereus on Hispaniola reiterates the importance of the poorly studied, but yet biodiverse, seasonally dry tropical forest in the Antilles.

Seasonal dry tropical forest (STDF) is a widespread vegetation type in western Mexico. Generally, this type of forest develops in semihumid habitats where lacustrine basins are scarce, preventing documentation of the vegetation history and forest dynamics using a paleoecological approach. Here, we present a palynological record from the Santa Maria del Oro crater lake, located within the distribution area of the STDF and the adjacent dry oak forest which gives insight into the changes in diversity and human impact at this tropical site. Pollen data, in combination with geochemical analysis and microcharcoal data from a lacustrine sequence, are used to discuss vegetation change and diversity in the plant assemblages related to drought or anthropogenic activity over the last 5000 years. Our results show three distinct periods of drought in the basin, from 4200 to 3850, 3100 to 2300, 1570 to 1100 and 300 cal year BP, with changes in vegetation composition mainly related to a decrease in taxa diversity during these periods. Based on the presence of maize pollen, two periods of human activity (3790–2160 and 280 cal year BP to present) were detected with an increase in herbaceous pollen used as a surrogate for deforestation. These two disturbance periods, pre-Columbian and postcolonial, occurred during wet conditions in the basin. Our results highlight the correlation between El Niño events, drought and fire with changes in the composition and diversity of STDF.

The objective of this study was to precisely identify the types of forest resources utilization in two local communities. All forest plants used were identified and classified based on their types and classes during data collection. Semi-structural interviews through questionnaires were undertaken to obtain daily information. The results showed that there were a total of 64 forest plant life forms and categories extracted for various reasons. Most of the subject forest plants were found in the surrounding lowland tropical forest, the dominant categories were monocotyledons followed by dicotyledons, pteridophytes, and thallophytes. A strong positive correlation was determined between the frequency of species use and the benefit value that was gained (0.6453), while a strong negative correlation was observed between the value of plant’s benefit and the difficulty of access to those plants (-0.2646). Frequency of use and the future prospect of forest plant availability (-0.1405) also showed a negative correlation.

The ecosystem stability in forests is highly dependent on ecological efficiency of species to the changed habitat. Thus, in forest ecosystems, the biodiversity change, interruption of migration patches, changes in soil profile, changes in habitat and watershed, and changes in wildlife status etc are the major impacts of climate change. The forest canopy is not homogenous and dense canopy cover is often interspaced with openings, where tree saplings along with shrubby vegetation co-exist. The species in the openings or fewer dens region determining the forest structure for a very long time because of the long span of tree maturity phase, sometimes centuries. New species seedlings occupy the canopy openings, most of them are light demanding, and establish the community at the risk of shade loving species present under dense canopy region. This building phase of forest is the most important part of the life cycle. The survival of seedlings and transformation to the sapling stage can be more complex due to long-term environmental factors. The regeneration dynamics of the tropical forest ecosystem is poorly understood. The details are discussed in the paper.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a analise biomecânica da operacao de corte florestal semimecanizado em areas de floresta tropical no Norte do Estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil. Para a avaliacao das posturas, foram obtidas imagens das posturas tipicas adotadas pelos trabalhadores no momento da derrubada, desgalhamento e toragem das arvores, as quais foram processadas por meio do software 3D Static Strength Prediction Program, um modelo Biomecânico de Predicao de Esforco Estatico Tridimensional, desenvolvido pela Universidade de Michigan. A partir dos resultados foi possivel identificar que a operacao de corte florestal proporcionou alto risco para o desenvolvimento de disturbios osteomusculares relacionados ao trabalho e danos a coluna vertebral, indicando a necessidade de adocao de medidas ergonomicas imediatas no trabalho.

Despite being increasingly threatened by human-induced disturbances, dry forests remain the least studied and protected forest types in the Caribbean region. In contrast to many other forest systems in the world, we have little knowledge of the site-specific variation in vegetation communities within these forests nor understand how plant species distribution is determined by environmental variables, including geological attributes. Here, we aimed to provide evidence of the relationship between biodiversity and geodiversity, by assessing the associations between plant communities and habitat types in a semi-deciduous forest of the Dominican Republic. We collected vegetation data from 23 sites within the Ocoa river basin, which we classified into six groups with a Random Forest algorithm, using lithology, geomorphology, topography, and last decade history of forest loss as predictor variables. We established three main clusters: one group, which encompassed sites with forest over a limestone substrate, four groups of sites with forests over a marlstone substrate with varying degrees of steepness and forest loss history, and one group that gathered all sites with forest over an alluvial substrate. In order to measure the associations of plant communities with groups of sites, we used the indicator value index (IndVal), which indicates whether a plant species is found in one or multiple-habitat types and the phi coefficient of association, which measures species preferences for habitats. We found that 16 species of woody plants are significantly associated with groups of sites by means of their indices. Our findings suggest that the detection of plant species associations with our selection of environmental variables is possible using a combination of indices. We show that there is considerable variation in plant community composition within the semi-deciduous forest studied and suggest that conservation planning should focus on protection of this variation, while considering the significance and variability of geodiversity as well. In addition, we propose that our indicator groups facilitate vegetation mapping in nearby dry forests, where it is difficult to conduct thorough vegetation or environmental surveys. In short, our analyses hold potential for the development of site-specific management and protection measures for threatened semi-deciduous forests in the Caribbean.

Annual, seasonal, and monthly rainfall trends in the Baram River basin (BRB) in the equatorial tropical rainfall region of Borneo for 1970–2014 were statistically determined with Mann–Kendall (MK) ...

The Amazon forest is the biggest tropical forest in the world, known to shelter the largest biodiversity of animals, plants and microorganisms worldwide. As to the mycodiversity of this biome, litt...

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of seasonality on the diversity and richness of the edaphic macrofauna during the dry and rainy periods, in an area of Caatinga in the Brazilian semiarid region. Samples were collected in a sample grid, totaling 10 points, spaced 30 meters apart, in rainy and dry seasons. For quantitative assessment of macrofauna, the total number of organisms (species abundance) was measured, according to diversity. The diversity of the soil macrofauna for this research corresponds to the following order: Hymenoptera> Diptera> Aranaea> Orthoptera> Coleoptera, for the rainy and dry periods, with a greater predominance of the order Hymenoptera. The influence of seasonality was observed in relation to the richness and diversity of the region's macrofauna, with marked fluctuations between the rainy and dry periods.

Background: seasonally dry tropical forests are considered critical and important ecosystems because they harbor exceptional biological diversity. Mexico lacks sound phytosociological studies of Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest and Michoacán is no exception. The present study may be regarded the first phytosociological in most of the Mexican pacific coast where seasonally dry tropical forests occurs. Questions/Objective: We aimed at describing the representative plant associations of the seasonally dry tropical forest, distributed on western Michoacán and to provide a sintaxonomic classification framework based on the floristic differentiation of the recognized communities and highlight its phytocenotic diversity. Study site and dates: Estado de Michoacán; 20 years. Methods: A total of 82 phytosociological inventories were conducted. Data were submitted to multivariate two-way indicator species analyses to depict plant communities and their ecological affinities. Results: From its analysis and interpretation, nine plant groups were differentiated, of which all but one was given the rank of association, which are Lysilomo acapulcensis–Heliocarpetum terebinthinacei , Ceibo aesculifoliae–Lysilometum divaricatae , Caesalpinio platylobae-Cordietum elaeagnoidis , Cochlospermo vitifolii-Lueheetum candidae , Lysilomo divaricatae-Cordietum elaeagnoidis ; Stenocereo quevedonis-Cordietum selerianae , Guazumo ulmifoliae-Cordietum elaeagnoidis ¸ Lonchocarpo huetamoensis-Cordietum elaeagnoidis and the community of Spondias purpurea-Cochlospermum vitifolium. Conclusions: Comparative floristic and structural profiles among plant communities permitted us to distinguish their bioclimatic relationships. Diagnostic species representative of all plant associations were selected and used for sintaxonomic nomenclature. Plant associations were finally array along bioclimatic and altitudinal gradients and showed in arranged phytosociological tables. The plant association/community’descriptions permitted to compare structural physiognomy, floristic composition, ecological affinities, distribution patterns and bioclimatic liaison among them.

1. Fragmentation of tropical forests is increasing globally, with negative impacts for biodiversity. In Southeast Asia, expansion of oil palm agriculture has caused widespread deforestation, forest degradation and fragmentation. 2. Persistence of forest-dependent species within these fragmented landscapes is likely to depend on the capacity of individuals to move between forest patches. In oil palm landscapes, riparian buffers along streams and rivers are potential movement corridors, but their use by moving animals is poorly studied. 3. We examined how six dung beetle species traversed riparian buffers connected to a continuous forest reserve area within an oil palm plantation in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We used a mark–release–recapture study and a new Bayesian Joint Species Movement Modelling (JSMM) approach, extended to a continuous capture process model. 4. Dung beetle species were fairly generalist in their habitat use, but two species showed a statistically supported preference for riparian buffer forest over oil palm, and one species showed a strong preference for forest reserve over riparian buffer, indicating the importance of forested areas within oil palm landscapes for some species. 5. A land-use change simulation indicated that the loss of riparian buffers in oil palm will result in reduced movement by forest-dependent species. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our results provide evidence for the use of riparian buffers in oil palm plantations for forest-dependent dung beetle species, strengthening the case for their retention, restoration and re-establishment. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the wider applicability of the Joint Species Movement Modelling (JSMM) framework to assess movement behaviour of species in fragmented landscapes, a vital tool for future forest and landscape management and conservation prioritisation exercises.

Biodiversity in tropical region has declined in the last decades, mainly due to forest conversion into agricultural areas. Consequently, species occupancy in these landscapes is strongly governed by environmental changes acting at multiple spatial scales. We investigated which environmental predictors best determines the occupancy probability of 68 bird species exhibiting different ecological traits in forest patches. We conducted point-count bird surveys in 40 forest sites of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Using six variables related to landscape composition and configuration and local vegetation structure, we predicted the occupancy probability of each species accounting for imperfect detections. Landscape composition, especially forest cover, best predicted bird occupancy probability. Specifically, most bird species showed greater occupancy probability in sites inserted in more forested landscapes, while some species presented higher occurrence in patches surrounded by low-quality matrices. Conversely, only three species showed greater occupancy in landscapes with higher number of patches and dominated by forest edges. Also, several species exhibited greater occupancy in sites harbouring either larger trees or lower number of understory plants. Of uttermost importance, our study revealed that a minimum of 54% of forest cover is required to ensure high (> 60%) occupancy probability of forest species. We highlighted that maintaining only 20% of native vegetation in private property according to Brazilian environmental law is insufficient to guarantee a greater occupancy for most bird species. We recommend that policy actions should safeguard existing forest remnants, expand restoration projects, and curb human-induced disturbances to minimise degradation within forest patches.