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Summary: The expansion of tropical agriculture is a major driver of the extinction crisis. A key question is whether biodiversity losses can be minimized by restricting future expansion to low-productivity farmland and retaining forest fragments, especially in rapidly changing Neotropical landscapes. We investigated these methods in the context of avian phylogenetic diversity, which summarizes the evolutionary history preserved within communities. Evidence suggests that phylogenetic diversity plays an important role in maintaining key ecosystem functions. We collected data on avian communities in the Colombian Llanos, a region highlighted as being optimal for the expansion of oil palm, at the expense of existing habitats including forest remnants and improved cattle pastures. PD, a measure of phylogenetic richness, and MPD, a measure of the phylogenetic distance between individuals in a community in deep evolutionary time, were significantly higher in forest than in oil palm or pasture, but did not differ significantly between oil palm and pasture. MNTD, a measure of distance between individuals in a community at the intra-familial and intra-generic level, was significantly higher in oil palm and pasture than in forest. However, median evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) was highest in pasture, partly due to the abundance of distinct waterbirds, but did not differ between oil palm and forest. PD in oil palm and pasture increased with the extent of remnant forest cover. Synthesis and applications. The PD (a measure of phylogenetic richness) and MPD (a measure of the phylogenetic distance) of bird communities in this region can best be conserved by ensuring that new oil palm plantations replace pasturelands rather than forest. A secondary benefit of preserving forest would be the enhancement of PD in the surrounding agricultural landscape. This strategy will need to be coupled with measures to either reduce pasture demand or to intensify existing cattle production to ensure that forest is not replaced by pasture elsewhere.

Various techniques have been used to estimate the age of Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.), but these techniques produce large discrepancies. Here, we first verified that two individuals of known ages from a plantation in central Amazonia, Brazil, have a congruent number of growth rings. The indexed average tree-ring curve was significantly correlated with total precipitation during the rainy season (November–June) over a 50-yr period, confirming the annual nature of the tree rings. Second, we analyzed Brazil nut trees from two populations in the Trombetas (eastern Amazon) and Purus (central Amazon) regions, performing tree-ring analysis to estimate tree age and diameter increment rates. We compared age–diameter relationships, mean passage time through 10-cm diameter size classes, and growth trajectories of individual trees. The maximum age of Brazil nut trees analyzed was 361 yr in the Purus and 401 yr in the Trombetas. Trees at the Purus site had higher mean diameter increment rates and showed more variation compared to trees at the Trombetas site. Individual growth trajectories show that the majority of trees attained the canopy by direct growth, while a smaller number passed through one release or one suppression event before becoming established in the canopy. None of the trees passed through multiple release and suppression events. The age estimations presented here are comparable to previous tree-ring analyses for the species, and the observed growth patterns support earlier work indicating B. excelsa as a gap-dependent tree species. Resumo Varias tecnicas vem sido utilizadas para se estimar a idade de Castanheiras-do-Para (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.). Entretanto, diferentes metodos apresentaram grande discrepâncias em relacao as estimativas das idades. No presente estudo, primeiramente verificamos um numero congruente de aneis de crescimento de dois individuos com idades conhecidas pertencentes a uma plantacao na Amazonia Central, Brasil. A curva media indexada dos aneis de crescimento apresentou uma relacao significativa com a precipitacao total durante a estacao chuvosa (novembro a junho) ao longo de um periodo de 50 anos, confirmando a natureza anual dos aneis das arvores. Posteriormente, analisamos os aneis de crescimento a fim de estimar a idade das arvores da Castanheiras-do-Para e as taxas de incremento de madeira em duas populacoes: uma na regiao do rio Trombetas (Amazonia Oriental) e outra no rio Purus (Amazonia Central). Nestes dois locais, avaliamos as relacoes entre idade e diâmetro, o tempo medio para avancarem pelas classes de tamanho de 10 cm de diâmetro e as trajetorias de crescimento individual das arvores. A idade maxima das Castanheiras-do-Para analisadas foi de 361 anos no Purus, e de 401 anos no Trombetas. As taxas de incremento diametrico medio foram altas e mais variaveis no Purus do que no Trombetas. As trajetorias de crescimento individual mostraram que a maioria das arvores atingiu o dossel por crescimento direto, enquanto um numero menor passou por um evento de liberacao ou supressao antes de se estabelecer no dossel. Nenhuma das arvores passou por eventos multiplos de liberacao ou supressao. As estimativas de idade apresentadas aqui sao comparaveis as analises anteriores de aneis de crescimento para a especie e os padroes de crescimento observados corroboram estudos anteriores indicando que a Castanheira-do-Para e uma especie arborea dependente de clareiras.

Pitheciids are known for their frugivorous diets, but there has been no broad-scale comparison of fruit genera used by these primates that range across five geographic regions in South America. We compiled 31 fruit lists from data collected from 18 species (three Cacajao, six Callicebus, five Chiropotes, and four Pithecia) at 26 study sites in six countries. Together, these lists contained 455 plant genera from 96 families. We predicted that 1) closely related Chiropotes and Cacajao would demonstrate the greatest similarity in fruit lists; 2) pitheciids living in closer geographic proximity would have greater similarities in fruit lists; and 3) fruit genus richness would be lower in lists from forest fragments than continuous forests. Fruit genus richness was greatest for the composite Chiropotes list, even though Pithecia had the greatest overall sampling effort. We also found that the Callicebus composite fruit list had lower similarity scores in comparison with the composite food lists of the other three genera (both within and between geographic areas). Chiropotes and Pithecia showed strongest similarities in fruit lists, followed by sister taxa Chiropotes and Cacajao. Overall, pitheciids in closer proximity had more similarities in their fruit list, and this pattern was evident in the fruit lists for both Callicebus and Chiropotes. There was no difference in the number of fruit genera used by pitheciids in habitat fragments and continuous forest. Our findings demonstrate that pitheciids use a variety of fruit genera, but phylogenetic and geographic patterns in fruit use are not consistent across all pitheciid genera. This study represents the most extensive examination of pitheciid fruit consumption to date, but future research is needed to investigate the extent to which the trends in fruit genus richness noted here are attributable to habitat differences among study sites, differences in feeding ecology, or a combination of both.

We examined anuran frog assemblages along an elevational gradient in the range of 200–1600 m.a.s.l. in Chitwan, Nepal. Using diurnal and nocturnal transect surveys, we investigated patterns of frog species richness and abundance on the southern and northern slopes of Siraichuli hill. A total of 17 frog species of four families were recorded during the study period. The majority of frog species occurred across a wide elevational range. Regression analysis showed an overall declining trend in frog species richness and abundance with increasing elevation. However, the significance was lost for species richness when the two slopes were analysed individually. Frog species richness did not differ between the southern and northern slopes, but frog abundance was found to be significantly higher on the northern slope. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that altitude is the major controlling factor of frog assemblage structure, although human disturbance also affected anuran species. Our results suggest tha...

Species persistence in human-altered landscapes can depend on factors operating at multiple spatial scales. To understand anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, it is useful to examine relationships between species traits and their responses to land-use change. A key knowledge gap concerns whether these relationships vary depending on the scale of response under consideration. We examined how local- and large-scale habitat variables influence the occupancy dynamics of a bird community in cloud forest zones in the Colombian Choco-Andes. Using data collected across a continuum of forest and agriculture, we examined which traits best predict species responses to local variation in farmland and which traits best predict species responses to isolation from contiguous forest. Global range size was a strong predictor of species responses to agriculture at both scales; widespread species were less likely to decline as local habitat cover decreased and as distance from forest increased. Habitat specialization was a strong predictor of species responses only at the local scale. Open-habitat species were particularly likely to increase as pasture increased, but they were relatively insensitive to variation in distance to forest. Foraging plasticity and flocking behavior were strong predictors of species responses to distance from forest, but not their responses to local habitat. Species with lower plasticity in foraging behaviors and obligate flock-following species were more likely to decline as distance from contiguous forest increased. For species exhibiting these latter traits, persistence in tropical landscapes may depend on the protection of larger contiguous blocks of forest, rather than the integration of smaller-scale woodland areas within farmland. Species listed as threatened or near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List were also more likely to decline in response to both local habitat quality and isolation from forest relative to least-concern species, underlining the importance of contiguous forests for threatened taxa.

It is well established that tree assemblage diversity and composition in Amazonian floodplain forest are influenced by substrate properties and hydroperiod. However, no study to date has tried to disentangle the individual effects of these variables on floodplain tree assemblages. In this study, we investigated the influence of several edaphic variables and hydroperiod on alpha diversity and individual tree species distribution. We carried out floristic inventories in 12 ha of floodplain forests across central-western Amazonia and sampled associated data on substrate properties and hydroperiod. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the importance of each predictor on the response variables. Flooding was the only variable significantly influencing alpha diversity and also significantly influenced the distribution of the highest number of tree species. Edaphic variables had a lesser effect, and a large number of tree species were not significantly influenced by any of the predictors tested. However, iron had a strong negative influence on several species. We conclude that floristic diversity and composition are more influenced by the hydroperiod than by substrate conditions, and substrate conditions become decreasingly important for increasingly flood-tolerant species. Many floodplain species are generalists occurring across the entire substrate and hydroperiod gradient.

Question In a recent re-classification of Amazonian floodplain types, a new category was established for paleo-varzea. Although the geological basis for this classification is sound, a key question is whether it can be supported by botanical criteria, where floodplain paleo-varzea forests contain distinct tree assemblages compared to other major floodplain types. Location Central Amazonian floodplains, Brazil. Methods We used 41 tree inventories from floodplain paleo-varzea, varzea and igapo forests to perform a meta-analysis. Diversity and richness estimators were applied at the level of genus and the examination of floristic composition was performed at family and generic levels. Generic composition across the three floodplain types was investigated using GNMDS and cluster analysis. Similarity coefficients and ANOSIM were applied to quantify floristic resemblance at the generic level between forest types. Indicator species analysis (ISA) was used to identify any indicator genera for the forest types evaluated. Results Alpha diversity and generic richness in paleo-varzea forest was similar to varzea. Igapo forest was clearly the least diverse. Family composition was similar across the three forest types; Fabaceae was the dominant family on all three floodplains. Pouteria, Licania and Eschweilera presented the highest importance values in paleo-varzea, but these genera were also important in varzea and igapo. Nevertheless, ANOSIM analyses show that generic composition differed significantly between the three forest types, and a GNMDS ordination and cluster analysis portrays paleo-varzea tree composition as intermediate between varzea and igapo. ISA revealed that Euterpe, Dipteryx and Goupia were the most important indicator genera of paleo-varzea. Conclusions We conclude that paleo-varzea floodplain tree assemblages are dissimilar to those of varzea and igapo, but contain components typical of both these floodplain types, explaining their intermediate positioning in our analyses. This floral mix probably allows paleo-varzea alpha diversity to be similar to that of varzea.

1. Two strategies are often promoted to mitigate the effects of agricultural expansion on biodiversity: one integrates wildlife-friendly habitats within farmland (land sharing), and the other intensifies farming to allow the offset of natural reserves (land sparing). Their relative merits for biodiversity protection have been subject to much debate, but no previous study has examined whether trade-offs between the two strategies depend on the proximity of farmed areas to large tracts of natural habitat. 2. We sampled birds and dung beetles across contiguous forests and agricultural landscapes (low-intensity cattle farming) in a threatened hotspot of endemism: the Colombian Choco-Andes. We test the hypothesis that the relative biodiversity benefits of either strategy depend partially on the degree to which farmlands are isolated from large contiguous blocks of forest. 3. We show that distance from forest mediates the occurrence of many species within farmland. For the majority of species, occurrence on farmland depends on both isolation from forest and the proportionate cover of small-scale wildlife-friendly habitats within the farm landscape, with both variables having a similar overall magnitude of effect on occurrence probabilities. 4. Simulations suggest that the biodiversity benefits of land sharing decline significantly with increasing distance from forest, but land sparing benefits remain consistent. In farm management units situated close to large contiguous forest (

SummaryThe Near-threatened Orinoco Goose Neochen jubata is a poorly known South American sheldgoose with a declining population and range distribution. In this study, we surveyed the Orinoco Goose population along the middle reaches of the Rio Juruá, western Brazilian Amazonia, and its first-order tributaries. We quantified the seasonal abundance of geese, pinpointed their approximate breeding season, and examined their habitat associations and the potential effects of human activities on their abundance. Hunting by local villagers was also monitored to assess the offtake rate of this species. Orinoco Goose occurrence in the region was highly seasonal and restricted to the dry season. We estimated a mean dry-season encounter rate of 7.18 ± 2.45 adult individuals per 4-km section along this river. Immature individuals were seen along the river margins from August to December. The species showed a strong preference for sandy beaches and was primarily restricted to the main river channel, with few individuals occurring along tributaries. The encounter rate of this species was also significantly related to fluvial distance from the municipal urban centre and to the level of protection from hunting. Hunting of Orinoco Goose was reported in 12 of the 26 villages monitored. The seasonal appearance of the Orinoco Goose in the region indicates that this is a migratory population. Our study indicates that strict protection of the river margins, and sandy beaches in particular, along the main river channel is likely to be positive for the conservation of this species along the Rio Juruá. However, further knowledge of migration routes is critical for effective protection of both breeding and non-breeding populations.

Selecting economically viable forest management strategies that deliver carbon storage and biodiversity benefits can be a difficult task. Now, research in the western Andes of Colombia shows that naturally regenerating forests can quickly accumulate carbon and support diverse ecological communities at minimal cost. Climate change and biodiversity loss can be addressed simultaneously by well-planned conservation policies, but this requires information on the alignment of co-benefits under different management actions1,2,3. One option is to allow forests to naturally regenerate on marginal agricultural land: a key question is whether this approach will deliver environmental co-benefits in an economically viable manner4,5,6,7. Here we report on a survey of carbon stocks, biodiversity and economic values from one of the world’s most endemic-rich and threatened ecosystems: the western Andes of Colombia. We show that naturally regenerating secondary forests accumulate significant carbon stocks within 30 years, and support biodiverse communities including many species at risk of extinction. Cattle farming, the principal land use in the region, provides minimal economic returns to local communities, making forest regeneration a viable option despite weak global carbon markets. Efforts to promote natural forest regeneration in the tropical Andes could therefore provide globally significant carbon and biodiversity co-benefits at minimal cost.

In Amazonia, the assemblages of several taxa differ significantly between upland terra firme and white-water flooded varzea forests, but little is known about the diversity and distribution of bats in these two forest types. We compare the spatio-temporal patterns of bat assemblage composition and structure in adjacent terra firme and varzea forests in the lower Purus River region of central Brazilian Amazonia. Bats were sampled using mist nets at five sites in each forest type during 40 nights (2400 net-hours). We captured 1069 bats representing 42 species and Phyllostomidae bats comprised 99.3 percent of all captures. The bat assemblages in varzea and terra firme forests were significantly different, mainly due to a marked dissimilarity in species composition and in the number of captures during high-water season. In addition, bat assemblages within forest types differed significantly between seasons for both terra firme and varzea. Frugivores dominated the bat assemblages in both forest types. Overall guild structure did not change between varzea and terra firme or between seasons, but frugivore and animalivore abundance increased significantly in varzea forest during the inundation. The difference in assemblage structure observed in the high-water season is probably caused by the annual varzea flooding, which provides an effective barrier to the persistence of many understory bats. We also hypothesize that some bat species may undertake seasonal movements between forest types in response to fruit abundance, and our results further underline the importance of floodplain habitats for the conservation of species in the Amazon.

The puna/paramo grasslands span across the highest altitudes of the tropical Andes, and their ecosystem dynamics are still poorly understood. In this study we examined the above-ground biomass and developed species specific and multispecies power-law allometric equations for four tussock grass species in Peruvian high altitude grasslands, considering maximum height (hmax), elliptical crown area and elliptical basal area. Although these predictors are commonly used among allometric literature, they have not previously been used for estimating puna grassland biomass. Total above-ground biomass was estimated to be of 6.7?±?0.2 Mg ha-1 (3.35?±?0.1 Mg C ha-1). All allometric relationships fitted to similar power-law models, with basal area and crown area as the most influential predictors, although the fit improved when tussock maximum height was included in the model. Multispecies allometries gave better fits than the other species-specific equations, but the best equation should be used depending on the species composition of the target grassland. These allometric equations provide an useful approach for measuring above-ground biomass and productivity in high-altitude Andean grasslands, where destructive sampling can be challenging and difficult because of the remoteness of the area. These equations can be also applicable for establishing above-ground reference levels before the adoption of carbon compensation mechanisms or grassland management policies, as well as for measuring the impact of land use changes in Andean ecosystems.

Despite being endangered, little is known about the natural history and habitat use of Wattled Curassows (Crax globulosa). From September 2008 to March 2009, we examined habitat associations of this species on three islands in the lower Caqueta River, Colombia. Observations of curassows were made during line-transect walks, and habitat variables were measured at points where curassows were and were not observed along those transects to assess potential habitat preferences. A total of 182 sightings yielded encounter rates ranging from 0.1 to 0.89 observations/km across transects. Curassows were more likely to be observed close to the river and to lakes on the islands. Additionally, the importance of the river increased as the distance to internal water sources increased. Other habitat characteristics, including tree density, tree diameter, understory density, and canopy cover, did not differ between areas where Wattled Curassows were and were not observed. Flock size ranged from 1 to 9 individuals; most solitary individuals were males and flocks (>2 individuals) generally consisted of more females than males. The association of Wattled Curassows with water sources during the low-water season may have conservation implications because it could increase their vulnerability to anthropogenic activities such as agricultural activities, fishing, and hunting. As a result, conservation of these curassows on islands in the lower Caqueta River will likely depend on local support. RESUMEN A pesar de estar en peligro, poco se conoce sobre la historia natural y el uso de habitat de Crax globulosa. Desde Septiembre del 2008 a Marzo del 2009, examinamos asociacion con el habitat en esta especie en tres islas del bajo rio Caqueta, Colombia. Observamos los paujiles durante caminatas en transectos en linea y medimos variables del habitat, en puntos con y sin presencia de paujiles a lo largo de los transectos, para evaluar preferencias en el habitat. Un total de 182 avistamientos produjeron tasas de encuentro entre 0.1 y 0.89 observaciones/km a lo largo de los transectos. La probabilidad de observar a los paujiles fue mas alta cerca al rio y lagos en las islas. Adicionalmente, la importancia del rio incremento con el aumento en la distancia a las fuentes de aguas del interior. Otras caracteristicas de habitat que incluyen densidad y diametro de arboles, densidad del sotobosque y cobertura del dosel, no variaron entre areas en donde C. globulosa fue o no observado. El tamano de la bandada fluctuo entre 1 y 9 individuos; la mayoria de los individuos solitarios fueron machos y las bandadas (>2 individuos) generalmente tenian mas hembras que machos. La asociacion de C. globulosa con fuentes de agua durante la temporada de aguas bajas puede tener implicaciones para su conservacion, debido a que puede incrementar su vulnerabilidad a actividades antropogenicas como agricultura, pesca y caza. Como resultado, la conservacion de este paujil en las islas del bajo rio Caqueta muy probablemente dependera del apoyo local.

Given the dramatic loss of tropical forests and accelerating climate change, secondary forest regeneration is increasingly recognised as being an important method for reversing losses in biodiversity and carbon stocks. The recolonisation of biodiversity within secondary forests depends in part upon the recovery of forest structure, including the range of microhabitats used by diverse local communities. Here, we investigate the return of critical microhabitats along a successional gradient of secondary forest in the Tropical Andes of Colombia. We measured the abundance of live (bromeliads, tree ferns and moss) and dead (deadwood and leaf litter) microhabitats across three landscapes, each encompassing primary, and young (4–18 yr old) and old secondary forests (19–35 yr old). Considering the increasing rate of climate warming in the region, we also explored whether these microhabitats provide thermally buffered microclimates. We found that secondary forests have different composition and lower complexity of microhabitats than primary forests, but microhabitats appear to be recovering towards primary forest levels. Furthermore, in all forest types, microhabitats had lower maximum temperatures and higher minimum temperatures, thereby serving as thermal buffers that reduced exposure to extreme temperatures. These benefits exist despite ambient temperatures in secondary forests surpassing those of primary forests by 1–2 °C on average. The protection of secondary forest and promotion of further forest regrowth in the Tropical Andes should represent an urgent investment for conservation, and the value of these forests for offering critical microhabitats and buffered microclimates under climate change should not be overlooked.

Large-scale conversion of natural habitats to agriculture reduces species richness and functional diversity, with important implications for the provision of many ecosystem services. We investigated possible solutions to minimise loss of functional diversity: retaining forest fragments to enhance functional diversity within agricultural lands, and restricting future expansion of tropical crops to degraded lands or low-productivity farmlands to conserve functional diversity at a landscape level. We focused on birds, which play key functional roles and have well-known functional ecology, and oil palm, a rapidly expanding tropical crop. We did so in the Colombian Llanos, a region highlighted for the planting of sustainable oil palm, where plantations are currently replacing two main habitat types: forest remnants and improved cattle pasture. We found that levels of functional diversity (FD) and richness (FRic) were highest in remnant forests. Furthermore, levels of functional diversity and richness in oil palm and improved pasture were positively related to the proportion of forest in a 250 m radius surrounding each sample point. Frugivorous and canopy foraging species were particularly associated with remnant forests, while aquatic and terrestrial foragers were associated with pasture. This suggests that retaining forest remnants in agricultural landscapes is important in preventing large losses of functional diversity, and might also play a role in maintaining avifaunal functional richness within farmland.

Neotropical monkeys of the genera Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia (Pitheciidae) are considered to be highly arboreal, spending most of their time feeding and traveling in the upper canopy. Until now, the use of terrestrial substrates has not been analyzed in detail in this group. Here, we review the frequency of terrestrial use among pitheciin taxa to determine the ecological and social conditions that might lead to such behavior. We collated published and unpublished data from 14 taxa in the three genera. Data were gleaned from 53 published studies (including five on multiple pitheciin genera) and personal communications of unpublished data distributed across 31 localities. Terrestrial activity was reported in 61% of Pithecia field studies (11 of 18), in 34% of Chiropotes studies (10 of 29), and 36% of Cacajao studies (4 of 11). Within Pithecia, terrestrial behavior was more frequently reported in smaller species (e.g. P. pithecia) that are vertical clingers and leapers and make extensive use of the understory than in in the larger bodied canopy dwellers of the western Amazon (e.g. P. irrorata). Terrestrial behavior in Pithecia also occurred more frequently and lasted longer than in Cacajao or Chiropotes. An apparent association was found between flooded habitats and terrestrial activity and there is evidence of the development of a “local pattern” of terrestrial use in some populations. Seasonal fruit availability also may stimulate terrestrial behavior. Individuals also descended to the ground when visiting mineral licks, escaping predators, and responding to accidents such as a dropped infant. Overall, the results of this review emphasize that terrestrial use is rare among the pitheciins in general and is usually associated with the exploitation of specific resources or habitat types. Am. J. Primatol. 74:1106-1127, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Experimental approaches to study seed dispersal of the Brazil nut tree have hitherto relied on exposed seeds deposited on the forest floor. Here we use a new method to study the natural dispersal by large rodents such as agoutis; tracking experimentally manipulated and tagged fruits containing individually marked seeds. Fruit manipulation did not deter agoutis from handling fruits. We found that agoutis usually moved intact fruits away from their original location below the parent tree before either hiding them or gnawing through the pericarp to access the seeds inside. Most fruits were moved to distances of 15–30 m from their original position, but some fruits could be taken as far as 60 m. A large number of seeds extracted from manipulated fruits appeared to be eaten immediately. Only 27 out of 1740 experimental seeds were found buried in shallow caches, generally within 5 m of the opened fruit. Fruit removal distance accounted for a disproportionate amount of total seed movement and seeds in the current study were dispersed significantly farther than in a previous experiment using exposed seeds, suggesting that classic dispersal experiments of this character may severely underestimate seed dispersal distances. We therefore conclude that the new method provides a more realistic and accurate approach to investigate natural seed dispersal of Brazil nuts and that the removal of fruits from underneath parent trees before being opened is the key to the significantly increased distances at which seeds are dispersed.

We know surprisingly little about the fate of seeds of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) under natural conditions. Here we investigate seed removal, predation and caching of Brazil nuts by scatter-hoarding rodents in the wet and dry seasons, based on an experimental approach using 900 thread-marked seeds. We tracked the fate of seeds handled by these animals to examine how seasonal food availability may influence caching rates, dispersal distances and cache longevity. Most seeds exposed to dispersal trials were removed by scatter-hoarders during the first week in both seasons and seeds were generally buried intact in single-seeded caches within 10 m of seed stations. Seeds were removed significantly faster and buried at greater distances during the dry season. The proportion of seeds buried intact was considerably higher in the wet season (74.4%) than in the dry season (38.2%). Most (99.4%) of the 881 primary caches monitored were recovered, but these had a significantly shorter lifetime in the dry season. Our results show that rodents are highly skilled at retrieving buried Brazil nuts and that caching behaviour appears to be affected by seasonal resource abundance. Reduced seed availability due to intensive harvest could potentially create a dry-season scenario where most seeds succumb to pre-dispersal predation, thereby adversely affecting the natural regeneration of Brazil nut trees.

This paper describes a severe outbreak of a Lepidopteran defoliator, Lusura altrix (Stoll 1782), on Brazil nut trees in Central Amazonia. The pest outbreak appeared to succeed abnormal weather conditions, and defoliation was sufficient to disrupt normal phenological patterns.

Little is known about the contribution of different forest types to the beta-diversity, abundance and biomass of the avifauna in lowland Amazonia. This paper presents data on the large-bodied bird assemblages of adjacent upland (terra firme) and seasonally flooded (várzea and igapó) forests in the lower Rio Purús region of central-western Brazilian Amazonia. We focus our analysis on 23 large-bodied canopy and terrestrial bird species from 10 families, on the basis of 2,044 bird sightings obtained during line-transect censuses conducted over a two-year period. Large toucans comprised the most numerically abundant large birds in terra firme and igapó forests, whereas macaws were the most abundant in nutrient-rich várzea forests that were seasonally inundated by white-water. The aggregate population density of all bird species in terra firme forest was slightly higher than that in várzea forest. Igapó forest, which was seasonally inundated by black-water, sustained the lowest population densities. Terra firme and várzea forests differed considerably in species composition and abundance whereas igapó forest shared many species with both terra firme and várzea. Our results suggest that Amazonian floodplain forests play a major role in the persistence and community dynamics of the large-bodied forest birds.Pouco se sabe sobre a contribuição de diferentes tipos de florestas aos padrões de beta-diversidade, abundância e biomassa da avifauna na região amazônica. Este artigo apresenta dados à respeito das aves de médio a grande porte em florestas de terra firme e florestas adjacentes sujeitas a inundação sazonal (várzea e igapó) na região do baixo Rio Purús da Amazonia centro-ocidental. Nossa análise, baseada num total de 2,044 observações obtidas durante censos ao longo de transectos, foi direcionada a 23 espécies de aves de médio a grande porte pertencentes a 10 famílias. As aves mais abundantes em florestas de terra firme e igapó foram os tucanos, e as araras as mais abundantes em florestas de várzea. A densidade de população agregada de todas as espécies na terra firme foi ligeiramente mais elevada do que na várzea. A floresta de igapó sustentaram as mais baixas densidades populacionais. Terra firme e várzea diferem consideravelmente na composição e abundância de espécies, visto que a avifauna do igapó é intermediária entre a da terra firme e a da várzea. Os resultados sugerem que as florestas inundáveis tem uma papel muito importante na manutenção das comunidades de aves de grande porte na Amazônia, e pricipalmente aquelas espécies que usam grandes mosaicos de floresta.

We document patterns of fruit and vertebrate abundance within an extensive, virtually undisturbed mosaic of seasonally flooded (varzea and igapo) and unflooded (terra firme) forests of central Amazonia. Using phenological surveys and a standardised series of line-transect censuses we investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of immature and mature fruit availability and how this may affect patterns of habitat use by vertebrates in the landscape. All habitats showed marked peaks in fruiting activity, and vertebrate detection rates varied over time for most species both within and between forest types. Many arboreal and terrestrial vertebrates used both types of flooded forest on a seasonal basis, and fluctuations in the abundance of terrestrial species in varzea forest were correlated with fruit availability. Similarly, the abundance of arboreal seed predators such as buffy saki monkeys (Pithecia albicans) and macaws (Ara spp.) were closely linked with immature fruit availability in terra firme forest. We conclude that highly heterogeneous landscapes consisting of terra firme, varzea and igapo forest appear to play an important role in the dynamics of many vertebrate species in lowland Amazonia, but the extent to which different forest types are used is highly variable in both space and time.

SummaryThe conversion of natural habitats to farmland is a major driver of the global extinction crisis [1, 2]. Two strategies are promoted to mitigate the impacts of agricultural expansion on biodiversity: land sharing integrates wildlife-friendly habitats within farmland landscapes, and land sparing intensifies farming to allow the offset of natural reserves [3]. A key question is which strategy would protect the most phylogenetic diversity—the total evolutionary history shared across all species within a community [4]. Conserving phylogenetic diversity decreases the chance of losing unique phenotypic and ecological traits [5] and provides benefits for ecosystem function and stability [6, 7]. Focusing on birds in the threatened Chocó-Andes hotspot of endemism [8], we tested the relative benefits of each strategy for retaining phylogenetic diversity in tropical cloud forest landscapes threatened by cattle pastures. Using landscape simulations, we find that land sharing would protect lower community-level phylogenetic diversity than land sparing and that with increasing distance from forest (from 500 to >1,500 m), land sharing is increasingly inferior to land sparing. Isolation from forest also leads to the loss of more evolutionarily distinct species from communities within land-sharing landscapes, which can be avoided with effective land sparing. Land-sharing policies that promote the integration of small-scale wildlife-friendly habitats might be of limited benefit without the simultaneous protection of larger blocks of natural habitat, which is most likely to be achieved via land-sparing measures.

Despite a natural history interest in the early 1900s, relatively little ecological research has been carried out in the Rio Purús basin of central Amazonia, Brazil. Here we describe a new study area in the region of Lago Uauaçú with an emphasis on the climate, forest structure and composition, and soil characteristics between adjacent unflooded (terra firme) and seasonally inundated forests; situated within both the white-water (várzea) and black-water (igapó) drainage systems that dominate the landscape. The climate was found to be typical of that of the central Amazon. Várzea forest soils had high concentrations of nutrients, while terra firme and igapó soils were comparatively nutrient-poor. Terra firme forests were the most floristically diverse forest type, whereas várzea was intermediate, and igapó the most species-poor. The Lecythidaceae was the most important family in terra firme while the Euphorbiaceae was the most important in both várzea and igapó. There were significant differences between forest types in terms of number of saplings, canopy cover and understorey density. In contrasting our results with other published information, we conclude that the Lago Uauaçú region consists of a typical central Amazonian forest macro-mosaic, but is a unique area with high conservation value due to the intimate juxtaposition of terra firme, várzea and igapó forests.

Most phenological studies to date have taken place in upland forest above the maximum flood level of nearby streams and rivers. In this paper, we examine the phenological patterns of tree assemblages in a large Amazonian forest landscape, including both upland (terra firme) and seasonally flooded (vand igapforest. The abundance of vegetative and reproductive phenophases was very seasonal in all forests types. Both types of flooded forest were more deciduous than terra firme, shedding most of their leaves during the inundation period. Pulses of new leaves occurred mainly during the dry season in terra firme, whereas those in the two floodplain forests were largely restricted to the end of the inundation period. Flowering was concentrated in the dry season in all forest types and was strongly correlated with the decrease in rainfall. The two floodplain forests concentrated their fruiting peaks during the inundation period, whereas trees in terra firme tended to bear fruits at the onset of the wet season. The results suggest that the phenological patterns of all forest types are largely predictable and that the regular and prolonged seasonal flood pulse is a major determinant of phenological patterns in vand igap´ o, whereas rainfall and solar irradiance appear to be important in terra firme. The three forest types provide a mosaic of food resources that has important implications for the conservation and maintenance of wide-ranging frugivore populations in Amazonian forests.

Few studies have contrasted faunal communities between flooded and unflooded tropical forests, and such attempts have largely been restricted to a few taxonomic groups. We present the first comparison of the composition and structure of an entire assemblage of mid-sized to large-bodied mammals in adjacent unflooded (terra firme) and flooded (várzea) forests of central-western Amazonia. We extend this comparison to 13 other terra firme and várzea forest sites in order to examine the fundamental dichotomy between mammal communities in these Amazonian environments. We found a consistently impoverished fauna in várzea environments both in terms of primates and other non-volant mammals, although primate density and biomass was substantially higher in várzea than in terra firme. The average Bray–Curtis mammal community dissimilarity between terra firme and várzea forests was 74%, whereas mean dissimilarity within várzea and terra firme samples was 40% and 39%, respectively. The results seem to be largely a function of high habitat heterogeneity and floristic diversity in terra firme and the physical connectivity and proximity of várzeas to adjacent terra firme forests. We suggest that inundated forests should be set aside as a crucial complement to Amazonian reserves dominated by terra firme forests in future biodiversity conservation planning.

Understorey insectivorous birds are highly vulnerable to different forms of habitat disturbance in tropical forests. Here we examine the effects of an unprecedented surface fire on understorey insectivores and forest litter arthropods in a terra firme forest of central Brazilian Amazonia, and compare species and guild abundance both close to and far from the clearly distinguishable fireline separating burnt and unburnt forest. All six of the most abundant insectivorous foraging guilds examined were detrimentally affected by fire, with dead-leaf gleaners and professional ant-followers being the most heavily affected. While army ants were apparently absent from the burnt forest, results from pit-fall traps showed that wildfires had only a limited effect on the abundance of most leaf-litter invertebrates. The fireline appeared to be an abrupt barrier to many understorey insectivorous birds, and there was little evidence to suggest that primary forest species were recolonizing burnt forest up to 1 year after the fires. Factors affecting the capture frequency of insectivorous birds are discussed.

Changes in forest structure were examined 10–15 months after an unprecedented understorey wildfire burnt previously undisturbed primary forest in central Brazilian Amazonia, following the severe 1997–1998 El Nino dry season. On the basis of 20 0.25 ha plots ( 10 m ×250 m) in both burnt and unburnt forest, we found marked differences in the overall live biomass, canopy openness and understorey vegetation. On average, 36% of all trees equal to or greater than 10 cm DBH were found to be dead in the burnt forest, and there was also a near-complete mortality in all pre-burn saplings. Using an allometric equation to predict biomass mortality we estimate that the tree mortality rates found would commit an additional 25.5 t C/ha to be released from these BFs. The dramatic increase of aboveground dead biomass in BF is of major global concern because of the increased flux of CO2 to the atmosphere, which has a role in enhancing the greenhouse effect and promoting climate change.

Avifaunal responses to understorey fire disturbance and subsequent changes in habitat structure were examined within 20 burnt and unburnt forest plots of 0.25 ha (10×250 m), 10–15 months after an unprecedented understorey fire swept through the Tapajos-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve of central Brazilian Amazonia following the severe 1997–1998 El-Nino dry season. Although these surface fires in the previously undisturbed primary forest were relatively mild, they resulted in dramatic changes in forest structure consistent with those found elsewhere in Amazonia. Bird species negatively affected by these changes tended to be the least common, the most disturbance-sensitive, and habitat specialists. Considering different guilds, ant followers, dead-leaf gleaners, terrestrial gleaners, and arboreal sallying insectivores were the most negatively affected, whereas nectivores and arboreal granivores became more abundant in the burnt forest. The results highlight the severe consequences of even relatively mild surface fires in neotropical forests, and the importance of controlling haphazard frontier expansion for the conservation of susceptible species that are endemic to fire-prone regions.

Pitheciids are known for their frugivorous diets, but there has been no broad-scale comparison of fruit genera used by these primates that range across five geographic regions in South America. We compiled 31 fruit lists from data collected from 18 species (three Cacajao, six Callicebus, five Chiropotes, and four Pithecia) at 26 study sites in six countries. Together, these lists contained 455 plant genera from 96 families. We predicted that 1) closely related Chiropotes and Cacajao would demonstrate the greatest similarity in fruit lists; 2) pitheciids living in closer geographic proximity would have greater similarities in fruit lists; and 3) fruit genus richness would be lower in lists from forest fragments than continuous forests. Fruit genus richness was greatest for the composite Chiropotes list, even though Pithecia had the greatest overall sampling effort. We also found that the Callicebus composite fruit list had lower similarity scores in comparison with the composite food lists of the other three genera (both within and between geographic areas). Chiropotes and Pithecia showed strongest similarities in fruit lists, followed by sister taxa Chiropotes and Cacajao. Overall, pitheciids in closer proximity had more similarities in their fruit list, and this pattern was evident in the fruit lists for both Callicebus and Chiropotes. There was no difference in the number of fruit genera used by pitheciids in habitat fragments and continuous forest. Our findings demonstrate that pitheciids use a variety of fruit genera, but phylogenetic and geographic patterns in fruit use are not consistent across all pitheciid genera. This study represents the most extensive examination of pitheciid fruit consumption to date, but future research is needed to investigate the extent to which the trends in fruit genus richness noted here are attributable to habitat differences among study sites, differences in feeding ecology, or a combination of both.

Oil palm agriculture is rapidly expanding in the Neotropics, at the expense of a range of natural and seminatural habitats. A key question is how this expansion should be managed to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity. Focusing on the Llanos of Colombia, a mixed grassland–forest system identified as a priority zone for future oil palm development, we survey communities of ants, dung beetles, birds and herpetofauna occurring in oil palm plantations and the other principal form of agriculture in the region – improved cattle pasture – together with those of surrounding natural forests. We show that oil palm plantations have similar or higher species richness across all four taxonomic groups than improved pasture. For dung beetles, species richness in oil palm was equal to that of forest, whereas the other three taxa had highest species richness in forests. Hierarchical modelling of species occupancy probabilities indicated that oil palm plantations supported a higher proportion of species characteristic of forests than did cattle pastures. Across the bird community, occupancy probabilities within oil palm were positively influenced by increasing forest cover in a surrounding 250 m radius, whereas surrounding forest cover did not strongly influence the occurrence of other taxonomic groups in oil palm. Overall, our results suggest that the conversion of existing improved pastures to oil palm has limited negative impacts on biodiversity. As such, existing cattle pastures of the Colombian Llanos could offer a key opportunity to meet governmental targets for oil palm development without incurring significant biodiversity costs. Our results also highlight the value of preserving remnant forests within these agricultural landscapes, protecting high biodiversity and exporting avian ‘spill-over’ effects into oil palm plantations.

Torbjorn Haugaasen* and Joanne M. Tuck Haugaasen 1 Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway, e-mail: torbjorn.haugaasen@umb.no 2 Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK 3 Laboratorio de Genetica e Biologia Reprodutiva de Plantas, Coordenacao de Pesquisas em Botânica, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Caixa Postal 478, Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil

With the rapidly expanding ecological footprint of agriculture, the design of farmed landscapes will play an increasingly important role for both carbon storage and biodiversity protection. Carbon and biodiversity can be enhanced by integrating natural habitats into agricultural lands, but a key question is whether benefits are maximized by including many small features throughout the landscape ('land-sharing' agriculture) or a few large contiguous blocks alongside intensive farmland ('land-sparing' agriculture). In this study, we are the first to integrate carbon storage alongside multi-taxa biodiversity assessments to compare land-sparing and land-sharing frameworks. We do so by sampling carbon stocks and biodiversity (birds and dung beetles) in landscapes containing agriculture and forest within the Colombian Choco-Andes, a zone of high global conservation priority. We show that woodland fragments embedded within a matrix of cattle pasture hold less carbon per unit area than contiguous primary or advanced secondary forests (>15 years). Farmland sites also support less diverse bird and dung beetle communities than contiguous forests, even when farmland retains high levels of woodland habitat cover. Landscape simulations based on these data suggest that land-sparing strategies would be more beneficial for both carbon storage and biodiversity than land-sharing strategies across a range of production levels. Biodiversity benefits of land-sparing are predicted to be similar whether spared lands protect primary or advanced secondary forests, owing to the close similarity of bird and dung beetle communities between the two forest classes. Land-sparing schemes that encourage the protection and regeneration of natural forest blocks thus provide a synergy between carbon and biodiversity conservation, and represent a promising strategy for reducing the negative impacts of agriculture on tropical ecosystems. However, further studies examining a wider range of ecosystem services will be necessary to fully understand the links between land-allocation strategies and long-term ecosystem service provision.

Surface fires in Amazonian forests could contribute as much as 5% of annual carbon emissions from all anthropogenic sources during severe El Nino years. However, these estimates are based on short-term figures of post-burn tree mortality, when large thicker barked trees (representing a disproportionate amount of the forest biomass) appear to resist the fires. On the basis of a longer term study, we report that the mortality of large trees increased markedly between 1 and 3 years, more than doubling current estimates of biomass loss and committed carbon emissions from low-intensity fires in tropical forests.

Neotropical monkeys of the genera Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia (Pitheciidae) are considered to be highly arboreal, spending most of their time feeding and traveling in the upper canopy. Until now, the use of terrestrial substrates has not been analyzed in detail in this group. Here, we review the frequency of terrestrial use among pitheciin taxa to determine the ecological and social conditions that might lead to such behavior. We collated published and unpublished data from 14 taxa in the three genera. Data were gleaned from 53 published studies (including five on multiple pitheciin genera) and personal communications of unpublished data distributed across 31 localities. Terrestrial activity was reported in 61% of Pithecia field studies (11 of 18), in 34% of Chiropotes studies (10 of 29), and 36% of Cacajao studies (4 of 11). Within Pithecia, terrestrial behavior was more frequently reported in smaller species (e.g. P. pithecia) that are vertical clingers and leapers and make extensive use of the understory than in in the larger bodied canopy dwellers of the western Amazon (e.g. P. irrorata). Terrestrial behavior in Pithecia also occurred more frequently and lasted longer than in Cacajao or Chiropotes. An apparent association was found between flooded habitats and terrestrial activity and there is evidence of the development of a "local pattern" of terrestrial use in some populations. Seasonal fruit availability also may stimulate terrestrial behavior. Individuals also descended to the ground when visiting mineral licks, escaping predators, and responding to accidents such as a dropped infant. Overall, the results of this review emphasize that terrestrial use is rare among the pitheciins in general and is usually associated with the exploitation of specific resources or habitat types.

Little information exists on mixed-species groups between primates and other mammals in Neotropical forests. In this paper, we describe three such associations observed during an extensive large-vertebrate survey in central Amazonia, Brazil. Mixed-species groups between a primate species and another mammal were observed on seven occasions between squirrel monkeys (Saimiri cf. ustus) and either South American coatis (Nasua nasua) or tayras (Eira barbara) and between brown capuchins (Cebus apella) and coatis. All associations were restricted to floodplain forest during its dry stage. We suggest that the associations involving the coatis are connected to foraging and vigilance but may be induced by a common alternative food resource at a time of food shortage.

There is considerable variation in primate species richness across neotropical forest sites, and the richest assemblages are found in western Amazonia. Forest type is an important determinant of the patterns of platyrrhine primate diversity, abundance, and biomass. Here we present data on the assemblage structure of primates in adjacent unflooded (terra firme) and seasonally inundated (varzea and igapo) forests in the lower Purus region of central-western Brazilian Amazonia. A line-transect census of 2,026 km in terra firme, 2,309 km in varzea, and 277 km in igapo was conducted. Twelve primate species were recorded from 2,059 primate group sightings. Although terra firme was found to be consistently more species-rich than varzea, the aggregate primate density in terra firme forest was considerably lower than that in the species-poor varzea. Consequently, the total biomass estimate was much higher in varzea compared to either terra firme or igapo forest. Brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were the most abundant species in terra firme, but were outnumbered by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri cf. ustus) in the varzea. The results suggest that floodplain forest is a crucial complement to terra firme in terms of primate conservation in Amazonian forests.

Surface fires have recently become a widespread pantropical phenomenon that could trigger revolutionary changes in the structure and functioning of tropical forests and result in a catastrophic impoverishment of the vertebrate fauna. Here we describe the short- and medium-term responses of bird and mammal assemblages to an unprecedented wildfire that scorched the understorey of 1,100 km2 of forest in the Arapiuns-Maro river basin of central Brazilian Amazonia. Fire-induced mortality in the aftermath of this burn was high for a wide range of plant and animal populations monitored. This included an average of 36% of all large trees in eight quarter-hectare plots sampled in burnt forest, which dramatically altered the post-burn understorey light environment. The Arapiuns wildfire also resulted in significant socioeconomic costs to local forest dwellers, namely crop losses and the decimation of many forest resources, including key game vertebrate species pursued by subsistence hunters, vines and woody lianas, and many fruit species. The conservation prospects of the vertebrate fauna in fire-prone Amazonian forests are discussed with respect to the increasingly more frequent and severe El Nino-mediated dry seasons.

Huskatters effekt på dyrelivet, særlig som predatorer på fugl og smågnagere, har fått stadig mer oppmerksomhet i forvaltningen. Informasjon om katters bevegelse og hjemmeområde kan indikerer hvor potensielle populasjoner av byttedyr er usatt for predasjon. I dette studiet ble GPS-enheter brukt til å spore katters bevegelser ved Østensjøområdet miljøpark i Oslo kommune fra mai 2022 til juni 2022. Totalt 57 katter ble GPS-sporet og sporingen ble gjort for å estimere størrelsen på hjemmeområdet til kattene. Katteeierne ble brukt som borgerforskere, og var ansvarlige for at katten alltid hadde GPS-halsbånd når den var ute. Det ble brukt kernel density estimations (KDE) for å estimere størrelse på kattenes hjemmeområde, henholdsvis 95% KDE og 50% KDE. Ved 95% KDE var gjennomsnittlig størrelse på hjemmeområde 2,10 ha, mens det ved 50% KDE var 1,18 ha. Hannkattene hadde signifikant større hjemmeområde enn hunnkattene ved 95% KDE. Dette kan indikerer at hannkattene har en større toleranse for overlapping av hjemmeområder enn hva hunnkattene har. Ved 50% KDE var det en interaksjon mellom hannkatter og tilgang til en ubegrenset katteluke, som hadde signifikant effekt på størrelse på hjemmeområde. Alderen på kattene hadde ikke en signifikant effekt på hjemmeområde ved 50% KDE og 95% KDE. Kattene hadde varierende avstand til naturreservatet, hvor den minste avstanden var på 30,9 m og den lengste var på 1036,8 m. Avstanden fra kattenes hjem til naturreservatet hadde en signifikant effekt på hvor stort område katten brukte innenfor naturreservatet, hvor katter som brukte et stort område innenfor reservatet hadde kort avstand. Det var fem katter som hadde naturreservatet som en del av sitt hjemmeområde ved 95% KDE, hvor det i gjennomsnitt var 0,13 ha av hjemmeområde som var innenfor reservatet. Kattene som hadde reservatet som en del av sitt hjemmeområde ved 95% KDE, hadde signifikant større hjemmeområde enn kattene som ikke hadde hjemmeområde innenfor reservatet. At det kun var fem katter som oppholdt seg i naturreservatet viser at kattene for det meste oppholdt seg i urbane områder, og at dyrelivet i disse områdene er mer utsatt for predasjon fra katter enn dyrelivet i naturreservatet. The domestic cat´s effect on wildlife, particularly as a predator of birds and small rodents, has received increasing attention in management. Information about cat movements and home range can indicate where potential prey populations are vulnerable to predation. In this study, GPS devices were used to track the movements of pet cats at Østensjøområdet miljøpark in Oslo from May 2022 to June 2022. A total of 57 cats were tracked and the tracking was done to estimate the cats' home range size. The cat owners were used as citizen scientists and were responsible for ensuring that the GPS was charged and turned on when the cat was outside. Kernel density estimation (KDE) was used to estimate the home range size, respectively, 95% KDE and 50% KDE. At 95% KDE, the mean home range size was 2,10 ha, while at 50% KDE, it was 1,18 ha. The male cats had a significantly larger home range than female cats at 95% KDE. This may indicate that male cats are more tolerant of overlapping home ranges than females. At 50% KDE, there was an interaction between male cats and access to an unlimited cat flap, which had a significant effect on home range size. The age of the cats did not have a significant effect on home range size at 50% KDE and 95% KDE. The cats' homes varied in distance to the nature reserve, where the shortest distance was 30,9 m and the longest distance was 1036,8 m. The distance from the cats´ home to the nature reserve significantly affected home range size inside the reserve, whereas cats with a short distance to the reserve had a larger home range size inside the reserve. Five cats that had the nature reserve as a part of their home range at 95% KDE, where on average, 0,13 ha of the home range was within the reserve. The cats that had the reserve as a part of their home range at 95% KDE had a significantly larger home range than the cats that did not have a home range within the reserve. The fact that only five cats stayed in the nature reserve shows that the cats mostly stayed in urban areas and that the wildlife in these areas is more vulnerable to predation from cats than the wildlife in the nature reserve.

Huskatter er et populært kjæledyr i mange norske hjem. Selv om katten er godt kjent blant oss, er det lite vi vet om hvordan de beveger seg og hvor de oppholder seg når vi ikke er i nærheten. Kattene i denne studien brukte et GPS-halsbånd, som logget posisjoner hvert minutt, for å undersøke deres bevegelser utendørs. Disse dataene ble brukt til å finne ut hvor langt kattene gikk i gjennomsnitt fra hjemmet og hvordan faktorer som kjønn, alder og om de hadde katteluke eller ikke påvirket dette. I tillegg ble det undersøkt om katteluke hadde noen påvirkning på når på døgnet kattene var aktive og om det hadde noen effekt på predasjon av små pattedyr og fugl. Ved å lage ulike “Generalized Linear Models” (GLMs) ble de beste modellene valgt ut for gjennomsnittlig distanse og jakt ved å bruke ΔAICc < 2. Hunnene var de beste jegerne, spesielt da de gikk langt, men jaktadferd kunne vært enda bedre studert dersom kamera i kombinasjon med GPS-halsbånd hadde blitt brukt. Hannkatter med katteluke vandret betydelig lenger enn andre katter, og voksne gikk lenger enn unge katter. Dette samsvarer med andre studier om katter som viser at de vil gå lenger og lenger etter hvert som de blir voksne. Kattene viste også en høyere aktivitet om natten og gikk noe lenger i gjennomsnitt og maks distanse på denne tiden av døgnet. Det kan ses i lys av at katter er nattjegere og dersom de har tilgang til uteområder om natten vil den gå lenger. Det finnes generelt lite forskning på hvordan katteluke kan påvirke atferd hos katter. Fremtidige studier bør fokuserte på hvordan katters atferd påvirkes av om de har katteluke eller ikke, med spesielt fokus på hvordan potensielle adferdsforskjeller mellom katter med og uten katteluke kan påvirke dyrelivet i nærheten. Domestic cats are popular pets in Norwegian households, yet little is known about their movement and behavior when their owners are not present. The cats in this study wore a GPS collar that logged their positions every minute to investigate their outdoor movements. These data were used to determine how far the cats traveled on average from home and how factors such as gender, age, and the presence of a cat flap affected their movement outside the home. Additionally, the study examined whether cat flaps influenced the cats' activity patterns, particularly their hunting behaviors and predation of small mammals and birds. Using various “Generalized Linear Models” (GLMs), models with the best fit were selected based on ΔAICc < 2 for average distance and hunting behavior. Female cats were found to be the most skilled hunters, particularly when they ventured further from home, although a more comprehensive study combining GPS collars with cameras could provide deeper insights into their hunting behaviors. Male cats with cat flaps were observed to cover significantly greater distances compared to other cats, and adult cats generally roamed farther than younger cats. These findings align with previous studies indicating that as cats mature, they tend to explore larger areas. The study also revealed heightened activity levels of the cats during nighttime, with slightly longer average and maximum distances covered during this period. This behavior can be attributed to cats' natural nocturnal hunting instincts, as they tend to venture further when given access to outdoor areas at night. Research on the effects of cat flap on feline behavior remains limited. Therefore, future studies should concentrate on examining how the presence or absence of cat flaps affects cats' behavior, with a specific emphasis on understanding potential behavioral variations between cats with and without cat flaps and their impact on local wildlife.

Domestic cats (Felis catus) with outdoor access pose a significant threat to local wildlife worldwide, and a thorough understanding of their space use is needed to mitigate their ecological impact. Although knowledge about the spatial behavior of individual domestic cats is growing, we still know little about their habitat selection among the non-built-up areas in an urban environment. Using a citizen science approach, we GPS-tagged and tracked the movement of 57 domestic cats with outdoor access living in an urban area surrounding Østensjøvannet nature reserve, a protected wetland area (0.53 km2) in southeastern Norway. The nature reserve consists of a lake (Østensjøvannet) surrounded by wetlands and other vegetation. The objective of this reserve is to preserve the important wetland areas with vegetation, birdlife and other wildlife from the increasing development pressure. The outdoor movement of the GPS-tagged cats was tracked for about 4 weeks during spring 2022. The resulting position data were analyzed using resource selection functions to investigate habitat selection outside of built-up areas by cats. In addition, I identify the proportion of the population actively using the nature reserve within the urban study area, as well as the duration and timing of their activity within the reserve. My results reveal substantial variation in the selection of habitat in non-built-up areas. One or more cats significantly selected forest, open firm ground, bog and agricultural land. Only nine (15.9%) cats had registered positions within the reserve, and among them, only five cats had parts of their 95% BBMM home range within the reserve. The best predictor of reserve use by cats was the distance between a cat's home and the boundary of the reserve. Results presented here suggest that establishing a buffer zone will be an effective measure to safeguard wildlife within protected areas. However, a buffer is not always applicable, and thus I suggest that each cat owner evaluates their own cats’ roaming behavior and take preventative actions, such as neutering, limiting outdoor time or access. Further, more studies are needed to investigate space use with the aim of identifying effective management strategies to lower the encounter rates between domestic cats and wildlife.

The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the most popular pets globally, with hundreds or even thousands of individuals per km2 in some areas. Domestic cats with outdoor access have both direct effects on wildlife through predation and indirect effects on wildlife through intimidation that alters prey behavior. Knowledge about space use by outdoor cats is important for understanding and mitigating their ecological impact. Little is known of how intraspecific interactions affect space use in cat populations. Yet, cat tracking studies typically include too few individuals or are spread across study areas that are too large to provide reliable inferences about intraspecific interactions. In this study, I investigated the impact of intraspecific interactions on the combined space use of a cat population using GPS-tracking. This was made possible by the unprecedented high proportion of GPS-tagged cats: 75% of cats (n = 95) living in a 1.1 km2 suburban neighborhood in Southern Norway. I used high-throughput GPS position data and analyzed it with a combination of Brownian Bridge Movement Models and an ecological null-model to assess the role of intraspecific spatial interaction on space use in the study population. I found evidence that cats of both sexes tend to avoid conspecifics. This effect was particularly pronounced for females. Individuals less than 8 years old, regardless of sex, exhibited lower home range overlap with other individuals than older cats. I also detected indication that intraspecific avoidance led to a more widely spread population-level space use than would be expected by chance. In addition, I found that males had larger home ranges than females, and that cats below 8 years had larger home ranges than cats 8 years or older. To my knowledge, this is the first study that explored the population-level manifestation of intraspecific interaction and its consequences for the spatial configuration of a free-ranging pet cat population. From my study, I conclude that age and sex explain the propensity of domestic cats to avoid each other, as well as the variation in home range size of domestic cats. This, in turn, will determine the overall space used by the population. Now, more studies are needed to investigate interactions and their ecological role, as intraspecific interaction is an important mechanism behind density-dependent effects.

Bats are an important component of Amazonian mammal communities but are often ignored during conventional biodiversity assessments. Much is therefore unknown regarding spatial and temporal forest use and the partitioning between different bat species in the community. The objectives of this study were to examine how different habitats and seasons affects the activity of two congeneric species (Pteronotus alitonus and P. rubiginosus), and how temporal partitioning of activity in these two species varies with habitat types and seasonality. I used ultrasound recordings of the two Pteronotus species collected in three different habitat types (continuous primary forest, secondary forest and 10ha forest fragments) and during two seasons (wet and dry) in the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in central Amazon, Brazil. The activity levels of both Pteronotus species were found to significantly increase during the wet season, suggesting that insect abundance during the wet season would positively affect bat activity levels. Furthermore, P. alitonus had highest activity levels in secondary forest, whereas P. rubiginosus exhibited high activity levels in both primary and secondary forest. Forest fragments were least favoured by both species. The same patterns were found in spatial hourly activity. The results suggest that P. alitonus and P. rubiginosus spatially and temporally partition activity and that this partitioning may be a way to reduce competition.