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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.

The extent of biodiversity in the urban setting is related to the degree of land transformation and the relative quantity of green spaces in the city. Large tracts of green spaces may harbor species and serve as sources of colonists to other urban spaces, but the degree to which this occurs is not well known, particularly in cities in the tropics. Here we evaluate if a large urban green space (Dunas State Park) affects the diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in city plazas. We sampled 18 plazas, varying in size (1000 to >3000 m2) and distance to the Park’s edge (up to 3000 m). In each plaza, we measured number of trees, plant cover in it and in surrounding buffers of up to 200 m. Butterflies were captured using standardized traps. We found that butterfly communities were significantly different between Park and plazas, and that individuals plazas represented a poor sample of the total butterfly diversity. Distance to the park did not influence butterfly communities in the plazas, nor did any of the local plaza characteristics. Plazas harbored mostly generalist species and experienced more fluctuations in butterfly abundance than the Park. The Park is the only significant repository of fruit-feeding butterfly biodiversity in our system. We conclude that the urban setting is a strong filter for species settlement, a worrisome conclusion for tropical cities. We offer advice on how city planners may improve this trend.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T19:52:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-01-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) PDA/MMA Institute BioAdantica, PROBIO I [MCT/MMA/GEF] Institute BioAdantica, PROBIO II [MCT/MMA/GEF] FAPESB NERC UESC/PROPP Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Fundacao Grupo Boticario de Protecao a Natureza FAPESB Bol PROBIO I/MMA/GEF PROBIO II/MCT/MMA/GEF Recent studies suggest that habitat amount is the main determinant of species richness, whereas habitat fragmentation has weak and mostly positive effects. Here, we challenge these ideas using a multi-taxa database including 2230 estimates of forest-dependent species richness from 1097 sampling sites across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We used a structural equation modeling approach, accounting not only for direct effects of habitat loss, but also for its indirect effects (via habitat fragmentation), on the richness of forest-dependent species. We reveal that in addition to the effects of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation has negative impacts on animal species richness at intermediate (30-60%) levels of habitat amount, and on richness of plants at high ( > 60%) levels of habitat amount, both of which are mediated by edge effects. Based on these results, we argue that dismissing habitat fragmentation as a powerful force driving species extinction in tropical forest landscapes is premature and unsafe. Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Ambientais, Rua Sao Nicolau 210, BR-09913030 Diadema, SP, Brazil Int Inst Sustainabil, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Fed Mato Grosso do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Posgrad Ecol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Ecol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Imperial Coll London, Dept Life Sci, Silwood Pk Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks, England Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Dept Ecol, Natal, RN, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ecol, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Florestais, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Dept Ecol & Zool, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Bahia, Posgrad Ecol Aplicada Gestao Ambiental, Salvador, BA, Brazil Univ Fed Mato Grosso, Inst Ciencias Nat Humanas & Sociais, Sinop, MT, Brazil Univ Estadual Campinas, Posgrad Biol Vegetal, Campinas, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Santa Cruz, Lab Ecol & Conservacao Biodiversidade, Ilheus, BA, Brazil Univ Estado Rio de Janeiro, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Evolucao, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Fed Bahia, Inst Biol, Salvador, BA, Brazil Inst Pro Carnivoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Engn Florestal, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ciencias Ambientais, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil Inst Florestal Estado Sao Paulo, Secao Ecol Florestal, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Pernambuco, Dept Bot, Recife, PE, Brazil Univ Estadual Sudoeste Bahia, Dept Ciencias Biol, Jequie, BA, Brazil Univ Fed Bahia, Ctr Formacao Ciencias Agroflorestais, Ilheus, BA, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Biol, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Parana, Dept Bot, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil Univ Fed Vicosa, Dept Engn Florestal, Vicosa, MG, Brazil Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Ciencias Biol, Sao Mateus, ES, Brazil Prefeitura Municipal Paulinia, Paulinia, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Feira de Santana, Dept Ciencias Biol, Feira De Santana, BA, Brazil Univ Veiga Almeida, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Paulista, Nucl Estudos Biodiversidade, Herbario UNIP, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Biol Geral, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Univ Fed Lavras, Dept Biol, Lavras, MG, Brazil Univ East Anglia, Sch Environm Sci, Norwich NR4 7TJ, Norfolk, England Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol & Zootecnia, Ilha Solteira, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Goias, Lab Genet & Biodiversidade, Goiania, Go, Brazil Univ Veiga Almeida, Ciencias Meio Ambiente, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Univ Fed Sergipe, Dept Ecol, Sao Cristovao, SE, Brazil Inst Fed Espirito Santo, Vitoria, ES, Brazil Univ Estadual Feira de Santana, Posgrad Modelagem Ciencias Terra & Ambiente, Feira De Santana, BA, Brazil Univ Brasilia, Dept Ecol, Brasilia, DF, Brazil Univ Estado Rio de Janeiro, Dept Ecol, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Inst Nacl Mata Atlantica, Santa Teresa, ES, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol & Zootecnia, Ilha Solteira, SP, Brazil CAPES: 88881.064976/2014-01 CAPES: 02488/09-4 CAPES: 405693/2013-3 CAPES: 88881.118819/2016-01 CAPES: 01 FAPESP: 2004/04820-3 FAPESP: 2008/01866-3 FAPESP: 2008/03724-1 FAPESP: 05/56555-4 FAPESP: 2014/14503-7 FAPESP: 2011/19767-4 FAPESP: 2013/22679-5 FAPESP: 2014/10192-7 FAPESP: 2011/040460 FAPESP: 2014/09300-0 FAPESP: 134 97/07075-1 FAPESP: 97/07075-1 FAPESP: 2013/50718-5 FAPESP: 2005/00405-4 FAPESP: 2006/04878-7 FAPESP: 2008/03500-6 FAPESP: 2011/06782-5 FAPESP: 2010/053435 FAPESP: 2014/14925-9 CNPq: 305470/2013-2 CNPq: 550077/2010-3 CNPq: 561897/2010-7 CNPq: PNX0016/2009 CNPq: 304817/2015-5 CNPq: 303897/2016-3 CNPq: 473529/2007-6 CNPq: 302574/2010-7 CNPq: 304598/2011-9 CNPq: 479203/2010-5 CNPq: 146790/2010-3 CNPq: 304242/2009-8 CNPq: 307221/2012-1 CNPq: 310901/2015-4 CNPq: 308992/2013-0 CNPq: 69014416 FAPERJ: E -26/202.174/2015 FAPESB: BOL1661/2011 FAPESB: 462/2012 NERC: NE/1(016393/1 UESC/PROPP: 135 00220-1100.1171 CAPES: 8952/2014 Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz: 002011001171 FAPESP: 1999/09635-0 CNPq: P2 308503/2014-7 Fundacao Grupo Boticario de Protecao a Natureza: 201410014 CNPq: 309030/2013-7 CNPq: 308205/2014-6 CNPq: 70/2009 CNPq: 142205/2010-9 FAPESB Bol: 0104/09 CAPES: BEX 8495/11-4 CNPq: 690144/01-6 CAPES: 2923/2011 : CAPES/FAPERJ-PAPD-E-26/202.144/2015 : MCTIC/CNPq/FAPEG/465610/2014-5

Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats are key contributors to the decline of populations and impoverishment of biological communities. The response to these disturbances can vary substantially among taxa and depends on spatial metrics of habitat fragments and the surrounding landscape. Herein we test how fragment area, shape, isolation, and matrix quality affect reptile richness, abundance, and occurrence in Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragments, a biodiversity hotspot with a poorly studied reptile fauna. We used 23 forest fragments, ranging from 2 to 30 hectares, surrounded by different matrix types, including sugarcane crop fields, cattle ranching, subsistence farmlands and rural communities. Species richness, total reptile abundance, population abundance, and occurrence probability of many species decreased with fragment area. Model selection suggested that fragment area is the main predictor of both richness and abundance, but matrix quality as well as fragment shape are also important predictors. For population abundance and occurrence probability, fragment area and proximity were the most important predictors followed by fragment shape and matrix quality, but the strength and even the sign of predictors varied substantially among species. We highlight that the value of small fragments should not be neglected for the conservation of Atlantic Forest reptiles. Resumo A perda e a fragmentacao de habitats naturais sao agentes-chave no declinio de populacoes e no empobrecimento de comunidades biologicas. A reposta a esses disturbios pode variar substancialmente entre taxons e depende de metricas espaciais dos fragmentos e da paisagem circundante. Nos testamos como a area, a forma, o isolamento e a qualidade da matriz de fragmentos da Mata Atlântica brasileira afetam a riqueza, a abundância e a ocorrencia de repteis. Nos usamos 23 fragmentos florestais, entre 2 e 30 hectares, rodeados por matrizes comuns no cenario atual da Mata Atlântica, um dos hotspots de biodiversidade. Ao contrario das expectativas teoricas, a riqueza, a abundância total, a abundância populacional e a probabilidade de ocorrencia de muitas especies diminuiu com o aumento da area dos fragmentos. A selecao de modelos sugere que a area dos fragmentos e o principal preditor tanto da riqueza quanto da abundância das especies, mas que a qualidade da matriz, assim como a forma dos fragmentos, sao tambem metricas importantes. Para a abundância populacional e a probabilidade de ocorrencia das especies os preditores mais importantes foram a area e o isolamento, seguidos pela forma e qualidade da matriz dos fragmentos, mas a forca e ate mesmo o sinal do efeito mudou substancialmente entre especies. Nos destacamos que, considerando o alto grau de disturbio da paisagem, o valor de pequenos fragmentos nao deve ser negligenciado em estrategias de conservacao de repteis da Mata Atlântica.

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates in the world and this is also true for those inhabiting the Atlantic Forest hotspot, living in ecosystems that are highly degraded and threatened by anthropogenic activities. We present a data set containing information about amphibian communities sampled throughout the Atlantic Forest Biome in South America. The data were extracted from 389 bibliographic references (articles, books, theses, and dissertations) representing inventories of amphibian communities from 1940 to 2017. The data set includes 17,619 records of 528 species with taxonomic certainty, from 1,163 study sites. Of all the records, 14,450 (82%) were classified using the criterion of endemism; of those, 7,787 (44%) were considered endemic and 6,663 (38%) were not. Historically, multiple sampling methods were used to survey amphibians, the most representative methods being active surveys (82.1%), surveys at breeding sites (20%), pitfall traps (15.3%), and occasional encounters (14.5%). Species richness averaged 15.2 ± 11.3 (mean ± SD), ranging from 1 to 80 species per site. We found a low dominance in the communities, with 10 species occurring in about 26% of communities: Physalaemus cuvieri (4.1%), Dendropsophus minutus (3.8%), Boana faber (3.1%), Scinax fuscovarius (2.8%), Leptodactylus latrans (2.7%), Leptodactylus fuscus (2.6%), Boana albopunctata (2.3%), Dendropsophus nanus (1.6%), Rhinella ornata (1.6%), and Leptodactylus mystacinus (1.6%). This data set represents a major effort to compile inventories of amphibian communities for the Neotropical region, filling a large gap in the data on the Atlantic Forest hotspot. We hope this data set can be used as a credible tool in the proposal of new studies on amphibian sampling and even in the development of conservation planning for these taxa. This information also has great relevance for macroecological studies, being foundational for both conservation and restoration strategies in this biodiversity hotspot. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or teaching events.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:22:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-01-01 Mortality from collision with vehicles is the most visible impact of road traffic on wildlife. Mortality due to roads (hereafter road-kill) can affect the dynamic of populations of many species and can, therefore, increase the risk of local decline or extinction. This is especially true in Brazil, where plans for road network upgrading and expansion overlaps biodiversity hotspot areas, which are of high importance for global conservation. Researchers, conservationists and road planners face the challenge to define a national strategy for road mitigation and wildlife conservation. The main goal of this dataset is a compilation of geo-referenced road-kill data from published and unpublished road surveys. This is the first Data Paper in the BRAZIL series (see ATLANTIC, NEOTROPICAL, and BRAZIL collections of Data Papers published in Ecology), which aims make public road-kill data for species in the Brazilian Regions. The dataset encompasses road-kill records from 45 personal communications and 26 studies published in peer-reviewed journals, theses and reports. The road-kill dataset comprises 21,512 records, 83% of which are identified to the species level (n = 450 species). The dataset includes records of 31 amphibian species, 90 reptile species, 229 bird species, and 99 mammal species. One species is classified as Endangered, eight as Vulnerable and twelve as Near Threatened. The species with the highest number of records are: Didelphis albiventris (n = 1,549), Volatinia jacarina (n = 1,238), Cerdocyon thous (n = 1,135), Helicops infrataeniatus (n = 802), and Rhinella icterica (n = 692). Most of the records came from southern Brazil. However, observations of the road-kill incidence for non-Least Concern species are more spread across the country. This dataset can be used to identify which taxa seems to be vulnerable to traffic, analyze temporal and spatial patterns of road-kill at local, regional and national scales and also used to understand the effects of road-kill on population persistence. It may also contribute to studies that aims to understand the influence of landscape and environmental influences on road-kills, improve our knowledge on road-related strategies on biodiversity conservation and be used as complementary information on large-scale and macroecological studies. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper. Setor de Ecologia Aplicada Universidade Federal de Lavras PPG Análise e Modelagem de Sistemas Ambientais Departamento de Cartografia Instituto de Geociências Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais NERF-UFRGS Núcleo de Ecologia de Rodovias e Ferrovias Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Centro Brasileiro de Estudos em Ecologia de Estradas (CBEE) Universidade Federal de Lavras Núcleo em Ecologia e Desenvolvimento Sócio-Ambiental de Macaé Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Autopista Fluminense S. A., Av. São Gonçalo, 100, Unidade 101, Bairro Boa Vista Universidade Federal de Uberlandia (UFU) Programa de Pós Graduação em Políticas Públicas Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab (LEEC) Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Ciências Biológicas Núcleo de Ciências Ambientais Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes Caipora Cooperativa, Rua Desembargador Vitor Lima, 260/908 Setor de Mastozoologia Museu de Ciências Naturais Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Animal Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul UFRGS Universidade Federal de São Carlos Pós Graduação em Conservação em Fauna Universidade Federal de São Carlos Programa de Pós Graduação em Genética Biodiversidade e Conservação Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia Jequié Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Pioneiros Departamento de Biologia Centro de Ciências Exatas Naturais e da Saúde Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul, Campus Erechim Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul CETESB - Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo Universidade Federal do Pampa Universidade Veiga de Almeida Instituto Tecnológico de Transportes e Infraestrutura Universidade Federal do Paraná Laboratório de Ecologia de Manguezal Instituto de Estudos Costeiros Universidade Federal do Pará Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos Arcadis Laboratório de Ecologia e Biogeografia de Mamíferos Universidade Estadual de Goiás Laboratório de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Coroado I IPÊ Pantanal, Rua Licuala, 622, Damha 1 Departamento de Patologia Veterinária Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Biociências Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade – ICMBio Ministério do Meio Ambiente Centro Universitario de Rivera Universidad de la República, Ituzaingó 667 Departamento de Genética e Evolução Universidade Federal de São Carlos Laboratório de Biodiversidade Molecular e Conservação Departamento de Genética e Evolução Universidade Federal de São Carlos Centro Universitário de Anápolis Universidade Federal da Paraíba Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente Rua Botuverá, 257 Dom Joaquim Departamento de Ecologia -Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte Instituto Conservação Brazil (ICB), Rua dos Angicos, 185, Recanto dos Angicos R Embrapa Pantanal, Rua 21 de Setembro, n 1.880, Bairro Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Caixa Postal: 109 Departamento de Biologia Geral Agrárias e Humanas Instituto de Ciências da Saúde Centro Universitário do Planalto de Araxá UNIARAXÁ Hori Consultoria Ambiental, Rua Paulo Gorski, 2058, Mussunguê Centro Brasileiro para Conservação dos Felinos Neotropicais, Av. Emílio Antonon, 1000 – Chácara Aeroporto Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais Universidade Federal de São Carlos Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro Centro de Ciências Biologicas e de Saude Universidade Federal de São Carlos Instituto de Ciências Biologicas Universidade de Brasília Núcleo de Licenciamento Ambiental, Superintendência do Ibama em São Paulo/SP, Alameda Tietê, 637, 10° andar Curso de Medicina Veterinária Centro Universitário de Lavras (Unilavras) Departamento de Engenharia Florestal Universidade de Brasília Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná Universidade Estadual de Goiás Complexo Cultural e Científico de Peirópolis Departamento de Biologia Universidade Federal de Lavras Spatial Ecology and Conservation Lab (LEEC) Departamento de Ecologia Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP Departamento de Patologia Veterinária Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista

Heliconius nattereri C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865 is an enigmatic and rarely collected species. Because of severe habitat reduction, the species is currently listed as endangered. We here report the confirmation of a northernmost population. This collection and further observations reported here add two more known localites to the distribution of the species. Two of the three confirmed locations are in protected areas. We worry that the northern population may be at great risk because it is not formally protected. We urge conservation efforts to preserve the local forests where the species is found.

Life history parameters such as diet, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism are crucial to understand ecological and evolutionary forces shaping species traits. Nevertheless, such information is scant in the literature for most Neotropical squamates. Gymnophthalmidae contains over 242 species in 46 genera and includes small-size, mostly terrestrial species, although psamophilic, semi-aquatic, and low vegetation dwellers also occur. Dryadosaura is a monospecific genus - Dryadosaura nordestina Rodrigues et al., 2005 - , occurring in Atlantic Forest areas from Rio Grande do Norte to Northern Bahia, and little is known about its ecology and natural history. We analyzed the species' diet, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism based on 170 specimens deposited in museum collections. Dryadosaura nordestina is considered generalist and active forager, based on dietary items. Arthropods, especially ants and insect larvae, dominate the diet. The reproductive period shows a peak during the rainy season (May through June), while recruitment occurs from July through November. Males are significantly larger than females, and sexes can also be distinguished based on shape variables: males have higher heads and longer bodies, while body height and width are larger in females.

Aim Habitat split isolates forest fragments where terrestrial adults of many amphibian species live from aquatic-breeding sites where their larvae develop, causing population declines and shifts in community structure. In contrast to most fragmentation theoretical frameworks which point to the relevance of fragment area and isolation, a recent theoretical model predicts that split distance, defined as the shortest distance between a forest fragment edge and the nearby stream, should affect negatively the abundance and occurrence probability of populations in forest fragments and, consequently, their total abundance and species richness. The model further predicts that the quality of the matrix between the two habitats, called split matrix, will modulate such responses. Here, we provide the first test of these theoretical predictions. Location Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Methods Split distance was estimated for all fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a highly disturbed biodiversity hotspot. Then, we selected 23 forest fragments, within a 1166-km2 landscape, in a design that insured orthogonality between split distance (0–2000 m) and fragment size (1.7–30 ha). Split matrix quality (SMQ) and proximity, a measure of the availability of forest around the focal fragment, were estimated and controlled for in the analyses. Using multiple regression analyses with control for spatial autocorrelation, and AIC multimodel inference, we evaluated the relative importance of split distance, SMQ, fragment size and proximity to determine amphibian community and population attributes. Results Most Atlantic Forest fragments were affected by habitat split. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, species richness, abundance and the occurrence probability of many species declined with split distance and increased with SMQ, even when controlling for fragment size and isolation. Main conclusions Split distance can be used as a surrogate for conservation value of forest fragments for aquatic-breeding amphibians in landscape planning and restoration enterprises.

We describe the advertisement and release calls of Rhinella jimi based on recordings of four individuals from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. During recordings, we made behavioural observations and used the observed patterns to infer aspects of the mating system of the species. Behavioural patterns suggest that this species is a short, explosive breeder with males actively searching for mates in a scramble competition fashion. Release calls are formed by random combinations of notes that vary in the number of pulses (2–5) and amplitude, but with dominant frequency equal to the advertisement call of the individual. Advertisement calls are formed by trains of repeated pulsed notes with 6.29 ± 2.29 s duration and average dominant frequency of 600.59 ± 51.71 Hz. Calls begin with a rising phase composed of 15.65 ± 7.09 notes during which frequency and amplitude rise to before levelling out along the remaining of the call. The number of pulses per note (2–3) is within the range of several sp...

Domestic dogs are reservoirs for many infectious diseases and may represent a potential source of infection for wild canid populations. A serologic investigation of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Brucella abortus, and Leptospira spp. was conducted on three maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and seven crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), all free-living, at the Aguas Emendadas Ecological Station (ESECAE), Federal District, Brazil, between February and October 2006. Out of the 10 samples analyzed, eight (80%) were seropositive for T. gondii: 3/3 (100%) of the maned wolves and 5/7 (71.4%) of the crab-eating foxes. None of the animals presented anti-N. caninum, B. abortus, and Leptospira spp. antibodies. This study demonstrated that the wild canid populations at ESECAE presented high exposure to T. gondii and indicated that there is high environmental contamination at the Station, which can be attributed to its proximity to urban zones, the presence of domestic cats in the study area, or the existence of other wild infected felines.

Although species assignment of scats is important to study carnivore biology, there is still no standardized assay for the identification of carnivores worldwide, which would allow large-scale routine assessments and reliable cross-comparison of results. Here, we evaluate the potential of two short mtDNA fragments [ATP6 (126 bp) and cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) (187 bp)] to serve as standard markers for the Carnivora. Samples of 66 species were sequenced for one or both of these segments. Alignments were complemented with archival sequences and analysed with three approaches (tree-based, distance-based and character-based). Intraspecific genetic distances were generally lower than between-species distances, resulting in diagnosable clusters for 86% (ATP6) and 85% (COI) of the species. Notable exceptions were recently diverged species, most of which could still be identified using diagnostic characters and uniqueness of haplotypes or by reducing the geographic scope of the comparison. In silico analyses were also performed for a 110-bp cytochrome b (cytb )s egment, whose identification success was lower (70%), possibly due to the smaller number of informative sites and ⁄or the influence of misidentified sequences obtained from GenBank. Finally, we performed case studies with faecal samples, which supported the suitability of our two focal markers for poor-quality DNA and allowed an assessment of prey DNA co-amplification. No evidence of prey DNA contamination was found for ATP6, while some cases were observed for COI and subsequently eliminated by the design of more specific primers. Overall, our results indicate that these segments hold good potential as standard markers for accurate species-level identification in the Carnivora.

Maned wolves are large canids currently considered vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss. They are still commonly found within the urban mesh inside the Brazilian Federal District (Distrito Federal--DF), in nearby Protected Areas (PAs), and in surrounding farms. We evaluated the genetic diversity of maned wolves in three PAs of the DF, using both invasive and noninvasive techniques to obtain DNA that was later amplified for five microsatellite markers. We sampled 23 wolves: 10 with the noninvasive method, three captured in traps, six road-killed, and four rescued in urban areas. In Águas Emendadas Ecological Station (ESECAE) we also used samples from six specimens captured between 1997 and 1998 for a temporal comparison. For maned wolves, non-invasive techniques are affordable and easier to conduct in the field, while laboratory costs are much lower for invasive samples. Hence, a sampling strategy combining both techniques may provide an interesting approach for molecular ecology studies requiring comprehensive coverage of local individuals. On the basis of such integrated sampling scheme, our analyses indicated that none of the investigated populations currently present deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations or indication of inbreeding. Furthermore, in ESECAE there was no reduction in genetic diversity during the last 9 years. Overall, maned wolves did not present evidence of genetic structuring among the three sampled PAs. These results thus indicate that individual exchange among PAs is still occurring at sufficient rates to avoid differentiation, and/or that the recent fragmentation in the region has not yet produced measurable effects in the genetic diversity of maned wolves.