Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1–6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co‐occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.

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Cacao agroforestry have been considered as biodiversity‐friendly farming practices by maintaining habitats for a high diversity of species in tropical landscapes. However, little information is available to evaluate whether this agrosystem can maintain functional diversity, given that agricultural changes can affect the functional components, but not the taxonomic one (e.g., species richness). Thus, considering functional traits improve the understanding of the agricultural impacts on biodiversity. Here, we measured functional diversity (functional richness‐FD, functional evenness‐FEve, and functional divergence‐Rao) and taxonomic diversity (species richness and Simpson index) to evaluate changes of bird diversity in cacao agroforestry in comparison with nearby mature forests (old‐growth forests) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We used data from two landscapes with constraining areas of mature forest (49% Una and 4.8% Ilhéus) and cacao agroforestry cover (6% and 82%, respectively). To remove any bias of species richness and to evaluate assembly processes (functional overdispersion or clustering), all functional indices were adjusted using null models. Our analyses considered the entire community, as well as separately for forest specialists, habitat generalists, and birds that contribute to seed dispersal (frugivores/granivores) or invertebrate removal (insectivores). Our findings showed that small cacao agroforestry in the forested landscape sustains functional diversity (FD and FEve) as diverse as nearby forests when considering the entire community, forest specialist, and habitat generalists. However, we observed declines for frugivores/granivores and insectivores (FD and Rao). These responses of bird communities differed from those observed by taxonomic diversity, suggesting that even species‐rich communities in agroforestry may capture lower functional diversity. Furthermore, communities in both landscapes showed either functional clustering or neutral processes as the main driver of functional assembly. Functional clustering may indicate that local conditions and resources were changed or lost, while neutral assemblies may reveal high functional redundancy at the landscape scale. In Ilhéus, the neutral assembly predominance suggests an effect of functional homogenization between habitats. Thus, the conservation value of cacao agroforestry to harbor species‐rich communities and ecosystem functions relies on smallholder production with reduced farm management in a forested landscape. Finally, we emphasize that seed dispersers and insectivores should be the priority conservation targets in cacao systems.

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer‐reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non‐detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio‐temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large‐scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data.

RESUMO A atual perda global de biodiversidade tem ameaçado a provisão de água potável para abastecimento público, sobretudo por causa da perda de florestas nativas. Assim, uma compreensão dos impactos da redução de cobertura vegetal em paisagens degradadas por atividades humanas é uma ação importante para garantir segurança hídrica. O presente estudo avaliou a relação entre a qualidade da água e os custos de tratamento e a intensificação do uso do solo de seis pontos de captação de água para abastecimento público no sul da Bahia, Brasil. Consideraram-se seis escalas espaciais, o ponto de captação e seu entorno (local), quatro faixas de zona ripária (30, 50, 100 e 200 m) e a microbacia hidrográfica. Uma seleção de modelos foi conduzida para determinar em qual escala a intensificação da paisagem melhor explana os custos de tratamento e a qualidade de água. Usando uma análise de componentes principais em cada escala espacial, um gradiente de substituição de florestas por outros usos não florestais (PC1) foi gerado e usado como uma variável explanatória. Como resultado, a intensificação do uso do solo na zona ripária de 100 m foi o melhor modelo para ambas as variáveis resposta. Portanto, o estudo sugere que ações de conservação e restauração dos recursos hídricos da área de estudo devem considerar uma zona ripária de pelo menos 100 m de cada lado dos corpos d’água para reduzir os custos de tratamento em curto e médio prazo. Adicionalmente, a recuperação da cobertura florestal é uma ação crucial para manejar as zonas ripárias e bacias hidrográficas.

The loss of interactions and ecosystem functions is a concerning by‐product of pervasive Anthropocene species decline and extinction. Ecological interactions between species sustain the provision of ecosystem processes, especially those mediated by trophic relationships such as pollination and predation. At the local habitat scale, the diversity of natural food sources may increase the diversity of interactions, thus enhancing the stability of local communities and ecosystem functioning. Here I discuss the importance of bromeliads as a potential provider of additional trophic interactions with birds, a key animal group in the Neotropics. Based on 88 studies published between 1965 and 2020 across the Neotropical region, I observed that bromeliads act as ‘wildlife restaurants’ by providing an additional food source throughout the year in almost all Neotropical ecosystems for at least 162 bird species (mostly hummingbirds). These plants (both epiphytic and terrestrial forms) can provide nectar, flowers, water for drinking, invertebrates, small vertebrates, seeds, and fruits, as well as nest materials and substrates. Given these trophic relationships between bromeliads and birds, actions to restore the richness and abundance of these plants in changed habitats would potentially enhance the local diversity of birds. I discuss and recommend the use of bromeliad transplantations as a relevant conservation tool for birds and some implications for the maintenance of species and interaction diversity in natural and agricultural habitats.

Threatened species are frequently difficult to monitor, leading to a lack of information for the selection of the best conservation strategies. A case in point is the Red-billed Curassow (Crax blumenbachii, Cracidae, Galliformes), whose populations have declined due to deforestation of the northern Atlantic Forest and increased poaching in the late 1960s. The species is presently absent from most forest frag- ments within its geographic range, occurring only in forest remnants on the states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, Brazil. In this study, we esti- mated encounter rates and recorded the periods of activity of the Red-billed Curassow in three large Atlantic Forest fragments in the north- eastern Brazilian state of Bahia, using line-transect sampling. The northern region of Serra do Conduru State Park (0.29 sighting/10 km) and Descobrimento National Park (0.27 sighting/10 km) presented slightly greater encounter rates of this endangered cracid, compared to the Una Biological Reserve (0.13 – 0.20 sighting/10 km). We recorded Red-billed Curassows throughout the day, mainly between 10:00–11:00 h and 14:00–17:00 h. Our study is the first step for long-term monitoring of the Red-billed Curassow. These findings serve as baseline infor- mation, which may contribute to future assessments of the conservation status and support future conservation actions for the species.