Nests of the Brazilian squirrel Sciurus ingrami Thomas (Rodentia, Sciuridae)

Alvarenga, Cibele Andrade de; Talamoni, Sônia A.

doi:10.1590/s0101-81752005000300048

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is likely that other factors such as microhabitat, perception of predation risk (Lima et al . ), distance to the nest (Alvarenga & Talamoni ), or chemical signals in the composition of the fruit ( i.e ., quantities of lipids, salts, and tannin) also influence a squirrel's choice of which palm to forage. Conversely, it is also possible that the squirrels predominantly select palms at random within their home range for foraging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Queen palm fruit selection and foraging techniques of squirrels in the Atlantic Forest

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Queen palm seeds (Syagrus romanzoffiana) are a vital source of nutrients for Ingram's squirrel (Guerlinguetus ingrami), a common inhabitant of the Atlantic forest biome of Brazil. G. ingrami acts as both a seed predator and disperser of this important palm; however, little is known about how G. ingrami selects or efficiently opens queen palm seeds. The objectives of this study were to: (1) investigate the squirrel's capacity to determine the germinal orifice among the fruit's three pores, which permits more efficient opening of the fruit; (2) assess whether the thickness and size of the fruit endocarp influence the squirrel's palm selection during foraging; and (3) evaluate whether the rodents preferentially select fruits with invertebrate infestations. To answer these questions, we used a series of behavioral experiments measuring patterns of squirrel feeding behavior (fruit opening, fruit selection, and patch selection), controlling for environmental variables. We found that (1) squirrels identify the queen palm germinal pore by its greater relative depth to the other pores; (2) the average size and thickness of fruit does not influence the squirrel's choice of palm for foraging; and (3) squirrels preferentially consume fruits infested by invertebrates. The development of methods for more efficient processing of queen palm fruit highlights the importance of this resource for G. ingrami. In addition, due to its preferential selection of infested fruits, G. ingrami may benefit palms by reducing parasite population loads.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Queen palm fruit selection and foraging techniques of squirrels in the Atlantic Forest

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We also found a high monthly survival for G. b. ingrami (0.94 ± 0.02). Previous information on longevity and reproduction of G. b. ingrami is scarce, but this species has the potential to survive several years in the wild and reproduces once or twice a year (Bordignon & Monteiro-Filho 2000, Alvarenga & Talamoni 2005. We recorded two adult individuals that remained in the study area for at least 33 to 35 months, suggesting longevity longer than three years in the wild.…”

Section: Mnka (Mean ± Sd)mentioning

confidence: 84%

A 3-YEAR POPULATION STUDY OF Guerlinguetus brasiliensis ingrami (RODENTIA, SCIURIDAE) AT THE SERRA DA BOCAINA NATIONAL PARK, RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Brazilian Squirrel Guerlinguetus brasiliensis ingrami (Rodentia, Sciuridae) is commonly observed in the wild, yet its population parameters are poorly known because this species is rarely captured with traditional live-traps. Here we evaluated the population parameters of G. b. ingrami in a 3-year capture-mark-recapture study at the Serra da Bocaina National Park, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Population parameters were evaluated using the Jolly-Seber model POPAN and the Minimum Number Known to be Alive (MNKA). Population size estimates ranged between 3.2 ± 2.4 (mean ± SE) and 51.3 ± 15.0 individuals based on POPAN, and 2 and 10 individuals based on MNKA. Our population density estimates (1.3 to 74.3 individuals/km 2) were similar to those documented in previous studies carried out in the Atlantic Forest. Monthly survival was high (0.94 ± 0.02) and capture probability was low (0.16 ± 0.05), probably reflecting the species trap-shyness. The low capture probability of G. b. ingrami evidences the importance of the unique population data presented in this study for increasing basic knowledge on this species.

show abstract

Assessment of Detection Methods and Vegetation Associations for Introduced Finlayson’s Squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii) in Italy

Ancillotto

Notomista

Mori

et al. 2018

Environmental Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Managing biological invasions requires rapid, cost-effective assessments of introduced species' occurrence, and a good understanding of the species' vegetation associations. This is particularly true for species that are elusive or may spread rapidly. Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) is native to Thailand and southeastern Asia, and two introduced populations occur in peninsular Italy. One of the two introduced populations is rapidly expanding, but neither effective monitoring protocols nor reliable information on vegetation associations are available. To fill this gap, we conducted visual surveys and hair tube sampling in a periurban landscape of southern Italy to compare the effectiveness of these two methods in assessing presence of Finlayson's squirrel. We also determined the species' association with vegetation types at detection locations and nesting sites. Both visual and hair tube sampling effectively assessed the species' presence, but hair tubes resulted in fewer false absences. Moreover, when we controlled for the costs of labor and equipment, hair tubes were 33.1% less expensive than visual sampling. Presence of squirrels and their nests was positively correlated with shrub species richness, indicating that the occurrence of forests with well-developed understory may inhibit the spread of the species.

show abstract

Nests of the Brazilian squirrel Sciurus ingrami Thomas (Rodentia, Sciuridae)

Cited by 6 publications

References 17 publications

Queen palm fruit selection and foraging techniques of squirrels in the Atlantic Forest

Queen palm fruit selection and foraging techniques of squirrels in the Atlantic Forest

A 3-YEAR POPULATION STUDY OF Guerlinguetus brasiliensis ingrami (RODENTIA, SCIURIDAE) AT THE SERRA DA BOCAINA NATIONAL PARK, RIO DE JANEIRO STATE, BRAZIL

Assessment of Detection Methods and Vegetation Associations for Introduced Finlayson’s Squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii) in Italy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About