Conservation of grassland birds in South Brazil: a land management perspective

Fontana, Carla Suertegaray; Dotta, Graziela; Marques, Cybele Kelm; Repenning, Márcio; Agne, Carlos Eduardo; Santos, Rogerio Jaworski dos

doi:10.1016/j.ncon.2016.09.005

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Differences between grassland types under different management thus are a consequence of interacting factors and processes. On a regional scale, this certainly contributes to diversity and thus may be considered efficient for conservation, likely not only for plant species (evaluated in this study) but also for other species groups that depend on grassland structure (see Fontana et al 2016;Overbeck et al 2016). However, longer-term studies are necessary, as plant diversity can be expected to be reduced in grasslands where effectively no more management occurs over longer periods.…”

Section: Grasslands In Preservation Areas Without Effective Managemenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation of species-rich subtropical grasslands: traditional management vs. legal conservation requirements in primary and secondary grasslands

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Land-use change is the main cause of biodiversity losses, and for grasslands includes changes in management. The last 10 years has seen afforestation of traditionally grazed grasslands increase considerably in the understudied Serra do Sudeste region of the Brazilian Pampa, turning the region into a mosaic of tree plantations, natural ecosystems (partly in conservation areas without grazing management) and other land uses. We evaluated grassland plant community structure and composition in conservation areas considering two distinct types of land-use history and compared them to grasslands under traditional management. The study was carried out at 58 sites. Per site, three plots were established to sample the plant composition of the herbaceous and shrub layers. We used ordination techniques and indicator species analysis to describe patterns of community composition. We recorded a total of 516 species, thus confirming the high biodiversity of the region. We detected differences in vegetation structure and composition between primary and secondary grasslands. Our study emphasizes the need to increase conservation efforts in the region and points out that current conservation approaches should be evaluated critically regarding their effects for biodiversity conservation and that adequate grazing management is key for grassland biodiversity conservation.

show abstract

Section: Grasslands In Preservation Areas Without Effective Managemenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation of species-rich subtropical grasslands: traditional management vs. legal conservation requirements in primary and secondary grasslands

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Due this, these areas' similarity indicates that possibly these birds are not under pressure in those kinds of rural areas outside protected areas, especially in large fields extensions like those that we sampled in this study. The use of native fields for livestock is considered the economic activity with the least impact for birds in southeastern South America, since performed moderately, with, for example, a reduced number of animals per hectare (Develey et al 2008, Fontana et al 2009, Azpiroz et al 2012, Dotta et al 2015, Fontana et al 2016.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Diurnal Birds of Prey Community Between Natural and Anthropized Environments in Highland Grasslands of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The highland grasslands, characteristic of the mountain region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, have been used historically for several commercial purposes, including extensive livestock, forestry, and agriculture. The biodiversity has a high endemism, but there is a lack of studies on various animal and plant groups. Birds of prey are a great group to assess environmental quality, as they are top predators. This study aimed to test if the diurnal birds of prey community is changing due to the replacement of native grasslands by other human economic activities. We surveyed birds of prey at 12 sampling points from August 2018 to June 2019, including protected grasslands and livestock grasslands, agricultural, and forestry areas. We obtained 1,582 records of birds of prey of 17 species, and the highest richness and number of records, were obtained in the protected grasslands (17 spp.; 393 records) and livestock grasslands (15 spp.; 434 records), followed by agriculture (13 spp.; 418 records) and forestry areas (9 spp.; 337 records). There was a significant difference in the richness of birds of prey in the protected grasslands, livestock grasslands and agriculture areas over the forestry areas. In the number of records, there was a significant difference between livestock grasslands and agriculture areas over forestry areas. This study showed that the conversion of native grassland areas, mainly by forestry, affects the composition of the diurnal birds of prey community, especially the rarest and most endangered species.

show abstract

“…Southern Brazilian highland grasslands cover about 60,000 km 2 and consist of a mosaic of grasslands and Araucaria forest, together with other vegetation types in a minor contribution, such as wetlands and peat bogs, with an undulating relief and mean altitude of 900–1,000 m a.s.l. [ 1 , 5 , 12 , 14 ]. These grasslands are characterized by the dominance of perennial grass species in terms of cover and by high levels of endemism and high overall species richness, where Poaceae (mostly represented by tussock species such as Andropogon lateralis , Axonopus siccus , and Schizachyrium tenerum ), Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Cyperaceae are the main families in species number [ 14 , 43 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The degradation and loss of grassland areas have negatively affected bird populations throughout the world [1]. The biodiversity in southern Brazilian highland grasslands, located in northeastern Rio Grande do Sul and the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná, has also been impacted by anthropic actions [3][4][5]. This region houses about 70% of the bird species associated with grassland landscapes in southeastern South America, including endemic, migratory and/or threatened species [1,[6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire exclusion also leads to the accumulation of flammable biomass and, consequently, can increase fire intensity and risk of catastrophic fire [ 13 , 19 , 21 ]. However, when in excess (e.g., overgrazing, cattle trampling, and high frequencies of fire) these disturbances can cause the decline of threatened bird species, mainly those dependent of tall grasslands, as observed for Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil [ 5 , 22 ]. Thus, the threshold between sustainable use and degradation seems to be subtle when we consider fire is a factor in maintaining the integrity of grasslands [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Temporal changes in bird communities in areas with different histories of fire disturbance in highland grasslands of Brazil

2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the importance and ubiquity of grasslands, the degradation and the loss of these habitats have negatively affected bird populations throughout the world. The use of fire to manage grassland areas in some regions of southern Brazil can help to maintain these areas but can also influence the bird community in different ways. We assessed temporal changes in richness, abundance, and composition of bird communities in areas with different histories of fire disturbance in highland grasslands of southern Brazil, the most extensive remnant of grassland of the Atlantic Forest domain. We censused birds during four breeding seasons (2015–2018), through point counts in areas burned only once in the last ten years (OF, n = 3), areas burned annually (AF, n = 2), and areas without fire in the last ten years (WF, n = 2). In OF the richness, abundance, and species composition changed in the year of the fire, compared to the previous year, and returned to the initial values two years later. In AF and WF we found some differences among the years, but not with an equally clear pattern. Three of the six grassland associated species assessed individually for density responded significantly to temporal habitat modification since the fire. Our results show that two years without fire were enough time for the bird community to recover after a fire, but some responses are species-specific. Therefore, fire can be used as a management tool for grasslands and may help in the conservation of birds of southern Brazil, as long as with a minimum interval between fires in an area is guaranteed.

show abstract

Conservation of grassland birds in South Brazil: a land management perspective

Cited by 21 publications

References 9 publications

Conservation of species-rich subtropical grasslands: traditional management vs. legal conservation requirements in primary and secondary grasslands

Conservation of species-rich subtropical grasslands: traditional management vs. legal conservation requirements in primary and secondary grasslands

Comparison of Diurnal Birds of Prey Community Between Natural and Anthropized Environments in Highland Grasslands of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil

Temporal changes in bird communities in areas with different histories of fire disturbance in highland grasslands of Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About