Medium and large mammals in a Cerrado fragment in Southeast Goiás, Brazil: inventory and immediate effects of habitat reduction on species richness and composition

Abstract

The reduction and fragmentation of remnant vegetation habitats has been one of the main threats to Cerrado biodiversity. The aim of the present study is to make an inventory of medium and large mammal species in a Cerrado remnant and to assess deforestation influence on part of this fragment on the richness and composition of mammal species. The study was conducted in a Cerrado fragment in southeast Goias State, Ipameri County. Data were collected during three different periods (P1, January-June, 2014; P2, December, 2016 - June, 2017; P3, July-December, 2017) through direct (visual, vocal and camera-trap records) and indirect methods (foot prints, animal burrows and other traces) in order to register the mammal species. Jackknife 1 estimator was used to estimate species richness during each of the three sampled periods and for the complete collection period; species similarity between periods was assessed through the Jaccard's Index of Similarity (Cj). Species richness between periods was performed through inference by overlapping confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-nine species were recorded during the assessed period, five of them were listed as endangered in Brazil. There was no significant change in species richness between the assessed periods: species richness of 25 species was observed in Period 1 (P1), the richness of 32 species was estimated (CI = 4.58); 23 species were recorded in Period 2 (P2), and the richness of 30 species was estimated (CI = 4.39), the richness of 23 species was observed in Period 3 (P3) and the richness of 28 species was estimated (CI = 4.70). Similarity in species composition between the assessed periods recorded Cj = 0.71 (71%) between P1 and P2, Cj = 0.66 (66%) between P1 and P3, and Cj = 0.77 between P2 and P3. Fragment deforestation did not influence the richness and composition of medium and large mammal species (within a period of 2~3 years) when the three periods were compared; however, the absence of changes in the community can be the result of time-lag, therefore, we cannot put aside the likelihood of mid and long-term effects.

Checklist of mammals from Goiás, central Brazil

“…We consider Cabassous squamicaudis as a full species as treated by Feijó & Langguth (2013). This species co-occurs with Cabassous tatouay in Goiás (Rodrigues et al 2002;Sanderson & Silveira, 2003;Rocha et al 2019) and, as well as for other species of armadillos, the number of records varied between studies, depending on the type of habitat, and the degree of conservation of surveyed areas. Tolypeutes tricinctus and C. tatouay were the rarest species throughout its range in Cerrado, including Goiás (Anacleto et al 2006;Ubaid et al 2010).…”

Investigating Relationships between Runoff–Erosion Processes and Land Use and Land Cover Using Remote Sensing Multiple Gridded Datasets

“…The population in this basin is approximately 729,108 inhabitants, being mainly composed of an urban population (89%) [47]. The demographic structure of the basin has undergone an intense transformation since 1970, when the population changed from rural The population in this basin is approximately 729,108 inhabitants, being mainly composed of an urban population (89%) [47]. The demographic structure of the basin has undergone an intense transformation since 1970, when the population changed from rural to urban.…”

Medium and Large-Sized Mammals in a Fragment of Cerrado in Serra Dos Pireneus, Central Brazil

“…The presence of the largest Brazilian carnivore, the endangered Panthera onca, which is considered rare in the Cerrado of GO (Hanibal et al 2021) (Rocha et al 2019). However, the discrete, sitespecific behavior of this species in the study area is unknown and would be worthy of further study so that appropriate conservation and habitat management actions can be implemented.…”

“…Most species identified in this study are impacted by various anthropogenic threats that are recurrent throughout the Cerrado, including habitat loss and fragmentation due to agricultural activities, an increase in livestock in particular, hunting pressure, retaliation due to humanwildlife conflicts, and the presence of exotic species (e.g., Beisiegel 2017, Rocha et al 2019. Livestock can have a substantial ecological and economic impact, mainly for the conversion of native areas into pasture, and for their predation by large felines (Beisiegel et al 2017).…”