Nonvolant small mammals from a southwestern area of Brazilian Cerrado: diversity, habitat use, seasonality, and biogeography

Carmignotto, Ana Paula; Bezerra, Alexandra M. R.; Rodrigues, Flávio Henrique Guimarães

doi:10.12933/therya-14-197

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…However, to understand the impacts of fire on small mammals, we must understand how their assemblages are structured in the Brazilian Cerrado. For instance, studies at both local and regional scales have shown that small mammals are composed of savanna specialists and forest dwellers at roughly similar proportions, with few generalist species (Carmignotto et al, 2012(Carmignotto et al, , 2014. Since fire alters vegetation structure, in the sense of reducing arboreal biomass and increasing herbaceous layer, these changes directly affect the small mammals, favoring open habitat dwellers and consequently decreasing forest specialists in burned areas (Henriques et al, 2006;Camargo et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The taxonomic classification and nomenclature follow Gardner (2008) for armadillos, Voss and Jansa (2009) for marsupials, and Patton et al (2015) for rodents. Species surveyed were classified as grassland/savanna specialists or as generalists-occurring on both open and forested habitatsbased on habitat selectivity data from previous studies in the Cerrado (Marinho-Filho et al, 2002;Carmignotto et al, 2012Carmignotto et al, , 2014 as well as from the study area (Carmignotto, pers. data).…”

Section: Small Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Durigan

Pilon

Abreu

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Although savannas are fire-adapted ecosystems, prescribing fire for biodiversity conservation remains controversial at least in some regions where savannas occur. Faced with uncertainty, many decision makers and even scientists are still reluctant to prescribe fire for conservation purposes in fire-prone ecosystems, invoking the precautionary principle. Knowledge gaps on the ideal fire regime, such as how and when to burn, and especially the fear of biodiversity losses, are among the main arguments against fire management applied to remnants of native savanna vegetation. To inform this debate, we assessed the impact of prescribed fires on diversity of plants (different growth forms), ants, frogs, lizards, birds, and small mammals, in savannas and grasslands of the Brazilian Cerrado. We assessed the existing species richness, composition, and abundance in areas subjected to long periods of fire suppression and compared to that observed over a short period after prescribed dry-season fires, within each group of plants and animals. Whenever possible, we carried out separate analyses for grassland and savanna. Burning did not significantly reduce species richness of any of the groups analyzed, but had a positive effect on richness of graminoids in grassland. When analyzed at the species level, abundance of most animal groups did not show consistent responses to fire, except for a decrease in some frog populations in grasslands. Forbs, graminoids, and subshrubs increased in abundance after fire in grassland areas, though in savanna areas, abundance of forbs, and subshrubs tended to decline after fire. Species composition changed little in response to fire as indicated by low levels of dissimilarity between burned and unburned areas. These results confirm the high resilience of Cerrado biota to fire, as expected for savanna ecosystems in general. Besides, we demonstrate here that the risk of biodiversity losses cannot justify the objections to the use of prescribed fire for conservation purposes in the Cerrado.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Small Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Durigan

Pilon

Abreu

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…Esta variable no resultó significativa para las especies más comunes de roedor (Akodon montensis) y de didélfido (Gracilinanus agilis). En un estudio realizado en la zona del Cerrado en Brasil, Carmignotto et al (2014) observaron mayor abundancia para la especie H. megacephalus en la época lluviosa que en la época seca, presumiendo una mayor actividad en la primera por la disponibilidad de alimentos. En contraste en esta investigación se observaron más individuos en la época seca, pudiendo deberse a que en la zona boscosa se encuentra una disponibilidad de recursos igualmente en la época seca.…”

Section: Akodon Montensisunclassified

Relación de los pequeños mamíferos terrestres (Rodentia y Didelphimorphia) con la estructura de la vegetación en el Bosque Atlántico Interior – un análisis multivariado

Cáceres

Owen²

2019

Therya

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The ecological importance of small mammals includes their role as dispersers of seeds, spores and propagules of plants, fungi and lichens, decomposers of organic matter and controllers of invertebrates as well as prey of a great number of vertebrates. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between non-volant small mammals (Rodentia and Didelphimorphia) to vegetation structure and the extent of degradation of the forest in an area near the western boundary of the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest, and to evaluate seasonal and interannual variation in species' abundances. The study was conducted in the Mbaracayú Forest Natural Reserve, Paraguay. Mark-capture methodology was employed in three sites with different degrees of degradation, in two seasons of the year (dry and rainy), in 2015 and 2016. A multivariate analysis was performed with ANOVA and MANOVA, evaluating degree of habitat disturbance and annual and seasonal variation as independent variables and species abundances as dependent variables. Sixteen small-mammal species were recorded, with 1,161 captures of 598 individuals and 563 recaptures throughout the sampling. Twelve species were of the Order Rodentia (all of the family Cricetidae, subfamily Sigmodontinae), and four of the Order Didelphimorphia (family Didelphidae). Variables that were significant for the most abundant species (Akodon montensis) were interannual variation and habitat degradation. The most common didelphid species in the study was Gracilinanus agilis, which appears well-adapted to different degrees of habitat degradation, given its occurrence in all sites. Plant communities, including their composition and degree of habitat disturbance, are important for small-mammal communities which are interacting in the different habitats of the forest. In this study we observed that Akodon montensis was most abundant in the habitat of moderate disturbance in the dry season (June). This habitat was characterized by large trees with grasses predominant in the understory. Hylaeamys megacephalus was most abundant in the dry season (June) and less so in the rainy season (November). Oligoryzomys nigripes is a habitat generalist and is less specialized in food preference. Abundance of the didelphid species Gracilinanus agilis was quite variable among sampling periods, but the species was present in all three levels of habitat degradation. The various species (especially the most abundant) exhibited different responses to habitat degradation and to interannual and seasonal variations.

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“…In the scientific literature, many ecological studies focus on singular taxonomic groups or endemic species (Nogueira et al, 2011;Zimbres et al, 2013;Carmignotto et al, 2014). Studies on the impacts of rapid agricultural expansion on soil and water degradation and the functioning of coupled hydrological and ecological processes in this vast biome, which is three times the size of France, are surprisingly rare (but see Haridasan, 2001; Review on knowledge gaps by Ferreira et al, 2012;Grecchi et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Brazilian Cerrado: assessment of water and soil degradation in catchments under intensive agricultural use

et al. 2014

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The Brazilian Cerrado is recognized as one of the most threatened biomes in the world, as the region has experienced a striking change from natural Cerrado vegetation to intense cash crop production. This paper reviews the history of land conversion in the Cerrado and the development of soil properties and water resources under past and ongoing land use. We compared soil and water quality parameters from different land uses considering 80 soil and 18 water studies conducted in different regions across the Cerrado to provide quantitative evidence of soil and water alterations from land use change. Following the conversion of native Cerrado, significant effects on soil pH, bulk density and available P and K for croplands and less-pronounced effects on pastures were evident. Soil total N did not differ between land uses because most of the sites classified as croplands were nitrogen-fixing soybeans, which are not artificially fertilized with N. In contrast, water quality studies showed nitrogen enrichment in agricultural catchments, indicating fertilizer impacts and potential susceptibility to eutrophication. Regardless of the land use, P is widely absent because of the high-fixing capacities of deeply weathered soils and the filtering capacity of riparian vegetation. Pesticides, however, were consistently detected throughout the entire aquatic system. In several case studies, extremely high-peak concentrations exceeded Brazilian and European Union (EU) water quality limits, which were potentially accompanied by serious health implications. Land use intensification is likely to continue, particularly in regions where less annual rainfall and severe droughts are projected in the northeastern and western Cerrado. Thus, the leaching risk and displacement of agrochemicals are expected to increase, particularly because the current legislation has caused a reduction in riparian vegetation. We conclude that land use intensification is likely to seriously limit the Cerrado's future regarding both agricultural productivity and ecosystem stability. Because only limited data are available, we recommend further field studies to understand the interaction between terrestrial and aquatic systems. This study may serve as a valuable database for integrated modelling to investigate the impact of land use and climate change on soil and water resources and to test and develop mitigation measures for the Cerrado.

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Nonvolant small mammals from a southwestern area of Brazilian Cerrado: diversity, habitat use, seasonality, and biogeography

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

No Net Loss of Species Diversity After Prescribed Fires in the Brazilian Savanna

Relación de los pequeños mamíferos terrestres (Rodentia y Didelphimorphia) con la estructura de la vegetación en el Bosque Atlántico Interior – un análisis multivariado

The Brazilian Cerrado: assessment of water and soil degradation in catchments under intensive agricultural use

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