Unravelling the drivers of maned wolf activity along an elevational gradient in the Atlantic Forest, south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

The maned wolf, the largest canid in South America, was originally distributed in areas with open natural vegetation in the Cerrado biome, Chaco and Pampas regions. The dynamics of its distribution are however in flux, with populations declining at the southern limit of its distribution, and areas of apparent range expansion in Brazil. Although the maned wolf's overall distribution is well documented, little is known about its smallest-scale landscape use. Here we used a novel approach, characterising "favourable territories" for maned wolves using presence data and information on daily movement capacity. In this way, we used favourability distribution models to relate local landscape use by maned wolves to environmental drivers in the Serra da Mantiqueira, part of the core of the species distribution. Our results showed that the favourablity of territories for maned wolf activity increases with altitude, and with the proportion of coverage of upper montane vegetation refuges and of open habitats such as agricultural fields. Our results also show that the configuration of the environment with respect to topography is an important driver of the favourability of the landscape for maned wolf activity. Finally, we identified some human-wildlife conflicts in the surroundings of the protected area which could increase with increasing maned wolf populations. In conclusion, our results support the importance of maintaining the integrity of high-altitude open areas in the conservation of maned wolf habitat and provide useful data for maned wolf management at the core of its global current distribution. We highlight that this is the first study to use fuzzy logic tools at the local scale to analyze the favourability of territories for maned wolf activity in a highly favourable region along an elevational gradient.

Space use patterns of two large carnivores: Puma (Puma concolor) and Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) in tropical agroecosystems

“…Unpaved roads had a positive and significant effect on the intensity of use by maned wolves and were also relevant to the space use of pumas. The use of roads by these species is well-documented (Massara et al 2012; Quiroga et al 2016; Aximoff et al 2020), including in our study region (Lyra-Jorge et al 2008; Miotto et al 2012; Paolino et al 2016). These structures allow carnivores to move faster and farther with lower energy cost, positively influencing encounters with potential prey (Pescador and Peris 2007; Latham et al 2011; DeMars and Boutin 2018).…”

Terrestrial mammals of the Americas and their interactions with plastic waste

“…The other studies present only one description (Montanelli 2001 ; Tirelli et al 2019 ). On the other hand, in C. brachyurus , the samples presented a plastic film (Aximoff et al 2020 ). The other studies lack details (Aragona et al 2001 ; Silva et al 2003 ; Massara et al 2012 ).…”

First record of plastic ingestion by Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora, Canidae) in northeastern Brazil

“…Other garbage items such as paper, string, cotton, cigarettes, aluminum foil and glass were also recorded in Brazil (Aragona & Setz 2001;Silva & Talamoni 2003;Massara et al 2012), USA (Morey et al 2007;Larson et al 2015) and Chile (García et al 2018). The presence of these items reveals the ability of these animals to explore garbage when searching for food (Aragona & Setz 2001;Silva & Talamoni 2003;Morey et al 2007;Aximoff et al 2020). This finding also highlights the need for better garbage management and monitoring its impact on fauna (Aragona & Setz 2001;Aximoff et al 2020).…”

“…The presence of these items reveals the ability of these animals to explore garbage when searching for food (Aragona & Setz 2001;Silva & Talamoni 2003;Morey et al 2007;Aximoff et al 2020). This finding also highlights the need for better garbage management and monitoring its impact on fauna (Aragona & Setz 2001;Aximoff et al 2020). Cerdocyon thous, when foraging in altered areas, can explore garbage in search of potential food and accidentally end up ingesting inorganic items, such as plastics.…”