Use of space by frugivorous bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in a restored Atlantic forest fragment in Brazil

We studied patterns in the use of space for foraging and roosting by two frugivorous bat species in a five-year-old restored Atlantic forest located in a fragmented landscape in southeastern Brazil. Ten individuals of Carollia perspicillata and eleven individuals of Artibeus lituratus were monitored through radio-telemetry in five sampling sessions. Each session lasted 3-8. days for each individual, with an average of 25.4 ± 10 locations for each C. perspicillata individual and 19 ± 4.4 for each A. lituratus individual. We described an average range of 124.4. ha and an average commuting distance of 1158.8. m for A. lituratus and an average range and commuting distance of 32. ha and 489. m, respectively, for C. perspicillata. We demonstrated a consistent pattern in habitat use and movements for both studied species, where they strictly used forests (restored or not) for day roosting, roosting in the foliage of trees located only in secondary forest remnants and restored areas, while restored areas were their main feeding habitat. We demonstrate that newly restored forests can be readily incorporated as foraging and roosting habitats by these species, and that C. perspicillata alters its roosting behavior in relation to preferred food availability. These results, when combined with data on the diet of the studied species, show consistent evidence of the potential that bats have to improve species diversity of anthropogenic plantings with their own natural seed dispersal. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Entomological surveillance, spatial distribution, and diversity of culicidae (diptera) immatures in a rural area of the atlantic forest biome, state of sao paulo, brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Microbial populations and activities of mangrove, restinga and Atlantic forest soils from Cardoso Island, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Geographic note on species of the genus Upa Kimsey, 1991 (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae, Thynninae) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Upa Kimsey is a poorly known genus of Tiphiidae with seven species. This genus has records in forest areas and in this paper we present new records to four species. All specimens were collected by malaise traps in four areas of Atlantic Rain Forest and three of Atlantic Semi-deciduous forest, mainly from high and mid-elevations. The new records indicate that species of Upa are not as rare as others genera of Tiphiidae, which are virtually unknown in many Neotropical regions.

Phosphorus fractions in soils of the mangrove, restinga and Atlantic forest ecosystems from Cardoso Island, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ticks infesting birds in Atlantic Forest fragments in Rio Clam, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

In the present study, we report tick infestations on wild birds in plots of the Atlantic Forest reforested fragments with native species and plots reforested with Eucalyptus tereticornis in the municipality of Rio Claro, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A total of 256 birds were captured: 137 individuals of 33 species, in planted native forest; and 128 individuals of 37 species, in planted Eucalyptus tereticornis forest. Nymphs of two tick species were found on the birds: Amblyomma calcaratum and Amblyomma longirostre, the former was more abundant in the fragments reforested with Atlantic forest native species, and the latter in the fragment reforested with E. tereticornis. New host records were presented for A. calcaratum.

Volatile Oil of Psidium cattleianum Sabine from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Impact of Road Clearings on the Movements of Three Understory Insectivorous Bird Species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mammal occurrence and roadkill in two adjacent ecoregions (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado) in south-western Brazil

This paper examines the frequencies of mammal roadkill in two adjacent biogeographic ecoregions (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado) of Brazil. Mammals were recorded during a seven-year period and over 3,900 km of roads, in order to obtain data for frequencies of species in habitats (sites) and frequencies of species killed by cars on roads. Sites (n = 80) within ecoregions (Cerrado, n = 57; Atlantic Forest, n = 23) were searched for records of mammals. Species surveyed in the entire region totaled 33, belonging to nine orders and 16 families. In the Cerrado, 31 species were recorded in habitats; of these, 25 were found dead on roads. In the Atlantic Forest ecoregions, however, we found 21 species in habitats, 16 of which were also found dead on roads. There was no overall significant difference between ecoregions for frequencies of occurrence in habitats or for roadkills, but there were differences between individual species. Hence, anteaters were mostly recorded in the Cerrado ecoregion, whereas caviomorph rodents tended to be more frequent in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion (seen mainly by roadkills). The greater number of species (overall and threatened) and the greater abundance of species records in the Cerrado suggest that this ecoregion has a greater biodiversity and is better conserved than the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, south-western Brazil.

Spatial variation in post-dispersal seed removal in an Atlantic forest: Effects of habitat, location and guilds of seed predators

Studies of post-dispersal seed removal in the Neotropics have rarely examined the magnitude of seed removal by different types of granivores. The relative impact of invertebrates, small rodents, and birds on seed removal was investigated in a 2,178 ha Atlantic forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. We used popcorn kernels (Zea mays-Poaceae) to investigate seed removal in a series of selective exclosure treatments in a replicated, paired design experiment that included forest understory, gaps, and forest edge sites. We recorded the vegetation around the experimental seed stations in detail in order to evaluate the influence of microhabitat traits on seed removal. Vertebrate granivores (rodents and birds) were surveyed to determine whether granivore abundance was correlated with seed removal levels. Seed removal varied spatially and in unpredictable ways at the study site. Seed encounter and seed use varied with treatments, but not with habitat type. However, seed removal by invertebrates was negatively correlated with gap-related traits, which suggested an avoidance of large gaps by granivorous ants. The abundance of small mammals was remarkably low, but granivorous birds (tinamous and doves) were abundant at the study site. Birds were the main seed consumers in open treatments, but there was no correlation between local granivorous bird abundance and seed removal. These results emphasize the stochastic spatial pattern of seed removal, and, contrary to previous studies, highlight the importance of birds as seed predators in forest habitats. (c) 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Horizontal and vertical tree community structure in a lowland atlantic rain forest, southeastern Brazil

A estrutura horizontal e vertical do componente arbóreo foi investigada em um trecho de Floresta Atlântica baixo-montana através de um levantamento fitossociológico em dois blocos amostrais de 0,99 ha cada no Parque Estadual Intervales. Todos os indivíduos com DAP > 5 cm foram registrados. Foram amostrados 3.078 indivíduos distribuídos em 172 espécies. O índice de diversidade de Shannon foi de H' = 3,85 nat.ind.-1. A família Myrtaceae se destacou tanto em número de espécies (38) quanto em número de indivíduos (745) no levantamento. Euterpe edulis Mart. teve o maior valor de importância (33,98%), abrangendo 21,8% do total de indivíduos registrados. O índice de similaridade quantitativo foi maior do que o qualitativo, mostrando pouca variação estrutural entre os blocos amostrais, mas a grande quantidade de espécies pouco abundantes, resultou em pronunciadas diferenças florísticas entre eles. Uma análise de correspondência retificada (DCA) gerou três estratos verticais arbitrários. O estrato A (> 26 m) teve a menor densidade e foi bem representado pelas espécies Sloanea guianensis (Aubl.) Benth. e Virola bicuhyba (Schott. ex A.DC.) Warb. O estrato B (8 m < h < 26 m) mostrou a maior riqueza e diversidade florística, e o estrato C (< 8 m) a maior densidade. Euterpe edulis, Guapira opposita (Vell.) Reitz, Garcinia gardneriana (Planch. & Triana) Zappi e Eugenia mosenii (Kausel) Sobral foram bem representadas nos estratos B e C da floresta. A existência de estratos verticais em florestas tropicais é discutida, recomendando-se o uso da DCA para estudos da estratificação vertical em outras florestas tropicais.

Reproductive phenology of coastal plain Atlantic forest vegetation: comparisons from seashore to foothills

The diversity of tropical forest plant phenology has called the attention of researchers for a long time. We continue investigating the factors that drive phenological diversity on a wide scale, but we are unaware of the variation of plant reproductive phenology at a fine spatial scale despite the high spatial variation in species composition and abundance in tropical rainforests. We addressed fine scale variability by investigating the reproductive phenology of three contiguous vegetations across the Atlantic rainforest coastal plain in Southeastern Brazil. We asked whether the vegetations differed in composition and abundance of species, the microenvironmental conditions and the reproductive phenology, and how their phenology is related to regional and local microenvironmental factors. The study was conducted from September 2007 to August 2009 at three contiguous sites: (1) seashore dominated by scrub vegetation, (2) intermediary covered by restinga forest and (3) foothills covered by restinga pre-montane transitional forest. We conducted the microenvironmental, plant and phenological survey within 30 transects of 25 mx4 m (10 per site). We detected significant differences in floristic, microenvironment and reproductive phenology among the three vegetations. The microenvironment determines the spatial diversity observed in the structure and composition of the flora, which in turn determines the distinctive flowering and fruiting peaks of each vegetation (phenological diversity). There was an exchange of species providing flowers and fruits across the vegetation complex. We conclude that plant reproductive patterns as described in most phenological studies (without concern about the microenvironmental variation) may conceal the fine scale temporal phenological diversity of highly diverse tropical vegetation. This phenological diversity should be taken into account when generating sensor-derived phenologies and when trying to understand tropical vegetation responses to environmental changes.

Variation in liana abundance and biomass along an elevational gradient in the tropical Atlantic Forest (Brazil)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Geographical variation in genetic structure of an Atlantic Coastal Forest frog reveals regional differences in habitat stability

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Humidity levels drive reproductive modes and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)