Prospects for biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest: Lessons from aging human-modified landscapes

Recent global assessments have shown the limited coverage of protected areas across tropical biotas, fuelling a growing interest in the potential conservation services provided by anthropogenic landscapes. Here we examine the geographic distribution of biological diversity in the Atlantic Forest of South America, synthesize the most conspicuous forest biodiversity responses to human disturbances, propose further conservation initiatives for this biota, and offer a range of general insights into the prospects of forest species persistence in human-modified tropical forest landscapes worldwide. At the biome scale, the most extensive pre-Columbian habitats across the Atlantic Forest ranged across elevations below 800 masl, which still concentrate most areas within the major centers of species endemism. Unfortunately, up to 88% of the original forest habitat has been lost, mainly across these low to intermediate elevations, whereas protected areas are clearly skewed towards high elevations above 1200 masl. At the landscape scale, most remaining Atlantic Forest cover is embedded within dynamic agro-mosaics including elements such as small forest fragments, early-to-late secondary forest patches and exotic tree mono-cultures. In this sort of aging or long-term modified landscapes, habitat fragmentation appears to effectively drive edge-dominated portions of forest fragments towards an early-successional system, greatly limiting the long-term persistence of forest-obligate and forest-dependent species. However, the extent to which forest habitats approach early-successional systems, thereby threatening the bulk of the Atlantic Forest biodiversity, depends on both past and present landscape configuration. Many elements of human-modified landscapes (e.g. patches of early-secondary forests and tree mono-cultures) may offer excellent conservation opportunities, but they cannot replace the conservation value of protected areas and hitherto unprotected large patches of old-growth forests. Finally, the biodiversity conservation services provided by anthropogenic landscapes across Atlantic Forest and other tropical forest regions can be significantly augmented by coupling biodiversity corridor initiatives with biota-scale attempts to plug existing gaps in the representativeness of protected areas. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of Dendrocolaptes platyrostris (Aves: Furnariidae) between the South American open vegetation corridor and the Atlantic forest

The open vegetation corridor of South America is a region dominated by savanna biomes. It contains forests (i.e. riverine forests) that may act as corridors for rainforest specialists between the open vegetation corridor and its neighbouring biomes (i.e. the Amazonian and Atlantic forests). A prediction for this scenario is that populations of rainforest specialists in the open vegetation corridor and in the forested biomes show no significant genetic divergence. We addressed this hypothesis by studying plumage and genetic variation of the Planalto woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes platyrostris Spix (1824) (Aves: Furnariidae), a forest specialist that occurs in both open habitat and in the Atlantic forest. The study questions were: (1) is there any evidence of genetic continuity between populations of the open habitat and the Atlantic forest and (2) is plumage variation congruent with patterns of neutral genetic structure or with ecological factors related to habitat type? We used cytochrome b and mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to show that D. platyrostris is monophyletic and presents substantial intraspecific differentiation. We found two areas of plumage stability: one associated with Cerrado and the other associated with southern Atlantic Forest. Multiple Mantel tests showed that most of the plumage variation followed the transition of habitats but not phylogeographical gaps, suggesting that selection may be related to the evolution of the plumage of the species. The results were not compatible with the idea that forest specialists in the open vegetation corridor and in the Atlantic forest are linked at the population level because birds from each region were not part of the same genetic unit. Divergence in the presence of gene flow across the ecotone between both regions might explain our results. Also, our findings indicate that the southern Atlantic forest may have been significantly affected by Pleistocene climatic alteration, although such events did not cause local extinction of most taxa, as occurred in other regions of the globe where forests were significantly affected by global glaciations. Finally, our results neither support plumage stability areas, nor subspecies as full species. (C) 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103, 801-820.

Effects of bamboo stands on seed rain and seed limitation in a rainforest

Bamboos often negatively affect tree recruitment, survival, and growth, leading to arrested tree regeneration in forested habitats. Studies so far have focused on the effects of bamboos on the performance of seedlings and saplings, but the influence of bamboos on forest dynamics may start very early in the forest regeneration process by altering seed rain patterns. We tested the prediction that the density and composition of the seed rain are altered and seed limitation is higher in stands of Guadua tagoara (B or bamboo stands), a large-sized woody bamboo native from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, compared to forest patches without bamboos (NB or non-bamboo stands). Forty 1 m(2) seed traps were set in B and NB stands, and the seed rain was monitored monthly for 1 year. The seed rain was not greatly altered by the presence of bamboos: rarefied seed species richness was higher for B stands, patterns of dominance and density of seeds were similar between stands, and differences in overall composition were slight. Seed limitation, however, was greater at B stands, likely as a resulted of reduced tree density. Despite Such reduced density, the presence of trees growing amidst and over the bamboos seems to play a key role in keeping the seeds falling in B stands because they serve as food sources for frugivores or simply as perches for them. The loss of such trees may lead to enhanced seed limitation, contributing ultimately to the self-perpetuating bamboo disturbance cycle. (C) 2008 Elsevier B,V. All rights reserved.

Amphibians and reptiles of the Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), SP: an Atlantic Forest remnant of Southeastern Brazil

Apesar do grande número de estudos realizados com a herpetofauna do Estado de São Paulo, que a caracteriza como a mais conhecida no país, ainda existem vazios amostrais dentro de biomas considerados mundialmente como prioritários para a conservação pelo elevado grau de endemismo e pressão antrópica, como é o caso da Mata Atlântica. Como resultado de pressões políticas e históricas, o bioma foi reduzido a menos de 12% de sua extensão original e apesar de sua importância para a conservação da biodiversidade mundial, apenas uma porcentagem mínima de sua cobertura vegetal original (1%) encontra-se protegida sob alguma forma legal de proteção. Este é o caso do Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR) que juntamente com o Parque Estadual de Intervales, Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho e Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação de Jacupiranga formam um extenso contínuo ecológico de 360 mil ha de floresta ombrófila no sul do estado. O presente estudo apresenta a lista de anfíbios e répteis do PETAR, com informações sobre a distribuição local e uso de hábitat destas espécies. O inventário foi realizado de outubro a dezembro 2009, totalizando 15 dias de amostragens que foram realizadas por meio de quatro métodos complementares de amostragem ativa: procura visual, procura auditiva, procura de carro e encontro ocasional. Foram registradas no total 91 espécies pertencentes a 53 gêneros e 24 famílias. Esta alta diversidade pode ser atribuída à existência de uma grande variedade de hábitats e microhábitats nesta localidade, como os diversos sítios aquáticos utilizados por várias das espécies de anfíbios anuros amostradas. Além disso, o PETAR apresenta um amplo gradiente altitudinal (80 - 1.160 m) que confere uma grande heterogeneidade climática, geológica e hidrológica a área. Neste sentido, este inventário é uma importante contribuição para a ampliação do conhecimento destas taxocenoses de floresta ombrófila presentes na porção mais ao sul da Serra de Paranapiacaba, fornecendo subsídios para a adoção de medidas visando à conservação dessas taxocenoses no Estado de São Paulo.

Phylogeography of endemic toads and post-Pliocene persistence of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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

Seasonal and spatial species richness variation of dung beetle (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae s. str.) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Introduction: The Brazilian atlantic forest

The year 2000 marks 500 years of massive destruction for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, as a consequence of the European colonization of Brazil. Today, the Atlantic Forest is restricted to ca 98,800 km2 of remnants, or 7.6 percent of its original extension. The Atlantic Forest continues to suffer under severe anthropogenic pressure, risking imminent extinction of the remaining species. Our current knowledge indicates that this complex biome contains a species diversity higher than most of the Amazon forests, and also has high levels of endemism. The 13 selected articles in this special issue present data on the natural history, ecology, sustainable management, and conservation of the Atlantic Forest. These articles represent a sample of the research conducted to date in the region and suggest avenues of future research, particularly with regard to conservation alternatives for the remaining portions of the Atlantic Forest. This special issue represents one of the first general references pertaining to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Phenology of Atlantic rain forest trees: A comparative study

This paper describes the phenology of leaf, flower, and fruit phenology in the Atlantic rain forests of southeastern Brazil. For 17 months, we observed the phenological patterns of trees from two Atlantic forest types at four sites: premontane forest (Sites I and IV; the typical Atlantic rain forest) and coastal plain forest (Sites II and III). All sites experience a nonseasonal, tropical wet climate, characterized by an annual rainfall usually > 2000 mm and lacking a dry season. We tested for the occurrence (or absence) of seasonal phenological patterns within each site and compared the patterns detected among the four different forest sites using circular statistics. The expected weakly seasonal phenological patterns were not observed for these forests. Flowering and leaf flush patterns of Atlantic rain forest trees were significantly seasonal, concentrated at the beginning of the wettest season, and were significantly correlated with day length and temperature. These results stress the influence that seasonal variation in day length has on ever-wet forest tree phenology. Fruiting phenologies were aseasonal in all four forests. Flowering patterns did not differ significantly among three of the four forest sites analyzed, suggesting the occurrence of a general flowering pattern for Atlantic rain forest trees.

New species of Phrynohyas from Atlantic rain forest of southeastern Brazil (Anura, Hylidae)

A new species of hylid frog is described from south of the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil in Atlantic rain forest. The new species is a member of the genus Phrynohyas and is characterized by snout rounded in dorsal view and nearly truncate in lateral view, small adhesive disks, fingers slightly webbed, nasal bones widely separated, and frontoparietals without medial articulation.

Reproductive modes in frogs and their unexpected diversity in the Atlantic forest of Brazil

Amphibians, and especially the anurans (frogs and toads), exhibit a greater diversity of reproductive modes than other tetrapod vertebrates. Twenty-nine reproductive modes have been recognized for the anurans; we propose 10 more, elevating by more than 34% the number of reproductive modes known for anurans worldwide. These newly recognized reproductive modes for the frogs elevate by almost 48% the number of anuran reproductive modes known for the Neotropics. The highly complex topography of the Atlantic forest, breaking up the biome into many small microhabitats, and the high humidity, which reduces desiccation risks, have enabled the evolution of reproductive specializations such as eggs or tadpoles that develop out of water. Nearly 90% of the Atlantic forest has been cleared, and because several anurans are endemic to this region or have specialized reproductive modes dependent on the forest, this partly explains the generalized population declines and large numbers of species that have disappeared in the last few decades. © 2005 American Institute of Biological Sciences.

A new species of miniaturized toadlet, genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae), from the atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

A new species of miniaturized froglet (genus Brachycephalus) is described from Morro Prumirim in the municipality of Ubatuba, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter at approximately 800 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout-vent length 8.7-13.4 mm; skin on head and dorsum with dermal ossification; general color orange, with a narrow brownish vertebral stripe and belly without spots; and skull, spinal processes of sacral and pre-sacral vertebrae, and process of the fourth vertebra hyperossified. Canonical variates analysis of linear body measurement demonstrates that the new species is easily discriminated from other Brachycephalus species with which it shares an intermediate condition of hyperossification. © 2012 by The Herpetologists League, Inc.

Avian assemblages in bamboo and non-bamboo habitats in a tropical rainforest

Some species of bird are closely associated with bamboos (bamboo specialists) but community-wide studies comparing the avian assemblages in bamboo and non-bamboo habitats are lacking. Using point counts, we compared the species richness, abundance and composition of the avian assemblages in bamboo and non-bamboo habitats in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Apart from considering bamboo specialists and non-specialist species, we contrasted birds from different categories of forest dependence, forest strata and diet. We recorded a total of 81 species of birds (74 in bamboo, 55 in non-bamboo habitats), including 15 bamboo specialists. Species richness was greater in bamboo habitats in all categories of diet and forest dependence. Bamboo and non-bamboo habitats had a similar number of canopy species, but bamboo habitats had a greater number of non-canopy species. The abundance of the whole avian community or of each of the dietary categories did not differ between habitats. The overall species composition differed between habitats, with a more homogeneous composition in non-bamboo habitats. A great number of species use bamboo habitats, even if they are not bamboo specialists. The initial expansion of bamboos, forming discrete patches of bamboo within mature forest, represents an intermediate-level disturbance that enhances forest heterogeneity and promotes the diversity of avian communities. © BirdLife Australia 2013.

Population structure and canopy use by Coussapoa microcarpa, a strangler hemiepiphyte from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

We studied density, size structure, and establishment sites of Coussapoa microcarpa in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. This species is a hemiepiphyte that begins its life in the tops of trees and survives the death of its host to become a free-standing tree. All individuals of C. microcarpa already rooted in the ground were recorded in a 3.43 ha (1.75 ha in lowland and 1.68 ha in submontane) sample of forest plots. Data on total height, root diameter at breast height, host height and diameter at breast height, as well as height, type and diameter of the establishment site were collected. Coussapoa microcarpa present a high density (36.5 ind. ha-1) and the population studied was composed mainly of young individuals. Young and adults differed in establishment sites. The diameter of establishment sites of young was narrower than the diameter of establishment sites of adults, which points out to a limiting factor (diameter of establishment site) regulating the establishment of C. microcarpa. © 2013 Cambridge University Press.

Reproductive phenology and fruit production on a land bridge island in the brazilian atlantic forest

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Enriquecimento com Campomanesia phaea (Berg.) Landr. e Euterpe edulis Martius em fragmentos de floresta ombrófila densa em estádio secundário

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)