Stephen Francis Ferrari

Bats have been recorded dispersing the seeds of 549 Neotropical plant species. Diet composition and the processes that determine resource selection are fundamental to understanding animal ecology. The present study investigated the feeding ecology of Carollia perspicillata in an Atlantic Forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. Fecal samples were collected by placing two plastic tarpaulins on the ground directly below the colony for 72 hours per month over a one-year period. Phenological observations were conducted simultaneously at the study site. Approximately 323,400 seeds were collected and identified, representing 16 plant species in 12 families. Four of these species were classified as synzoochoric, whereas the majority were endozoochoric. Seeds of five plant species — Annona montana, Syagrus coronata, Senna georgica, Aegiphila vitelliniflora, and Chomelia obtusa — are reported here for the first time in the diet of C. perspicillata. Three species accounted for most of the seeds collected in the cave: Piper amalago with 160,594 seeds, Solanum paniculatum with 79,322 seeds, and Maclura tinctoria with 60,691 seeds. Although P. amalago contributed almost half of all seeds collected, no significant seasonal variation was detected in overall consumption patterns, species diversity, or seed abundance between the dry and rainy seasons. The feeding patterns recorded in the present study appear to reflect resource availability in the study area rather than a clear preference for particular plant species. This apparent lack of feeding preference may be related to the ecological characteristics of the study area, especially the reduced diversity of species of the genus Piper.

Five centers of endemism are recognized in The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, including the Pernambuco center (PCE), which is located at the northern, and most impacted extreme of the biome, whose biodiversity is still relatively poorly-known. Using mist nets, we surveyed the bat assemblages of three privately-owned protected areas in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, located within the Pernambuco Centre of Endemism. The fragment areas ranged from 41 to 458 hectares. We compared the species composition, richness, and diversity of bat species among the areas. A total of 266 bats were captured, representing 21 species in five families, although 96% of the individuals captured belonged to species of the family Phyllostomidae. Six trophic guilds were recorded in the study. The highest species richness (14) and diversity were recorded at Madeira and Mata do Capiatã, although similarity was low among the assemblages of the three sites. The results of the study indicate that even small fragments of Atlantic Forest may support a considerable diversity of bats, especially at a landscape scale, and are thus vitally important for the maintenance of the ecosystem services provided by these mammals. Future research should adopt more comprehensive sampling methods, such as combining mist-nets with acoustic monitoring, to better represent the full spectrum of chiropteran diversity, particularly aerial insectivores.

As aves de rapina, predadores de topo, desempenham papel fundamental nos ecossistemas, mas sofrem com interferências antrópicas, como degradação de habitats, colisões com veículos e edifícios, além do tráfico e criação ilegal. Animais apreendidos do tráfico, ou fruto de entregas voluntárias e resgates são encaminhados aos Centros de Triagem de Animais Silvestres (CETAS), onde passam por procedimentos de manejo, reabilitação e destinação, podendo ser soltos em Áreas de Soltura de Animais Silvestres (ASAS). Este estudo apresenta uma análise das admissões de aves de rapina no CETAS do IBAMA em Aracaju/SE, entre 2013 e 2023, com foco nas principais causas de morbidade e mortalidade. Foram admitidas 406 aves, distribuídas em 22 espécies, sendo Rupornis magnirostris, Tyto furcata, Athene cunicularia, Caracara plancus, Falco sparveirus, Glaucidium brasilianum, Megascops cholyba e Coragyps atratus responsáveis por 94,6% dos registros. Causas antrópicas foram predominantes (45,8%), destacando-se as colisões (21,7%), e apresentaram forte relação com a mortalidade (74,4%). Houve aumento no número de admissões entre 2015 e 2017 (acima de 50 indivíduos/ano), ainda que não significativo. Foram observadas diferenças significativas entre causas antropogênicas e naturais (H = 15,09; p < 0,05), e entre suas subcategorias (H = 35,18; p < 0,05). Um total de 290 aves (71,4%) foi reinserida na natureza após a reabilitação. Os dados indicam que a interação entre aves de rapina e o ambiente urbano em Sergipe impõe desafios à conservação, reforçando a necessidade de medidas de mitigação e de valorização das ações de reabilitação promovidas pelo CETAS.

Hunting is an ancient human behavior, which likely became complex and efficient gradually through time. We present data from a bibliographic survey (qualitative) and field sampling (quantitative) of primate hunting in Northeastern Brazil. We evaluated hunting threats faced by 14 primate species native to the States of Bahia and Sergipe (three Critically Endangered, three Endangered, three Vulnerable, two Near Threatened, and three Least Concern). Qualitatively, since 2005, we identified 21 academic studies that contained 47 mentions of all six studied genera known to occur in the study area (Alouatta=4, Brachyteles=2, Callicebus=16, Callithrix=8, Leontopithecus=3, Sapajus=14). Approximately half of the citations were for hunting (55.3%; 88.4% of this for bushmeat) and the other half for trapping (44.7%; 90.4% for pet). Quantitatively, we obtained 834 local experts’ citations of primate hunting and capturing at 348 sites. All experts cited Callithrix, 818 cited Sapajus, and 738 cited Callicebus. We argued 539 about hunting for bushmeat (164 positive; 30.4%) and 636 about trapping for pet (189 positive; 30.9%). Callicebus presented 95 citations as bushmeat (30.1% of 326 queries) and Sapajus presented 80 citations as pet (35.7% of 224). Four informants reported hunting Sapajus for pest control because of crop damage. There was a significant difference (Chi²=33.982; df=2; p<0.0001) comparing hunting for bushmeat and pets, with Callicebus (higher bushmeat) and Sapajus (higher pet) presenting significant differences (both p<0.01). The impact of hunting is associated with biological contexts, besides socioeconomic and political, requiring complex-specific attention and efforts in conservation and management strategies, perhaps innovative, even non-prohibitive.

The present study analyzed the presence of the principal volatile compounds of the BTEX type (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene [o-, m- and p-xylene]) in samples of water from wells located at residences and gas stations in two Amazonian towns—Tracuateua and Augusto Corrêa—in the Amazon region of northern Brazil. This innovative study is extremely relevant to the Amazonian towns surveyed, given that they lack systematic policies for the environmental control of gas stations and any municipal regulations on the quality of water destined for human consumption. A combination of mass spectrometry (MS) and gas chromatography (CG) techniques was applied to analyze these contaminants in 150 samples of local groundwater collected between 2020 and 2024. One of the four BTEX compounds (toluene) was identified in seven of the samples collected (4.66% of the total) at concentrations of 0.14–2.10 µg L⁻¹. The concentrations of contaminants were low, in general. None of the water samples analyzed here presented any critical loss of water quality for human consumption according to the Brazilian legislation concerning BTEX concentrations. Neither of the two towns surveyed in the present study has remediation programs for environmental contamination. The GC-MS approach produced satisfactory results for the assessment of the contamination of underground water reserves by gas stations in both study towns. Further research (e.g., geophysical methods) will be necessary to determine the source of the contamination and its connection with the levels of toluene identified in the underground water sampled in these Amazonian towns.

As spatial variation in vegetation cover may influence the abundance of species at a landscape scale, abundance estimates may clarify shifts in habitat use within a vegetation mosaic. In the present study, we used camera trapping and a dynamics mix model to estimate the abundance of the white-lipped (Tayassu pecari) and collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) in a study area in southern Brazilian Amazonia. We focused on the variation between three vegetation types – primary forest, secondary forest, and forest plantation – as potential determinants of peccary abundance. The initial abundance (λ) of T. pecari was higher in primary forest in comparison with the secondary forest and plantation. By contrast, the λ of P. tajacu did not vary significantly with vegetation cover. The expected abundance of T. pecari correlated positively with the presence of primary forest, and negatively with secondary forest and plantation. No clear correlation was found between the abundance of P. tajacu and any type of vegetation cover, however. The results of the present study provide important insights into the influence of vegetation cover on the abundance and detection of peccaries, whose ecology is still relatively poorly understood.

  Caracterizar a estrutura do habitat, identificando a funcionalidade de espécies arbóreas, é uma estratégia importante para auxiliar programas de manejo. Este estudo objetivou caracterizar a estrutura do habitat, identificar a composição ecológica e o tipo de síndrome de dispersão das árvores em fragmentos habitados pelo ameaçado de extinção Callicebus coimbrai, Mata Atlântica em Sergipe. Foram percorridos oito transectos pelo método do quadrante errante, com 780 pontos registrados em 3.166,71m percorridos. Em cada ponto, coletamos o DAP, altura, distância entre dois pontos (árvores), além da identificação da espécie de árvore. Analisamos abundância, densidade, frequência, dominância basal, índice de valor de importância, além do cálculo do índice de diversidade e equitabilidade de Pielou. A distância média entre as árvores foi de 4,05±2,75m, a altura média foi de 11,69±3,10m, e o DAP médio foi de 25,75±13,53cm, com poucas diferenças significativas entre os fragmentos. Em geral, as estruturas são pobres e a composição das árvores é formada principalmente por espécies pioneiras e secundárias iniciais, e espécies com síndrome de dispersão zoocórica. Esses locais apresentam uma estrutura instável para os macacos guigós habitarem. Além disso, estão distantes de outros locais, dificultando a movimentação dos indivíduos. Esses resultados mostram a importância de caracterizar a estrutura, utilizar os traços ecológicos das árvores como medida da qualidade do habitat, auxiliando programas de manejo que visem a preservação e conservação de espécies ameaçadas e seus habitat.Â

Primates are affected by fluctuations in ambient temperatures, mostly through thermoregulatory costs and changes in the availability of food. In the present study, we investigate whether the ambient temperature and proxies of food availability affect the activity period of marmosets (Callithrixspp.). We predicted that: (i) at colder sites, marmosets would spend more time at sleeping sites; (ii) midday resting bouts would be longer at hotter sites; (iii) the onset/cessation of activity and resting behavior at midday would be more closely related to temperature than food availability, and (iv) highly exudativorous groups would have higher total levels of resting. We compiled data on the onset and cessation of activity and the time spent resting at midday from seven marmoset studies from sites with a wide range of temperatures. We used generalized linear mixed models to verify the relationship between the dependent variables (lag between dawn and the onset of activities, lag between cessation of activities and dusk, and proportion of resting during midday) and the minimum and maximum temperatures at the respective study sites, together with proxies of food availability (exudativory rates, the amount of habitat available per individual, and net primary productivity) using each sample month as a sampling unit and the identity of the study as a categorical random factor. At colder sites and during colder months, the marmosets left sleeping trees later in the morning and ceased their activities earlier, while at hotter sites and during hotter months, they spent more time resting during midday. More exudativorous groups become active later in the morning, but also ceased their activities later. The abundance of food did not affect the timing of activities. We provide evidence that both low and high temperatures affect marmosets' activities, and that their activity period appears to be more influenced by the thermal environment than food availability.