Augusto João Piratelli

Avifauna associada a um trecho urbano do rio Sorocaba, Sudeste do Brasil

Este estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar a avifauna associada ao rio Sorocaba, um tipico rio urbano, do sudeste do Brasil. Ele atravessa a cidade com o mesmo nome, ao longo do qual, varias atividades humanas sao realizadas como recreacao e pesca. La, varias especies de aves devem encontrar locais para descanso, alimentacao e nidificacao. As aves foram observadas semanalmente, de setembro de 2008 a setembro de 2009 por meio de 16 pontos fixos (A1 a A16). O levantamento quantitativo registrou 65 especies (32 passeriformes e 33 nao - passeriformes), sendo que a familia mais bem representada foi Tyrannidae (n = 9). As especies mais frequentes foram Egretta thula, Amazonetta brasiliensis, Vanellus chilensis, Pitangus sulphuratus, Ardea alba e Pygochelidon cyanoleuca (FO = 100%). Os maiores valores do indice pontual de abundância foram 46,5 (1626 contatos) para Pgochelidon cyanoleuca, 14,4 (500 contatos) para Phalacrocorax brasilianus e 12,9 (452 contatos) para Amazonetta brasiliensis. As categorias troficas mais representativas foram dos insetivoros (n = 26), piscivoros (n = 11) e onivoros (n = 10). A analise de agrupamento revelou a existencia de tres pares de pontos muito semelhantes (100 e 95% semelhanca). Diferencas conspicuas na composicao da fauna de aves ao longo da area estudada foram detectadas, provavelmente devido as suas caracteristicas ambientais e do grau de perturbacao humana. Alem disso, diferencas significativas nos avistamentos foram observadas entre as estacoes de seca e chuva, provavelmente em funcao das atividades reprodutivas e migratorias e do aumento na disponibilidade de recursos alimentares, que supostamente ocorrem no periodo chuvoso. Neste sentido, praticas conservacionistas devem permitir a manutencao a heterogeneidade de habitats, recuperacao da vegetacao riparia, praias e banhados, assim como o planejamento efetivo das atividades humanas em seu entorno.

Integrating Biodiversity Conservation into Agroecosystem Management: Using Birds to Bring Conservation and Agricultural Production Together

The conversion of natural areas into agricultural systems for food and energy production has globally put biodiversity and ecosystem functions at risk. Recent research has focused on characterizing biodiversity and ecological functions, e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, and control of herbivorous arthropods, as well as on the best agricultural practices to consort the production and conservation of natural environments. In this context, birds can serve as models – both for the relatively good taxonomic resolution and ecological knowledge and for the range of ecosystem services that they consistently perform. We discuss the most sustainable practices for both the maintenance of biodiversity focusing on bird fauna and of ecological processes, and thus for human well-being. In order to close ranks between biodiversity conservation and agricultural production, biodiversity can be incorporated directly or indirectly into agroecosystem management, either to measure or monitor ecological parameters, to identify priority areas for conservation, or to identify suitable native plant species for ecological restoration or agricultural productivity. For the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), different ecosystem management solutions are developed to link biodiversity conservation with the safe operation of agroecosystem and sustainable production, taking into account Brazil’s complex legal-environmental framework.

Seed-dispersal interactions in fragmented landscapes - a metanetwork approach

Mutualistic interactions repeatedly preserved across fragmented landscapes can scale-up to form a spatial metanetwork describing the distribution of interactions across patches. We explored the structure of a bird seed-dispersal (BSD) metanetwork in 16 Neotropical forest fragments to test whether a distinct subset of BSD-interactions may mediate landscape functional connectivity. The metanetwork is interaction-rich, modular and poorly connected, showing high beta-diversity and turnover of species and interactions. Interactions involving large-sized species were lost in fragments <xa010xa0000xa0ha, indicating a strong filtering by habitat fragmentation on the functional diversity of BSD-interactions. Persistent interactions were performed by small-seeded, fast growing plant species and by generalist, small-bodied bird species able to cross the fragmented landscape. This reduced subset of interactions forms the metanetwork components persisting to defaunation and fragmentation, and may generate long-term deficits of carbon storage while delaying forest regeneration at the landscape level.

Opportunistic predation on birds trapped in mist nets in two areas in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT Mist netting is the most popular method for capturing birds, but it can increase the predation rates of individuals trapped in the nets. From 2008 to 2017, we recorded eight instances of opportunistic bird predation from mist nets (MNs) in a matrix mixing restored forest and fragments of semideciduous seasonal forest in southeastern Brazil, three times (37.5%) by exotic primates and five times (62.5%) by birds of prey. Overall predation rates (1.17–1.20%) at these two sites were considered high but were lower than in other Brazilian studies. Placing MNs near the edges of forest fragments may have allowed attacks by either forest predators or marmosets, which are exotic edge species. Some previously described precautions may decrease the predation rates of birds in MNs, such as shorter observation intervals, greater attention to given site selection and maintaining a safe distance between the MNs and the ground.

Urban Conservation: Toward Bird-Friendly Cities in Latin America

Urbanization is a major threat to biodiversity. Nevertheless, an important number of species has been recorded to live, and even thrive, within urban centers. Bird diversity has often been studied among greenspace networks, where most urban biodiversity is sheltered. Although a few studies have directly addressed urban bird conservation, they have shed important light on the directions and implications that evidence-based actions require for proper management and planning to occur in cities. Important international documents (e.g., Rio+20, FAO reports) have pinpointed the importance of developing greener cities in Latin America. Also, pioneer conservation ideas, such as Archipelago Preserves, have been conceived in Latin America as a way to plan conservation in advance where cities are predicted to grow. Birds are excellent bioindicators in urban areas for diverse reasons, as they quickly respond to habitat alterations and allow to monitor the ecological quality of urban areas. Nevertheless, for proper urban management and planning to occur in Latin America, a broader and robust evidence-based foundation is crucial, followed by interest and willingness from all the implied stakeholders for action to be made. Creating greener and biodiverse cities will not only benefit wildlife groups, including birds, but will certainly have a positive impact on people, making cities healthier and livable.