Juliane Pereira-Ribeiro

The rusty-margined guan (Penelope superciliaris) in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest: density, population size, activity and habitat use

Abstract Context. Population estimation and monitoring are important tools for the support of programs and actions of conservation for most wildlife species, including birds. For validation of such support, a set of reliable, consistent and comparable parameter estimates is essential (through systematic monitoring over time), in addition to studies on ecological aspects of the species. Aims. In this study, our aim was to analyse the population of Penelope superciliaris in the Vale Natural Reserve (VNR), located in north-eastern Espírito Santo, Brazil, providing estimates of density, population size and activity. We also analysed occupancy and detectability of the species, relating them to six covariates (distance from forest edge, water and road, as well as poaching intensity, canopy cover and understorey cover) based on previous knowledge of the ecology of rusty-margined guan. Methods. We used line-transect surveys to estimate density and abundance, and camera traps to estimate habitat use by P. superciliaris, using the occupancy modelling approach. Key results. Estimated density for P. superciliaris was 2.5 ± 1.0 groups per km2 with a group size of 6.0 ± 2.0 individuals, and estimated population size for the entire VNR was 3544 ± 495 individuals. Occupancy by P. superciliaris was best described by three covariates: (1) distance to road; (2) distance to water; and (3) poaching intensity. Detectability was affected by two covariates: (1) understorey cover; and (2) poaching intensity. Conclusions. Our results provide the first information on density, habitat use and activity of P. superciliaris in the VNR. We concluded that P. superciliaris is active diurnally, especially during morning and late afternoon, prefers areas near water sources in denser forests and tends to avoid areas with habitat modification and intense poaching activity. Implications. Our data highlight the impact of poaching on the species and can be useful as a baseline for future studies and Cracid conservation plans.

Use of polyvinyl chloride pipes (PVC) as potential artificial shelters for amphibians in a coastal plain forest of southeastern Brazil

We studied the use of polyvinil chloride pipes (PVC pipes) by frogs as artificial shelters in a Coastal Plain forest in the Vale Natural Reserve, north of Espírito Santo state, southeastern Brazil from June 2015 to May 2016. We used 14 plots distributed in the Coastal Plain Forest following the RAPELD methodology of sampling. The frogs were sampled in transects along the plots, using the active search method, with visual and auditory sampling. We recorded two species of frogs (Aparasphenodon brunoi and Scinax argyreornatus) using PVC pipes as shelters in the plots in the Forest. Of the 468 PVC pipes established along plots, 38 of them (8.1%) were used as shelter by the frogs. For both frog species, about 33% of microhabitats used in the forest were the interior of PVC pipes. We concluded that the PVC pipes might constitute artificial shelters for at least two of the frog species living in the community of the Coastal Plain Forest, potentially being of relevance in conservation programs. In altered areas and those in which there has been the loss of types of microhabitats, the addition of these PVC pipes as artificial shelters may represent additional and complementary microhabitats to keep or increase the population stocks of arboreal and semi-arboreal frog species and having a size that allow them entering the shelter. These artificial shelters can play an important role in conservation of these frogs in fragmented areas where the availability of the microhabitats of these frog species were locally reduced.

Local Environmental Factors Influence the Structure of Frog Communities on the Sandy Coastal Plains of Southeastern Brazil

Abstract Environmental factors play an important role in structuring communities. In heterogeneous environments, where habitat structure might vary considerably, understanding how these factors shape communities is one of the most important issues in community ecology. In this context, we investigated how environmental factors contributed to the composition of five frog communities on the sandy coastal plains (restinga ecosystem) of southeastern Brazil. We sampled these ecosystems over a 2-yr period and compared five sites in relation to their habitat structure, frog species composition, species abundance, and their distribution in different mesohabitats. We found that the composition of the amphibian communities was not related systematically to habitat structure in general, but rather to the availability of spawning sites (sources of freestanding water), which appears to be the most important ecological factor structuring these communities.