Luciano M. Verdade

Biodiversity Conservation Research, Training, and Policy in São Paulo

The BIOTA-FAPESP program is linking a decade of research on biodiversity into public policy in the state of São Paulo. Since the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, biodiversity conservation (the protection of species, ecosystems, and ecological processes) and restoration (recovery of degraded ecosystems) have been high priorities for many countries. Scarce financial resources must be optimized, especially in developing countries considered megadiverse (1), by investing in programs that combine biodiversity research, personnel training, and public-policy impact. We describe an ongoing program in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, that may be a useful example of how conservation initiatives with a solid scientific basis can be achieved.

Medium to large-sized mammals in agricultural landscapes of south-eastern Brazil

Abstract We determined the patterns of distribution and abundance of medium to large-sized mammals on an agricultural landscape in south-eastern Brazil. Here, we discuss some management recommendations to improve the conservation value of agricultural landscapes. From July 2003 to June 2004 we surveyed 284.4 km transects searching for tracks and visualizations of mammals in the main environments of an agricultural landscape in south-eastern Brazil. We recorded 25 native species, two exotic and six domestic species in the area: 23 species on native forest fragments, 19 on sugarcane plantations, 17 on eucalyptus plantations, and 12 on pasture areas. There were significant differences in species richness and frequency of occurrence among these environments. Pasture areas had the lowest species richness and sugarcane plantations the greatest frequency of occurrence. Some species are associated with open areas, whereas other species are associated with forested habitats. Although a considerable part of the original mammal diversity is still present, the community found is predominantly composed of species able to adapt to environmental alterations. Therefore, to improve the conservation value of agricultural landscapes in south-eastern Brazil, the maintenance of native forest fragments is essential, in addition to mitigation measures of the various agricultural impacts.

Trophic categories in a mammal assemblage: diversity in an agricultural landscape

Os mamiferos tem um importante papel na manutencao e regeneracao das florestas tropicais, pois apresentam funcoes ecologicas essenciais e podem ser considerados como especies-chave na estruturacao das comunidades biologicas. Em paisagens com forte pressao antropica e alto grau de fragmentacao, as especies apresentam respostas distintas, geralmente relacionadas ao tipo de dieta. A bacia do Rio Passa-Cinco, regiao centro-leste do Estado de Sao Paulo, e uma paisagem fortemente antropizada, com predominio de pastagens, seguido por canaviais, reflorestamento de eucalipto e fragmentos de floresta estacional semidecidua. Realizamos levantamentos nesses habitats, determinando a riqueza de especies e abundância relativa nas seguintes categorias troficas de mamiferos de medio e grande porte: Insetivoros/Onivoros, Frugivoros/Onivoros, Frugivoros/Herbivoros, Carnivoros e Herbivoros/Pastadores. Diferencas quanto a riqueza de especies e abundância relativa entre os habitats foram testadas com analise de variância de um fator, seguida pelo teste de Tukey, considerando: 1) cada categoria trofica separadamente e 2) o conjunto de todas as categorias troficas. Entre julho de 2003 e junho de 2004 percorremos 284,4 km, registrando 20 especies nativas e duas exoticas. Nao foram detectadas diferencas na riqueza de especies para nenhuma categoria trofica ou para a assembleia. Em relacao a abundância relativa, a analise detectou diferencas para a assembleia como um todo, com as plantacoes de cana-de-acucar apresentando maior abundância comparativamente as pastagens. Nossos resultados indicam que a paisagem heterogenea da area de estudo e dominada por especies generalistas capazes de utilizar diversos tipos de habitats e itens alimentares disponiveis.

The distribution and abundance of small mammals in agroecosystems of southeastern Brazil

Abstract The conservation of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes depends on information about the ways in which species are affected by the conversion of native habitats into novel anthropogenic environments and the strategies that the species use to persist in these altered ecosystems. Here, we investigate how small mammals occupy the different agroecosystems of an agricultural landscape in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. From August 2003 through January 2005, we surveyed small mammals using Sherman traps at 16 sampling sites in each of the four predominant environments of the local agricultural landscape: remnant fragments of semideciduous forest, Eucalyptus plantations, sugarcane plantations, and pastures. With a total effort of 23,040 trap-nights and a capture success of 0.8%, we captured 177 rodents and marsupials belonging to eight species. The assemblage represented by these mammals is essentially composed of generalist species, which are common in degraded areas. Sugarcane plantations had the highest abundance, whereas pastures had the lowest species richness. Our results suggest that the loss of forest species can be related to the loss of native forest. The results also indicate that to improve the conservation value of agricultural landscapes, native forest fragments should be conserved, extensive monocultures should be avoided and agricultural impacts should be mitigated.

A exploração da fauna silvestre no Brasil: Jacarés, sistemas e recursos humanos

Wildlife management and conservation usually require case-by-case studies because populations - not species - should in most cases be the management unit. In Brazil, the lack of a specific professional career such as the north American wildlife biologist makes the implantation of wildlife management programs difficult. Urban prejudice against the use of wildlife as a renewable resource, the abuse of captive breeding programs, and the feeling that the country is unable to implement effective control systems over harvest programs prevent the establishment of biologically sustainable, economically viable, and socially justifiable use of wildlife. This can only be changed by adequate training of professionals,decentralized research, and the use of existing infrastructure of extension for the implantation of a wildlife service. In this paper, elements usually related to the success of economic wildlife programs are presented, and real cases of crocodilian management and conservation programs around the world are discussed as examples.

How much is a puma worth?: economic compensation as an alternative for the conflict between wildlife conservation and livestock production in Brazil

In this article a case of sheep predation by pumas is presented and used as an example for evaluating the damage and the cost of economic compensation mitigating action for the conflicts between wildlife conservation and livestock production in Brazil. The relative advantages of this kind of action are discussed, considering the Brazilian scenario.

Regression equations between body and head measurements in the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris)

In the present study, regression equations between body and head length measurements for the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) are presented. Age and sex are discussed as sources of variation for allometric models. Four body-length, fourteen head-length, and ten ratio variables were taken from wild and captive animals. With the exception of body mass, log-transformation did not improve the regression equations. Besides helping to estimate body-size from head dimensions, the regression equations stressed skull shape changes during the ontogenetic process. All age-dependent variables are also size-dependent (and consequently dependent on growth rate), which is possibly related to the difficulty in predicting age of crocodilians based on single variable growth curves. Sexual dimorphism was detected in the allometric growth of cranium but not in the mandible, which may be evolutionarily related to the visual recognition of gender when individuals exhibit only the top of their heads above the surface of the water, a usual crocodilian behavior.

Allometry of Reproduction in Wild Broad-Snouted Caimans (Caiman latirostris)

Abstract We studied 20 nesting female Caiman latirostris and their clutches in Santa Fe Province, Argentina. We regressed clutch and egg parameters and hatchling size with several measurements of female size (ln-transformed) to evaluate the allometry of reproduction in the wild. Larger females produced relatively smaller clutches. Larger females produced larger eggs and hatchlings. Egg width, not length, limits egg size relative to female body size. Future studies should address the relationship between female fecundity and hatchling fitness.

DISTRIBUTION OF CAPYBARAS IN AN AGROECOSYSTEM, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL, BASED ON ECOLOGICAL NICHE MODELING

Abstract Southeastern Brazil has seen dramatic landscape modifications in recent decades, due to expansion of agriculture and urban areas; these changes have influenced the distribution and abundance of vertebrates. We developed predictive models of ecological and spatial distributions of capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) using ecological niche modeling. Most occurrences of capybaras were in flat areas with water bodies surrounded by sugarcane and pasture. More than 75% of the Piracicaba River basin was estimated as potentially habitable by capybara. The models had low omission error (2.3–3.4%), but higher commission error (91.0–98.5%); these “model failures” seem to be more related to local habitat characteristics than to spatial ones. The potential distribution of capybaras in the basin is associated with anthropogenic habitats, particularly with intensive land use for agriculture.

The temperature-sensitive period (TSP) during incubation of broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) eggs

All crocodiles studied to date exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination. During the many weeks from egg laying to hatch there is a period of 10 to 15 d in the middle third of incubation (in the American alligator) during which the sex of the embryo is irreversibly fixed, referred to as the temperature-sensitive period or TSP. In this work we investigated the TSP in Caiman latirostris eggs incubated at female-inducing and male-inducing temperatures (29 ◦ C and 33 ◦ C respectively) by switching eggs from 29 ◦ Ct o 33 ◦ C and vice versa at timed interval throughout incubation. Compared to Alligator mississippiensis the duration of TSP was longer, and the onset of TSP was at an earlier stage of incubation.