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Magioli M, Lima LHA, Villela PMS, Sampaio R, Bonjorne L, Ribeiro RLA, Kantek DLZ, Miyazaki SS, Semedo TBF, Libardi GS, Saranholi BH, Eriksson CE, Morato RG, Berlinck CN. Forest type modulates mammalian responses to megafires. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13538. [PMID: 38866909 PMCID: PMC11169498 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64460-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Although considered an evolutionary force responsible for shaping ecosystems and biodiversity, fires' natural cycle is being altered by human activities, increasing the odds of destructive megafire events. Here, we show that forest type modulates the responses of terrestrial mammals, from species to assemblage level, to a catastrophic megafire in the Brazilian Pantanal. We unraveled that mammalian richness was higher 1 year after fire passage compared to a pre-fire condition, which can be attributed to habitat modification caused by wildfires, attracting herbivores and open-area tolerant species. We observed changes in assemblage composition between burned/unburned sites, but no difference in mammalian richness or relative abundance. However, by partitioning the effects of burned area proportion per forest type (monospecific vs. polyspecific), we detected differential responses of mammals at several levels of organization, with pronounced declines in species richness and relative abundance in monospecific forests. Eighty-six percent of the species presented moderate to strong negative effects on their relative abundance, with an overall strong negative effect for the entire assemblage. Wildfires are predicted to be more frequent with climate and land use change, and if events analogous to Pantanal-2020 become recurrent, they might trigger regional beta diversity change, benefitting open-area tolerant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Magioli
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação (LAEC), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
| | - Luanne Helena Augusto Lima
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Sampaio
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação (LAEC), Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lilian Bonjorne
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renan Lieto Alves Ribeiro
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel Luis Zanella Kantek
- Estação Ecológica de Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Selma Samiko Miyazaki
- Estação Ecológica de Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago B F Semedo
- InBIO Laboratório Associado, CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002, Porto, Portugal
| | - Gustavo S Libardi
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Bruno H Saranholi
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Charlotte E Eriksson
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Conservação e Uso Sustentável da Biodiversidade, Secretaria Nacional de Biodiversidade, Floresta e Direito dos Animais, Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança Clima, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Christian Niel Berlinck
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
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Bergstrom BJ, Scruggs SB, Vieira EM. Tropical savanna small mammals respond to loss of cover following disturbance: A global review of field studies. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1017361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Small-mammal faunas of tropical savannas consist of endemic assemblages of murid rodents, small marsupials, and insectivores on four continents. Small mammals in tropical savannas are understudied compared to other tropical habitats and other taxonomic groups (e.g., Afrotropical megafauna or Neotropical rainforest mammals). Their importance as prey, ecosystem engineers, disease reservoirs, and declining members of endemic biodiversity in tropical savannas compels us to understand the factors that regulate their abundance and diversity. We reviewed field studies published in the last 35 years that examined, mostly experimentally, the effects of varying three primary endogenous disturbances in tropical savanna ecosystems—fire, large mammalian herbivory (LMH), and drought—on abundance and diversity of non-volant small mammals. These disturbances are most likely to affect habitat structure (cover or concealment), food availability, or both, for ground-dwelling small mammalian herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores. Of 63 studies (included in 55 published papers) meeting these criteria from the Afrotropics, Neotropics, and northern Australia (none was found from southern Asia), 29 studies concluded that small mammals responded (mostly negatively) to a loss of cover (mostly from LMH and fire); four found evidence of increased predation on small mammals in lower-cover treatments (e.g., grazed or burned). Eighteen studies concluded a combination of food- and cover-limitation explained small-mammal responses to endogenous disturbances. Only two studies concluded small-mammal declines in response to habitat-altering disturbance were caused by food limitation and not related to cover reduction. Evidence to date indicates that abundance and richness of small savanna mammals, in general (with important exceptions), is enhanced by vegetative cover (especially tall grass, but sometimes shrub cover) as refugia for these prey species amid a “landscape of fear,” particularly for diurnal, non-cursorial, and non-fossorial species. These species have been called “decreasers” in response to cover reduction, whereas a minority of small-mammal species have been shown to be “increasers” or disturbance-tolerant. Complex relationships between endogenous disturbances and small-mammal food resources are important secondary factors, but only six studies manipulated or measured food resources simultaneous to habitat manipulations. While more such studies are needed, designing effective ones for cryptic consumer communities of omnivorous dietary opportunists is a significant challenge.
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Cazetta TC, Vieira EM. Fire Occurrence Mediates Small-Mammal Seed Removal of Native Tree Species in a Neotropical Savanna. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.793947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Seed dispersal and predation are critical processes for plant recruitment which can be affected by fire events. We investigated community composition of small mammals in gallery forests with distinct burning histories (burned or not burned ∼3 years before) in the Cerrado (neotropical savanna). We evaluated the role of these animals as seed removers of six native tree species, potentially mediated by the occurrence of fire. We sampled four previously burned sites and four unburned ones. Seed removal was assessed using two exclusion treatments: exclusive access of small rodents and access of all seed-removing vertebrates. The previous burning changed the structural characteristics of the forests, increasing the density of the understory vegetation and herbaceous cover, which determined differences in species composition, richness, and abundance of small rodents (abundance in the burned forests was 1/6 of the abundance in the unburnt ones). Seed removal rates across the six species were reduced in burnt forests in both treatments and were higher for the “all vertebrates” treatment. Other vertebrates, larger than small rodents, played a significant role as seed removers for five of the six species. The effects of fire were consistent across species, but for the two species with the largest seeds (Hymenaea courbaril and Mauritia flexuosa) removal rates for both treatments were extremely low in the burned forests (≦5%). The observed decline in small rodent seed predation in the burned forests may have medium to long-term consequences on plant communities in gallery forests, potentially affecting community composition and species coexistence in these forests. Moreover, fire caused a sharp decline in seed removal by large mammals, indicating that the maintenance of dispersal services provided by these mammals (mainly the agouti Dasyprota azarae) for the large-seeded species may be jeopardized by the burning of gallery forests. This burning would also affect several small mammal species that occur in the surrounding typical savanna habitats but also use these forests. Fire events have been increasing in frequency and intensity because of human activities and climate changing. This current scenario poses a serious threat considering that these forests are fire-sensitive ecosystems within the Cerrado.
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Zúñiga AH, Rau JR, Jaksic FM, Vergara PM, Encina‐Montoya F, Fuentes‐Ramírez A. Rodent assemblage composition as indicator of fire severity in a protected area of south‐central Chile. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo H. Zúñiga
- Laboratorio de Ecología Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad Universidad de Los Lagos Campus Osorno OsornoChile
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias mención Conservación y Manejo de Recursos Naturales Universidad de Los Lagos Puerto MonttChile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile SantiagoChile
| | - Jaime R. Rau
- Laboratorio de Ecología Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Biodiversidad Universidad de Los Lagos Campus Osorno OsornoChile
| | - Fabián M. Jaksic
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile SantiagoChile
| | - Pablo M. Vergara
- Departamento de Gestión Agraria Universidad de Santiago de Chile SantiagoChile
| | | | - Andrés Fuentes‐Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Biometría Departamento de Ciencias Forestales Universidad de La Frontera TemucoChile
- Butamallin Research Center for Global Change Universidad de La Frontera TemucoChile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB) Santiago Chile
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Santos CF, Teixeira RC, Raizer J, Fischer E. Post-fire phyllostomid assemblages in forest patches of the Pantanal wetland. MAMMALIA 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We report on phyllostomid assemblages just after a wildfire and again three months later across burned and unburned forest patches. We recorded 10 species throughout the fire disturbance gradient, mainly determined by changes in the understory. Burned patches presented high abundance of predator bats right after fire, including gleaning insectivorous, carnivorous, and sanguivorous. Three months later, burned forests were empty of predators and dominated by large frugivores that occurred throughout the whole gradient in both periods. The fire appears to create ephemeral opportunity to predator phyllostomids right after its passage, but subsequent vegetation recovery seems to reduce diversity in burned forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina F. Santos
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências , Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul , 79070-900 Campo Grande , Mato Grosso do Sul , Brazil
| | - Reinaldo C. Teixeira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências , Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul , 79070-900 Campo Grande , Mato Grosso do Sul , Brazil
| | - Josué Raizer
- Faculdade de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais , Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados , 79825-070 Dourados , Mato Grosso do Sul , Brazil
| | - Erich Fischer
- Instituto de Biociências , Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul , 79070-900 Campo Grande , Mato Grosso do Sul , Brazil
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de Camargo NF, de Oliveira HFM, Ribeiro JF, de Camargo AJA, Vieira EM. Availability of food resources and habitat structure shape the individual-resource network of a Neotropical marsupial. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3946-3957. [PMID: 31015979 PMCID: PMC6468053 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial and temporal variation in networks has been reported in different studies. However, the many effects of habitat structure and food resource availability variation on network structures have remained poorly investigated, especially in individual-based networks. This approach can shed light on individual specialization of resource use and how habitat variations shape trophic interactions.To test hypotheses related to habitat variability on trophic interactions, we investigated seasonal and spatial variation in network structure of four populations of the marsupial Gracilinanus agilis in the highly seasonal tropical savannas of the Brazilian Cerrado.We evaluated such variation with network nestedness and modularity considering both cool-dry and warm-wet seasons, and related such variations with food resource availability and habitat structure (considered in the present study as environmental variation) in four sites of savanna woodland forest.Network analyses showed that modularity (but not nestedness) was consistently lower during the cool-dry season in all G. agilis populations. Our results indicated that nestedness is related to habitat structure, showing that this metric increases in sites with thick and spaced trees. On the other hand, modularity was positively related to diversity of arthropods and abundance of fruits.We propose that the relationship between nestedness and habitat structure is an outcome of individual variation in the vertical space and food resource use by G. agilis in sites with thick and spaced trees. Moreover, individual specialization in resource-rich and population-dense periods possibly increased the network modularity of G. agilis. Therefore, our study reveals that environment variability considering spatial and temporal components is important for shaping network structure of populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nícholas F. de Camargo
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
| | | | - Juliana F. Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
| | | | - Emerson M. Vieira
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
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