Mesocarnivores are sensitive to global environmental changes, thereby serving as valuable sentinel species for assessing the ecological effects of anthropogenic disturbances. In human-modified landscapes, understanding mesocarnivore community structure and species habitat use is useful for guiding conservation strategies and preserving key ecosystem functions and services. Using camera-trap data, we evaluated the occupancy and detection probabilities of mesocarnivore assemblages in two protected areas of the Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil: RPPN Estação Veracel (sustainable-use) and Pau Brasil National Park (strictly protected). Ten mesocarnivore species were recorded, with higher species richness and occupancy rates in the strictly protected area. Occupancy and detection probabilities varied substantially among species and over time, with no strong responses to site-scale covariates. Nasua nasua was favored in sites with larger tree basal area, while Cerdocyon thous avoided these sites. Didelphis aurita was more common in sites distant from roads, contrasting with C. thous. All species, particularly Leopardus sp. and N. nasua, tended to use areas near reserve boundaries. Despite the high species diversity, low average occupancy suggests barriers limiting population growth, with some species benefiting from anthropogenic disturbance, underscoring the complexity of mesocarnivore roles in tropical ecosystems.
中食性动物对全球环境变化非常敏感，因此是评估人为干扰生态影响的宝贵哨兵物种。在人类改造景观中，了解中食肉动物群落结构和物种栖息地利用对指导保护策略和保护关键生态系统功能和服务具有重要意义。利用摄像机-诱捕器数据，对巴西东北部两个大西洋森林保护区：RPPN esta o Veracel（可持续利用）和Pau Brasil国家公园（严格保护）的中食肉动物种群的占用率和检测概率进行了评估。中食性动物10种，在严格保护区内具有较高的物种丰富度和占用率。占用率和检测概率在不同物种和时间之间存在很大差异，对场地尺度协变量没有强烈的响应。在树基面积较大的地点，纳苏亚（Nasua Nasua）较受欢迎，而尾龙（Cerdocyon）则避开这些地点。在远离道路的地方，与C. thous相比，Didelphis aurita更常见。所有物种，尤其是豹和纳苏亚豹，都倾向于使用保护区边界附近的区域。尽管物种多样性高，但低平均占用率表明限制了种群增长的障碍，一些物种受益于人为干扰，强调了热带生态系统中食肉动物角色的复杂性。
{"title":"Heterogeneity in mesocarnivore occupancy highlights the complexity of biodiversity changes in a threatened ecoregion","authors":"Marília Marques , Marcelo Magioli , Pedro Monterroso , Gonçalo Curveira-Santos , Camila Righetto Cassano","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.06.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.06.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mesocarnivores are sensitive to global environmental changes, thereby serving as valuable sentinel species for assessing the ecological effects of anthropogenic disturbances. In human-modified landscapes, understanding mesocarnivore community structure and species habitat use is useful for guiding conservation strategies and preserving key ecosystem functions and services. Using camera-trap data, we evaluated the occupancy and detection probabilities of mesocarnivore assemblages in two protected areas of the Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil: RPPN Estação Veracel (sustainable-use) and Pau Brasil National Park (strictly protected). Ten mesocarnivore species were recorded, with higher species richness and occupancy rates in the strictly protected area. Occupancy and detection probabilities varied substantially among species and over time, with no strong responses to site-scale covariates. <em>Nasua nasua</em> was favored in sites with larger tree basal area, while <em>Cerdocyon thous</em> avoided these sites. <em>Didelphis aurita</em> was more common in sites distant from roads, contrasting with <em>C. thous.</em> All species, particularly <em>Leopardus</em> sp. and <em>N. nasua,</em> tended to use areas near reserve boundaries. Despite the high species diversity, low average occupancy suggests barriers limiting population growth, with some species benefiting from anthropogenic disturbance, underscoring the complexity of mesocarnivore roles in tropical ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 3","pages":"Pages 200-207"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.001
Pedro Trejo , Claudia Azevedo-Ramos , Felipe Lenti
Tropical forests have experienced increasing fragmentation. The trajectory of forest fragmentation (sequence, permanence, and location) offers valuable insights for shaping environmental strategies. We examined fragmentation trends and metrics in the Brazilian Amazon over a 34-year period, encompassing its macroregions: Western (WA), Central (CA), and Eastern Amazon (EA). The findings reveal an ongoing fragmentation, characterized by an increase in fragment numbers (WA: +37%, from 49,871 to 68,067 fragments; CA: +82%, 72,463–132,051 fragments; EA: +178%, 164,249–456,399 fragments) and a reduction in mean fragment size (WA: −28%, from 2825.7–2036.8 ha; CA: −48%, 1747.4–905.4 ha; EA: −75%, 651.8–162.3 ha), particularly in the east. Transitions occurred across few forest classes, typically, from forest Core to connecting forest, and eventually to anthropogenic areas. The Core class's permanence was longest in WA (32 years), while anthropogenic areas had the highest permanence in EA (7.6 years) and the lowest in WA (<1 year). Intermediate fragmentation classes were more prevalent in EA, which also demonstrated higher entropy. CA requires immediate attention actions from decision-makers to prevent the intense fragmentation shown in EA. We suggested strategies to mitigate Amazon fragmentation, emphasizing integrated metrics and region-specific approaches for enhanced connectivity and reduced forest loss.
{"title":"Forest fragmentation in the Brazilian Amazon: Trends and conservation strategies","authors":"Pedro Trejo , Claudia Azevedo-Ramos , Felipe Lenti","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical forests have experienced increasing fragmentation. The trajectory of forest fragmentation (sequence, permanence, and location) offers valuable insights for shaping environmental strategies. We examined fragmentation trends and metrics in the Brazilian Amazon over a 34-year period, encompassing its macroregions: Western (WA), Central (CA), and Eastern Amazon (EA). The findings reveal an ongoing fragmentation, characterized by an increase in fragment numbers (WA: +37%, from 49,871 to 68,067 fragments; CA: +82%, 72,463–132,051 fragments; EA: +178%, 164,249–456,399 fragments) and a reduction in mean fragment size (WA: −28%, from 2825.7–2036.8 ha; CA: −48%, 1747.4–905.4 ha; EA: −75%, 651.8–162.3 ha), particularly in the east. Transitions occurred across few forest classes, typically, from forest Core to connecting forest, and eventually to anthropogenic areas. The Core class's permanence was longest in WA (32 years), while anthropogenic areas had the highest permanence in EA (7.6 years) and the lowest in WA (<1 year). Intermediate fragmentation classes were more prevalent in EA, which also demonstrated higher entropy. CA requires immediate attention actions from decision-makers to prevent the intense fragmentation shown in EA. We suggested strategies to mitigate Amazon fragmentation, emphasizing integrated metrics and region-specific approaches for enhanced connectivity and reduced forest loss.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 104-109"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.005
Heitor C. Sousa , Guarino R. Colli , Adriana Malvasio
Understanding the priorities and motivations of key actors is essential to setting fire management goals toward sustainability and resilience in a changing world. To investigate how key actors in fire management, rural residents and environmental specialists, prioritize fire management goals and assess their attitudes regarding fire use, fire regime effects, and Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in the Brazilian Cerrado savannas, we used an Analytic Hierarchy Process framework and Bayesian multilevel models. We identified minor differences in prioritizing fire management goals between rural interviewees and environmental specialists. Both groups independently regarded (1) pest control and farming as the lowest priorities and (2) protecting water resources and biodiversity conservation as the most important compared to other fire management goals. Despite the similarities, participants with higher education prioritized conserving biodiversity and its traditional use while emphasizing the importance of controlled fire use. Most specialists approved the use of IFM in protected areas (91.84%) and private areas (79.59%). Specialists also suggested improvements to IFM regarding mobilization and education, laws and regulations, surveillance, fund-raising, and scientific research. Our findings show that we should expect minor tradeoffs between key actors and their fire management goals, revealing a fruitful path for implementing a large-scale IFM in Cerrado that is aligned with the needs of local communities and avoiding conflicts.
{"title":"Prioritizing fire management goals in a biodiversity hotspot","authors":"Heitor C. Sousa , Guarino R. Colli , Adriana Malvasio","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the priorities and motivations of key actors is essential to setting fire management goals toward sustainability and resilience in a changing world. To investigate how key actors in fire management, rural residents and environmental specialists, prioritize fire management goals and assess their attitudes regarding fire use, fire regime effects, and Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in the Brazilian Cerrado savannas, we used an Analytic Hierarchy Process framework and Bayesian multilevel models. We identified minor differences in prioritizing fire management goals between rural interviewees and environmental specialists. Both groups independently regarded (1) pest control and farming as the lowest priorities and (2) protecting water resources and biodiversity conservation as the most important compared to other fire management goals. Despite the similarities, participants with higher education prioritized conserving biodiversity and its traditional use while emphasizing the importance of controlled fire use. Most specialists approved the use of IFM in protected areas (91.84%) and private areas (79.59%). Specialists also suggested improvements to IFM regarding mobilization and education, laws and regulations, surveillance, fund-raising, and scientific research. Our findings show that we should expect minor tradeoffs between key actors and their fire management goals, revealing a fruitful path for implementing a large-scale IFM in Cerrado that is aligned with the needs of local communities and avoiding conflicts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 85-92"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.002
Juliana Silveira dos Santos , Erica Hasui , Fabrício Barreto Teresa , João Carlos Nabout , Karine Borges Machado , Felipe Martello , Ludgero Cardoso Galli Vieira , Rosane Garcia Collevatti
Freshwater biodiversity is threatened at global scale, thus, understanding how it responds to anthropogenic interferences is critical, especially in regions where human disturbances have quickly altered natural ecosystems. Here, we address the effects of landscape structure in Brazilian Cerrado on freshwater community diversity of phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton and fish, and instream’s features (physicochemical and biological indicators of water quality, and water velocity), and the effects of instream’s features on freshwater community diversity. We analyzed the data at different spatial scales (50, 100, 150, and 200 m, and watershed level), using structural equation modeling. We found that percentage of native vegetation (%NV) at watershed level explained Cladocera’s abundance and Shannon-wiener with a negative relationship. Landscape compositional heterogeneity (SHDI) at 200 m explained Periphyton abundance with a positive relationship. %NV at 50 m explained dissolved oxygen with a positive relationship. Total coliforms explained Cladoceras’s abundance with a positive relationship. Conductivity explained Cladocera’s abundance and richness with a negative relationship. Our findings show that landscape changes are favoring some biological groups, which can lead to freshwater biotic homogenization. Thus, the unsustainable expansion of agriculture can compromise freshwater biodiversity and water quality in Cerrado.
{"title":"Landscape structure coupled to instream features shape freshwater biodiversity in Cerrado agricultural landscapes","authors":"Juliana Silveira dos Santos , Erica Hasui , Fabrício Barreto Teresa , João Carlos Nabout , Karine Borges Machado , Felipe Martello , Ludgero Cardoso Galli Vieira , Rosane Garcia Collevatti","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshwater biodiversity is threatened at global scale, thus, understanding how it responds to anthropogenic interferences is critical, especially in regions where human disturbances have quickly altered natural ecosystems. Here, we address the effects of landscape structure in Brazilian Cerrado on freshwater community diversity of phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton and fish, and instream’s features (physicochemical and biological indicators of water quality, and water velocity), and the effects of instream’s features on freshwater community diversity. We analyzed the data at different spatial scales (50, 100, 150, and 200 m, and watershed level), using structural equation modeling. We found that percentage of native vegetation (%NV) at watershed level explained Cladocera’s abundance and Shannon-wiener with a negative relationship. Landscape compositional heterogeneity (SHDI) at 200 m explained Periphyton abundance with a positive relationship. %NV at 50 m explained dissolved oxygen with a positive relationship. Total coliforms explained Cladoceras’s abundance with a positive relationship. Conductivity explained Cladocera’s abundance and richness with a negative relationship. Our findings show that landscape changes are favoring some biological groups, which can lead to freshwater biotic homogenization. Thus, the unsustainable expansion of agriculture can compromise freshwater biodiversity and water quality in Cerrado.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 61-69"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.004
Artur Malecha , Stella Manes , Mariana M. Vale
Over recent decades, Brazil has amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding the potential effects of climate change on its biodiversity. Studies have predicted mostly negative impacts and some positive ones, and it is time to synthesize this information. We did a systematic review of the literature and quantitative analysis, gathering 20,582 risk projections from 131 papers. We then estimated the effect size of the projected risks. We found that climate change impacts on biodiversity vary spatially. The Pantanal wetlands are predicted to experience the most significant negative impacts, followed by the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, while the Pampa grasslands are expected to see lower impacts. Our analysis also reveals biases and knowledge gaps. For example, the shortage of studies on marine environments precluded their inclusion in the analysis, and there was a strong bias towards the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, with a shortage of studies on the Pantanal and the Pampa. Moreover, there was a taxonomic bias towards plants and terrestrial vertebrates, which comprised >90% of the data. Finally, while adherence to the Paris Agreement is unlikely to eliminate climate change impacts on biodiversity, our analysis predicts that it could reduce these impacts by 20% and halve the number of species at risk of extinction from climate change in Brazil.
{"title":"Climate change and biodiversity in Brazil: What we know, what we don’t, and Paris Agreement’s risk reduction potential","authors":"Artur Malecha , Stella Manes , Mariana M. Vale","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over recent decades, Brazil has amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding the potential effects of climate change on its biodiversity. Studies have predicted mostly negative impacts and some positive ones, and it is time to synthesize this information. We did a systematic review of the literature and quantitative analysis, gathering 20,582 risk projections from 131 papers. We then estimated the effect size of the projected risks. We found that climate change impacts on biodiversity vary spatially. The Pantanal wetlands are predicted to experience the most significant negative impacts, followed by the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, while the Pampa grasslands are expected to see lower impacts. Our analysis also reveals biases and knowledge gaps. For example, the shortage of studies on marine environments precluded their inclusion in the analysis, and there was a strong bias towards the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest, with a shortage of studies on the Pantanal and the Pampa. Moreover, there was a taxonomic bias towards plants and terrestrial vertebrates, which comprised >90% of the data. Finally, while adherence to the Paris Agreement is unlikely to eliminate climate change impacts on biodiversity, our analysis predicts that it could reduce these impacts by 20% and halve the number of species at risk of extinction from climate change in Brazil.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 77-84"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.004
Pablo García-Díaz , Yohana G. Jimenez , Carlos Molineri , María G. Quintana , Ezequiel Aráoz , Agustina Malizia , Oriana Osinaga Acosta , Priscila A. Powell , Cecilia Blundo , Sergio J. Ceballos , Ana D. Fuenzalida , M. de Lourdes Gultemirian , Guillermo Hankel , Giselle A. Rodríguez , Sebastián Albanesi , Ignacio Gasparri , Alfredo Grau , Miguel Lurgi , Julieta Carilla
Integrated assessments of multiple natural capital and ecosystem services and disservices (ESD) are needed to guide research and management in South America. Unfortunately, a poor understanding of the drivers of ESD and a scarcity of data undermine these efforts. Here, we combine expert knowledge and network analyses to create conceptual system maps to support the research and management of multiple ESD. Using the example of the Lules River watershed (northwestern Argentina), we integrated the biotic, abiotic, socio-economic, and policy drivers of five ESD selected due to their relevance to human well-being and biodiversity conservation in the area: (i) aboveground carbon stock; (ii) water quality; (iii) water quantity; (iv) dengue transmission; and (v) leishmaniasis transmission. Through facilitated activities, we encoded expert knowledge into networks representing drivers and causal interactions between those drivers. We recorded 43 drivers, of which 18 were identified as key drivers based on network metrics. The majority of key drivers were abiotic and socio-economic drivers (38.9% and 33.3% of 18, respectively), and we found potential information sources for all of these key drivers. Conceptual system maps provided significant benefits for guiding ESD research and ecosystem-based management. First, they formalised our current understanding of the system and provided a model that can be updated with new information. Second, they can be analysed through established network metrics to uncover relationships critical to effective system-level management and identify key drivers for data-gathering efforts. These maps offer a rapid and interdisciplinary tool to overcome existing barriers to integrated assessments in data-poor areas and are a powerful method to support system-based approaches to environmental management.
{"title":"Conceptual system maps to guide research and management of multiple ecosystem services and disservices","authors":"Pablo García-Díaz , Yohana G. Jimenez , Carlos Molineri , María G. Quintana , Ezequiel Aráoz , Agustina Malizia , Oriana Osinaga Acosta , Priscila A. Powell , Cecilia Blundo , Sergio J. Ceballos , Ana D. Fuenzalida , M. de Lourdes Gultemirian , Guillermo Hankel , Giselle A. Rodríguez , Sebastián Albanesi , Ignacio Gasparri , Alfredo Grau , Miguel Lurgi , Julieta Carilla","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrated assessments of multiple natural capital and ecosystem services and disservices (ESD) are needed to guide research and management in South America. Unfortunately, a poor understanding of the drivers of ESD and a scarcity of data undermine these efforts. Here, we combine expert knowledge and network analyses to create conceptual system maps to support the research and management of multiple ESD. Using the example of the Lules River watershed (northwestern Argentina), we integrated the biotic, abiotic, socio-economic, and policy drivers of five ESD selected due to their relevance to human well-being and biodiversity conservation in the area: (i) aboveground carbon stock; (ii) water quality; (iii) water quantity; (iv) dengue transmission; and (v) leishmaniasis transmission. Through facilitated activities, we encoded expert knowledge into networks representing drivers and causal interactions between those drivers. We recorded 43 drivers, of which 18 were identified as key drivers based on network metrics. The majority of key drivers were abiotic and socio-economic drivers (38.9% and 33.3% of 18, respectively), and we found potential information sources for all of these key drivers. Conceptual system maps provided significant benefits for guiding ESD research and ecosystem-based management. First, they formalised our current understanding of the system and provided a model that can be updated with new information. Second, they can be analysed through established network metrics to uncover relationships critical to effective system-level management and identify key drivers for data-gathering efforts. These maps offer a rapid and interdisciplinary tool to overcome existing barriers to integrated assessments in data-poor areas and are a powerful method to support system-based approaches to environmental management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 141-150"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.05.001
Franco Bostal, Alberto L. Scorolli, Sergio M. Zalba
The absence of top predators can lead to significant ecological consequences, especially in association with changes in bottom-up ecosystem regulation. In the context of biological invasions, the enemy release hypothesis explains how invasive alien species can reach high densities in the absence of natural antagonists, often leading to negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Feral equids frequently reach problematic densities in natural environments, where their management faces operational and communication challenges. In this study, we evaluated the impact of puma (Puma concolor) presence on the demography of a feral horse (Equus caballus) population in an Argentinian grassland nature reserve. We compared periods with (2023–2024) and without predation (1995–2002). Foal survival was significantly lower in 2023–2024, while adult survival increased compared to 1995–2002. These changes, coupled with direct evidence of puma predation on young horse carcasses, suggest that pumas are affecting population growth rates by reducing recruitment, and may limit population size. Concomitantly, mean female body condition improved in 2023–2024, suggesting that the loss of foals to predation may reduce lactation-related energy costs. These findings suggest that pumas could play an important role in the dynamics of feral horse populations, marking the first documented case of such a regulation in South America. Incorporating predator activity into management strategies could reduce the need for direct interventions, offering a more sustainable approach to controlling the ecological impacts of feral horse populations.
{"title":"The comeback of a top predator and its effects on a population of feral horses","authors":"Franco Bostal, Alberto L. Scorolli, Sergio M. Zalba","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The absence of top predators can lead to significant ecological consequences, especially in association with changes in bottom-up ecosystem regulation. In the context of biological invasions, the enemy release hypothesis explains how invasive alien species can reach high densities in the absence of natural antagonists, often leading to negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Feral equids frequently reach problematic densities in natural environments, where their management faces operational and communication challenges. In this study, we evaluated the impact of puma (<em>Puma concolor</em>) presence on the demography of a feral horse (<em>Equus caballus</em>) population in an Argentinian grassland nature reserve. We compared periods with (2023–2024) and without predation (1995–2002). Foal survival was significantly lower in 2023–2024, while adult survival increased compared to 1995–2002. These changes, coupled with direct evidence of puma predation on young horse carcasses, suggest that pumas are affecting population growth rates by reducing recruitment, and may limit population size. Concomitantly, mean female body condition improved in 2023–2024, suggesting that the loss of foals to predation may reduce lactation-related energy costs. These findings suggest that pumas could play an important role in the dynamics of feral horse populations, marking the first documented case of such a regulation in South America. Incorporating predator activity into management strategies could reduce the need for direct interventions, offering a more sustainable approach to controlling the ecological impacts of feral horse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 121-129"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.003
André Cesar Furlaneto Sampaio , Pablo Melo Hoffmann , Elivelton Marcos Gurski , Ollyver Rech Bizarro , Santiago José Elías Velazco , Marcos Bergmann Carlucci , Marília Borgo , Mayara Monteiro Ferreira , Alessandro Camargo Angelo , Christopher Thomas Blum
Gaps in geographic, genetic, and ecological data persist for many plant species, particularly those with restricted populations that are often rare and endangered. This lack of data hampers conservation efforts, especially in regions facing rapid habitat degradation and limited research investment. Additionally, technological, methodological, financial, and governmental challenges further hinder data collection. To address this issue, we developed the Multi-Scale Habitat and Population Rapid Assessment (MHPR) methodology, integrating widely tested, low-cost, and rapid-application technologies to assess distribution, demography, and population decline risks in species with restricted populations. We applied this approach to Butia pubispatha, a critically endangered dwarf palm endemic to the southern Brazilian grasslands, known from a single recorded population. In the first phase, we used Landsat satellite imagery and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to analyze habitat degradation between 2013 and 2021. Using landscape ecology principles, we identified the focal habitat patch with the highest potential to support the species. In the second phase, we conducted systematic transects and distance sampling within this area, mapping the population and identifying less degraded sectors. The highest-density sector was censused. In the third phase, we analyzed spatial patterns using Morisita’s Index and Ripley’s K function. Our method proved highly effective and replicable. NDVI successfully detected habitat changes over time, revealing an 86.7% reduction in the focal habitat patch from 2013 to 2021, underscoring the species’ critical threat due to habitat degradation. We recorded 1,615 individuals, with an estimated density of 81.2 in/ha and a dispersal range of 145 m. A second population was identified in this study. Our findings provide key insights for phenological studies, seedling production, genetic research, and public policies aimed at establishing protected areas and translocating individuals for the conservation of Butia pubispatha.
{"title":"Filling knowledge gaps: A methodological approach for the rapid investigation of species with restricted populations","authors":"André Cesar Furlaneto Sampaio , Pablo Melo Hoffmann , Elivelton Marcos Gurski , Ollyver Rech Bizarro , Santiago José Elías Velazco , Marcos Bergmann Carlucci , Marília Borgo , Mayara Monteiro Ferreira , Alessandro Camargo Angelo , Christopher Thomas Blum","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gaps in geographic, genetic, and ecological data persist for many plant species, particularly those with restricted populations that are often rare and endangered. This lack of data hampers conservation efforts, especially in regions facing rapid habitat degradation and limited research investment. Additionally, technological, methodological, financial, and governmental challenges further hinder data collection. To address this issue, we developed the Multi-Scale Habitat and Population Rapid Assessment (MHPR) methodology, integrating widely tested, low-cost, and rapid-application technologies to assess distribution, demography, and population decline risks in species with restricted populations. We applied this approach to <em>Butia pubispatha</em>, a critically endangered dwarf palm endemic to the southern Brazilian grasslands, known from a single recorded population. In the first phase, we used Landsat satellite imagery and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to analyze habitat degradation between 2013 and 2021. Using landscape ecology principles, we identified the focal habitat patch with the highest potential to support the species. In the second phase, we conducted systematic transects and distance sampling within this area, mapping the population and identifying less degraded sectors. The highest-density sector was censused. In the third phase, we analyzed spatial patterns using Morisita’s Index and Ripley’s K function. Our method proved highly effective and replicable. NDVI successfully detected habitat changes over time, revealing an 86.7% reduction in the focal habitat patch from 2013 to 2021, underscoring the species’ critical threat due to habitat degradation. We recorded 1,615 individuals, with an estimated density of 81.2 in/ha and a dispersal range of 145 m. A second population was identified in this study. Our findings provide key insights for phenological studies, seedling production, genetic research, and public policies aimed at establishing protected areas and translocating individuals for the conservation of <em>Butia pubispatha</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 130-140"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.006
Débora C. Rother , Leandro G. Cosmo , Julia Tavella , Fredric M. Windsor , Mariano Devoto , Darren M. Evans , Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.
Landscape homogenization, caused by monocultures, can provide optimal conditions for the spread of crop pests. Increasing habitat heterogeneity and complexity within landscapes could slow pest spread. A next step in understanding the role of habitat heterogeneity in affecting pest spread is to understand how landscape features directly and indirectly affect spatial infestation patterns. We developed a spatial network approach to explore how landscape complexity, generated by forest patch cover, affects the pest spread in agricultural landscapes. As a studied system, we used information on the spatial distribution of traps and dispersal distance of the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from a sugarcane agro-ecosystem in Brazil. Network analysis reveals that modeling pest spread was an outcome of both direct and indirect pathways connecting sugarcane fields. Therefore, using only information about the direct and indirect pathways of the spatial network and the initial focus of infestation, we were able to predict with nearly 80% accuracy the most susceptible sites to pest spread in the simulated landscape. By adjusting parameters such as pest mobility, and interaction with landscape features, our model can simulate different agricultural systems and pest behaviors, showing that forest cover can be used to control pest occurrence and that direct and indirect pathways in spatial networks can be used as a predictive tool to manage the pest spread in agricultural landscapes.
{"title":"Spatial networks reveal how forest cover decreases the spread of agricultural pests","authors":"Débora C. Rother , Leandro G. Cosmo , Julia Tavella , Fredric M. Windsor , Mariano Devoto , Darren M. Evans , Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Landscape homogenization, caused by monocultures, can provide optimal conditions for the spread of crop pests. Increasing habitat heterogeneity and complexity within landscapes could slow pest spread. A next step in understanding the role of habitat heterogeneity in affecting pest spread is to understand how landscape features directly and indirectly affect spatial infestation patterns. We developed a spatial network approach to explore how landscape complexity, generated by forest patch cover, affects the pest spread in agricultural landscapes. As a studied system, we used information on the spatial distribution of traps and dispersal distance of the sugarcane borer <em>Diatraea saccharalis</em> (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from a sugarcane agro-ecosystem in Brazil. Network analysis reveals that modeling pest spread was an outcome of both direct and indirect pathways connecting sugarcane fields. Therefore, using only information about the direct and indirect pathways of the spatial network and the initial focus of infestation, we were able to predict with nearly 80% accuracy the most susceptible sites to pest spread in the simulated landscape. By adjusting parameters such as pest mobility, and interaction with landscape features, our model can simulate different agricultural systems and pest behaviors, showing that forest cover can be used to control pest occurrence and that direct and indirect pathways in spatial networks can be used as a predictive tool to manage the pest spread in agricultural landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 93-103"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.003
André L. Guimarães , Álvaro M. Batista , Yuri Telles , Anna C.F. Aguiar , Fabio R. Scarano , Paulo Moutinho
While the world urgently hopes to reduce GHG emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation, the Brazilian Amazon offshore potentially becomes a new frontier for oil companies. The expected impact of oil royalties on the regional GDP is a political driving force pro-exploration. We advocate that the Brazilian Amazon offshore must remain oil exploration-free and that the country could give up its sovereign right to explore oil locally while replacing oil royalties with "green royalties". Therefore, we propose that the region could benefit from creating a trust fund covering the same amount of royalties that the area would receive from the country's decision not to allow oil exploration in the region.
{"title":"Green royalties: Keeping offshore Amazon free of oil","authors":"André L. Guimarães , Álvaro M. Batista , Yuri Telles , Anna C.F. Aguiar , Fabio R. Scarano , Paulo Moutinho","doi":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the world urgently hopes to reduce GHG emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation, the Brazilian Amazon offshore potentially becomes a new frontier for oil companies. The expected impact of oil royalties on the regional GDP is a political driving force pro-exploration. We advocate that the Brazilian Amazon offshore must remain oil exploration-free and that the country could give up its sovereign right to explore oil locally while replacing oil royalties with \"green royalties\". Therefore, we propose that the region could benefit from creating a trust fund covering the same amount of royalties that the area would receive from the country's decision not to allow oil exploration in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56034,"journal":{"name":"Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation","volume":"23 2","pages":"Pages 70-76"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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