Activity Pattern of Medium and Large Sized Mammals and Density Estimates of Cuniculus Paca (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) in the Brazilian Pampa C

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Activity Pattern of Medium and Large Sized Mammals and Density Estimates of Cuniculus Paca (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) in the Brazilian Pampa C Brazilian Journal of Biology http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.174403 ISSN 1519-6984 (Print) Original Article ISSN 1678-4375 (Online) Activity pattern of medium and large sized mammals and density estimates of Cuniculus paca (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) in the Brazilian Pampa C. Leuchtenbergera*, Ê. S. de Oliveirab, L. P. Cariolattoc and C. B. Kasperb aInstituto Federal Farroupilha – IFFAR, Coordenação de Ciências Biológicas, Rua Erechim, nº 860, Campus Panambi, CEP 98280-000, Panambi, RS, Brazil bUniversidade Federal do Pampa – UNIPAMPA, Laboratório de Biologia de Mamíferos e Aves – LABIMAVE, Av. Antônio Trilha, nº 1847, CEP 97300-000, São Gabriel, RS, Brazil cInstituto Federal Farroupilha – IFFAR, RS-377, Km 27, Campus Alegrete, Passo Novo, CEP 97555-000, Alegrete, RS, Brazil *e-mail: [email protected] Received: January 13, 2017 – Accepted: June 26, 2017 – Distributed: November 30, 2018 (With 2 figures) Abstract Between July 2014 and April 2015, we conducted weekly inventories of the circadian activity patterns of mammals in Passo Novo locality, municipality of Alegrete, southern Brazil. The vegetation is comprised by a grassy-woody steppe (grassland). We used two camera traps alternately located on one of four 1 km transects, each separated by 1 km. We classified the activity pattern of species by the percentage of photographic records taken in each daily period. We identify Cuniculus paca individuals by differences in the patterns of flank spots. We then estimate the density 1) considering the area of riparian forest present in the sampling area, and 2) through capture/recapture analysis. Cuniculus paca, Conepatus chinga and Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris were nocturnal, Cerdocyon thous had a crepuscular/nocturnal pattern, while Mazama gouazoubira was cathemeral. The patterns of circadian activity observed for medium and large mammals in this Pampa region (southern grasslands) may reflect not only evolutionary, biological and ecological affects, but also human impacts not assessed in this study. We identified ten individuals ofC. paca through skin spot patterns during the study period, which were recorded in different transects and months. The minimum population density ofC. paca was 3.5 individuals per km2 (resident animals only) and the total density estimates varied from 7.1 to 11.8 individuals per km2, when considering all individuals recorded or the result of the capture/recapture analysis, respectively. Keywords: abundance, circadian activity, camera trap, terrestrial mammals, south grasslands. Padrão de atividade de mamíferos de médio e grande porte e estimativa da densidade de Cuniculus paca (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) no Pampa brasileiro Resumo De julho de 2014 a abril de 2015, realizamos levantamentos semanais para estudar padrões de atividade circadiana da mastofauna na localidade de Passo Novo, Alegrete, sul do Brasil. A vegetação é compreendida por savana estépica (campo). Utilizamos duas armadilhas fotográficas distribuídas alternadamente ao longo de quatro transectos, com extensão de 1 km e distantes cerca de 1 km entre si. Nós classificamos o padrão de atividade das espécies através da percentagem de fotos registradas em cada período diário. Nós identificamos indivíduos deCuniculus paca através dos diferentes padrões de manchas nos flancos dos animais. Nós então estimamos a densidade 1) considerando a área de floresta ripária presente na área amostrada, e 2) através da análise de captura/recaptura. As espécies Cuniculus paca, Conepatus chinga e Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris foram classificadas como noturnas,Cerdocyon thous apresentou um padrão crepuscular/noturno, enquanto Mazama gouazoubira foi classificada como catemeral. O padrão de atividade circadiana observado para os mamíferos de médio e grande porte nessa região do Pampa (campos sulinos) pode refletir não só aspectos evolutivos, biológicos e ecológicos, mas também impactos humanos não avaliados nesse estudo. Através do padrão de manchas da pelagem de C. paca nós identificamos dez indivíduos durante o período de estudo, que foram registrados em diferentes transectos e meses. A densidade populacional mínima de C. paca foi de 3,5 ind/km2 (apenas indivíduos residentes) e a densidade total variou de 7,1 a 11,8 ind/km2, quando consideramos todos os indivíduos registrados ou com base em análises de captura e recaptura, respectivamente. Palavras-chave: abundância, atividade circadiana, armadilha fotográfica, mamíferos terrestres, campos sulinos. Braz. J. Biol., 2018 , vol. 78, no. 4, pp. 697-705 697/705 697 Leuchtenberger, C. et al. 1. Introduction and Redford, 1999; Aquino et al., 2009; Santos-Moreno and Perez-Irineo, 2013; Patton, 2015). The activity pattern of a species is an important aspect Given the lack of information about activity patterns of its ecology, reflecting physiological characteristics and of mammals in the Brazilian Pampa, especially C. paca, ecological interactions (Tobler et al., 2009; Norris et al., and the importance of this knowledge for conservation 2010; Blake et al., 2012). The activity rhythm of most management, the objectives of this study were to analyze species is regulated by endogenous biogeochemical processes the circadian activity pattern of medium- and large-sized that are mostly stimulated by cyclical environmental mammals in a typical Pampa region in the southern Brazil, variations, such as the daily photoperiod (Dibner et al., and to infer information about C. paca population density. 2010). In general, species regulate their activity according to the daily light-dark cycle and may specialize in a 2. Material and Methods particular period. This allows their classification as diurnal or nocturnal, crepuscular or even cathemeral (Mistlberger 2.1. Study areas and Antle, 2011). The study was conducted at the Passo Novo region in the The circadian rhythms of mammals may also be affected municipality of Alegrete, Rio Grande do Sul State, southern by factors other than light, including food availability and Brazil (Figure 1). The study area (29°41’49”S, 55°32’11”O) social stimulus, competition, predation and maternal behavior is located in the Pampa Biome, according to IBGE (2004). 2 (Mistlberger and Skene, 2004). Human disturbances, such The Pampa domain extends about 176,500 km within the as habitat fragmentation, tourism and hunting, can also Brazilian territory, and comprises 63% of the land surface be important factors in determining mammalian activity of Rio Grande do Sul State (IBGE, 2004). The climate is pattern (Kitchen et al., 2000; Martin and Reále, 2008; temperate wet with warm summers (Cfa, Köppen, 1948), and Norris et al., 2010). Consequently, variations in activity the landscape is comprised of extensive grasslands plains pattern among populations may represent strategies adopted with some undulations and hills of silicified sandstone. Vegetation of the study site is classified as grassy-woody by individuals to deal with locally limiting factors, such as steppe (native grassland), modified by constant cattle ecological interactions, environmental cues and different pasture pressure. Forested areas are limited to riparian intensities of threat. vegetation composed of Seasonally Deciduous Alluvial Brazil has one of the highest mammal diversities in the vegetation (IBGE, 2012). The survey was conducted along world, with more than 700 species known (Paglia et al., the riparian forest of the Lajeado Grande Stream. 2012). According to Costa et al. (2005), 13% of the 66 threatened species in Brazil occur in the Pampa Biome. 2.2. Data collection This region is dominated by grasslands and has been used A survey of medium and large mammals was for many generations for raising livestock. Currently, the conducted from July 2014 to April 2015 using two camera main impacts include the expansion of soybean cultivation traps (Bushnell® Trophy Cam tm, model: 119436c). and silviculture based on Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. We established four consecutive transects of 1 km (Hasenack and Cordeiro, 2006). Despite this wide array length and 1 km distant from each other. Each transect of threats, mammal surveys in the Brazilian Pampas are was sampled for a week per month, during 10 months, limited (Kasper et al., 2012a, b; Pinto and Duarte, 2013; with cameras positioned 200 to 400 meters from each Espinosa et al., 2016), especially regarding mammalian other. So, each transect was sampled 10 times with two ecology and activity patterns. cameras. This arrangement resulted in a sample effort of The recent discovery of Cuniculus paca (Linnaeus, 1766) 534 trap nights. Camera traps were configured to take in the Pampas (Leuchtenberger et al., 2016) underscores three sequential records when activated, with a minimum how poorly known is the mammalian assemblage of this interval between events of 30 seconds. The camera traps biome. Although the species is widespread in Central and remained active along 24 hours a day, and we did not use South America, it is threatened by hunting and habitat loss bait during sampling. in some regions (Gudynas, 1989; Beck-King et al., 1999; 2.3. Data analysis Wright et al., 2000; Emmons, 2016). Cuniculus paca is Activity patterns of surveyed species were analyzed using one of the World’s largest rodents, measuring about 70 cm images of the same species taken at intervals of ≥ 1h from long and weighting up to 10 kg (Silva, 2014). The species each transect. To establish activity patterns, we analyzed has a compact and sturdy body, a naked and short tail. the temporal patterns of records using Oriana 4.0 software Dorsal
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