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| Castro, W.J.P. | |
| Probability of occupation of forest patches by medium and large mammals in the Nhecolƒndia sub-region, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil | |
| 2023 Full Book | |
The Pantanal is the largest inland wetland in the world, and its landscape is a mosaic of different phytophisiognomies in a good conservation status, but the cattle ranching has transformed the landscape in the region due to the replacement of native vegetation by cultivated pastures. This type of intervention increasingly affects mammals, but there is no information on the responses of mammals to the effects of this activity on the habitat and landscape. Under this situation, this study aimed to evaluate the responses by ungulates and carnivores to the natural variation in the landscape, as well as to the changes caused by the cattle ranching activities in the Pantanal based on modeling of occupancy probability. The study was conducted in ranches, located in the Nhecolƒndia sub-region, and the data collection was based on camera trapping. The obtained detection histories was used together with environmental covariates to model the occupancy probability in the Presence 5.8 software. Eight ungulates and six carnivores species were recorded. Models were obtained only for two species of ungulates, the lowland tapir (_Tapirus terrestris_) and the red brocket deer (_Mazama americana_). The variable that influenced positively the occupancy by tapir was the large tree density (CBH > 50 cm). For the red brocket deer models, the occupancy was negatively influenced by forest patch isolation and positively by the presence of bamboo stands. No consistent occupancy models were obtained for the other ungulate species due to the low number of detections and/or because the variables used in our study were not related with the use of forests by these species. The density of shrubs in the forest understory has a negative effect over the occupancy by coatis, _Nasua nasua_, while the occupancy by crab-eating fox, _Cerdocyon thous _was negatively influenced by the density of trees and the density of bromeliads. The occupancy of forest patches by ocelot (_Leopardus pardalis_) was negatively influenced by the density of adult palm trees, and an alternative model indicated a positive influence of the density of young trees. The occupancy models for tayra (_Eira barbara_) indicate a positive influence of the area of forest patches. Some species recorded during our surveys are known as forest-dwelling species, and disturbances and alteration in this type of habitat may cause negative impact on them. The results of this study may help the establishment of suitable ranching management practices that guarantee the quality of the landscape and habitats for biodiversity in the Pantanal region. |
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