Regional analysis of mammal distributions among Canadian parks: implications for park planning

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2457-2464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Glenn
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Park Planning ◽  
Undisturbed Site ◽  
Composition I ◽  
Large Reserve

An unresolved question in conservation biology is whether a single large reserve will support more or fewer species than several smaller reserves adding up to the same total area, and how this affects species composition. Within 'mammal provinces' of Canada, several parks supported the same number of mammalian species, or more, than a single large park with the same area. The proportion of species that require undisturbed habitats increased with total area conserved. Human disturbances should be reduced in parks because these undisturbed-site species are unable to survive in disturbed environments not protected by a park system. An analysis of species distributions across parks indicated that not all small parks had the same composition. I therefore recommend establishing many parks in a biologically defined region and incorporating as much total area as possible. To aid in developing a strategy for placing parks across Canada, areas with high total mammalian richness and high richness of mammal species intolerant of disturbances are highlighted. Maps showing these areas are particularly useful because it is unlikely that several large parks will be established in every region and it is therefore important to identify the most diverse sites.

Fossil preservation and the stratigraphic ranges of taxa

Paleobiology ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Foote ◽  
David M. Raup
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Original Distribution ◽  
Lower Ordovician ◽  
Stratigraphic Ranges ◽  
Fossil Preservation ◽  
Rule Out

The incompleteness of the fossil record hinders the inference of evolutionary rates and patterns. Here, we derive relationships among true taxonomic durations, preservation probability, and observed taxonomic ranges. We use these relationships to estimate original distributions of taxonomic durations, preservation probability, and completeness (proportion of taxa preserved), given only the observed ranges. No data on occurrences within the ranges of taxa are required. When preservation is random and the original distribution of durations is exponential, the inference of durations, preservability, and completeness is exact. However, reasonable approximations are possible given non-exponential duration distributions and temporal and taxonomic variation in preservability. Thus, the approaches we describe have great potential in studies of taphonomy, evolutionary rates and patterns, and genealogy.Analyses of Upper Cambrian-Lower Ordovician trilobite species, Paleozoic crinoid genera, Jurassic bivalve species, and Cenozoic mammal species yield the following results: (1) The preservation probability inferred from stratigraphic ranges alone agrees with that inferred from the analysis of stratigraphic gaps when data on the latter are available. (2) Whereas median durations based on simple tabulations of observed ranges are biased by stratigraphic resolution, our estimates of median duration, extinction rate, and completeness are not biased. (3) The shorter geologic ranges of mammalian species relative to those of bivalves cannot be attributed to a difference in preservation potential. However, we cannot rule out the contribution of taxonomic practice to this difference. (4) In the groups studied, completeness (proportion of species [trilobites, bivalves, mammals] or genera [crinoids] preserved) ranges from 60% to 90%. The higher estimates of completeness at smaller geographic scales support previous suggestions that the incompleteness of the fossil record reflects loss of fossiliferous rock more than failure of species to enter the fossil record in the first place.

Mammals

Monteverde ◽  
2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Timm ◽  
Richard K. LaVal
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Habitat Changes ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Neotropical Mammals ◽  
Life Zone ◽  
Systematic Relationships ◽  
Diverse Groups

Costa Rica is one of the most biotically diverse countries on earth, with 4% of known terrestrial plant and animal species in only 0.04% of the world’s land surface. The country’s mammal fauna is equally diverse, with more than 207 species (4.8% of the world’s 4629 species) in an area of 51,022 km2. The majority of the world’s mammal species and Monteverde’s fauna are small (< 0.5 kg), nocturnal, and secretive. We know considerably less about most neotropical mammals and other vertebrates than we do about birds, which are more easily observed and communicate with sounds audible to humans. Although certain species of mammals have been studied in Costa Rica (Janzen 1983a, Timm 1994, Vaughan and Rodríguez 1994), and Monteverde is one of the best-known regions of the country biologically, there has been little work on the ecology, distribution, abundance, altitudinal zonation, systematic relationships, and biogeography of most mammals. Deforestation and other human disturbances have had a significant impact on the native mammals of the region; knowledge of Monteverde’s mammals is vital to understand how habitat changes affect tropical montane mammals. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the mammal fauna of the Monteverde area. We discuss the biology and abundance of some of the area’s species, document how these are changing, and explore conservation issues. Most of the research on mammals at Monteverde has centered on bats or rodents, the two most diverse groups. Much of our knowledge of other species consists of isolated observations. We augment published reports with unpublished observations made by ourselves and colleagues. We also examined most of the Monteverde mammal specimens in museum collections to verify species identifications and to understand better their systematics, ecology, and distribution. We integrate this information into a list of the mammals that occur in the region, document their occurrence in each life zone, and estimate their overall abundance.

11. Humans and mammals: the past and the future

2017 ◽  
pp. 128-138
Author(s):  
T. S. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Mammalian Fauna ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Huge Impact

From the very start of the spread of humans, the world’s mammals have been irreversibly, and mostly detrimentally, affected through direct exploitation for food and for skins to make clothes and shelter. Our domestication of certain mammal species has also had a huge impact on the rest of the world’s mammalian fauna, and indeed on its whole biota. ‘Humans and mammals: the past and the future’ considers how human activity has caused the latest megafaunal extinction and looks at the future crisis facing many mammalian species. A quarter of mammalian species are, today, faced with severe population decreases that may result in extinction. What can be done to conserve them?

scholarly journals Medium- and large-sized mammal composition in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park and adjacent areas, state of Goiás, Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. e20195942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Átilla Colombo Ferreguetti ◽  
Isadora Cristina Motta Lessa ◽  
Emerson Monteiro Vieira ◽  
André Almeida Cunha ◽  
Helena Godoy Bergallo
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Conservation Units ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Dry And Rainy Seasons

The Cerrado is the second largest Brazilian biome and only 2.8% is represented by protected areas. Considering the relevance of the Cerrado and Conservation Units in preserving the mammalian diversity, we provided the first assessment of the diversity of medium- and large-sized mammal species in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (CVNP) and surroundings. We tested the effectiveness of the CVNP by assessing the difference in species composition within the park and its surroundings. We sampled CVNP in the rainy (October-December 2013) and dry seasons (March-June 2014) in order to characterize the seasonality within the community. We selected 36 sampling sites to evaluate the composition of the medium and large mammals in the CVNP and its surroundings, 18 in the CVNP and 18 in the park surroundings. We ordered mammalian composition and frequency of individuals data by using a Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling analysis (NMDS). We assessed the effect of season (dry and rainy seasons) and locality (within the CVNP and surroundings) on mammalian species richness with a two-way analysis of variance (Two-way ANOVA). We recorded 23 species, 13 within the CVNP and 17 species in its surroundings. Composition and frequency of records differed between dry and rainy seasons, with higher richness in the rainy season. Species’ composition and the frequency of records were also different between within the CVNP and its surroundings, with higher richness in the surroundings. These results provide information for the increase of the knowledge of mammalian ecology but also is useful as a tool for future strategies to the conservation of these species. More attention should be given to the monitoring of these species in the long term because this area still harbor some viable populations.

scholarly journals Barn Owl pellets (Aves: Tyto furcata) reveal a higher mammalian richness in the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, Southeastern Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hudson de Macedo Lemos ◽  
Carina Azevedo Oliveira Silva ◽  
Fabio de Mello Patiu ◽  
Pablo Rodrigues Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
National Park ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Barn Owl ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Bone Fragments ◽  
Pellet Analysis

The northern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro harbors the largest coastal sandy plains (restingas) of southeastern Brazil, severely threatened due to recent human occupation. In this context, mammal inventories becomes urgent to support biodiversity conservation and management policies. This paper aims to update the knowledge on the mammalian species richness of Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park by analyzing pellets of the Barn owl Tyto furcata. The analyses of 4745 mammalian bone fragments (1739 individuals) revealed the occurrence of 17 species belonging to the orders Rodentia (9 spp.), Didelphimorphia (2 spp.) and Chiroptera (6 spp.). The rodents Mus musculus and Cerradomys goytaca accounted for 77.2% of the total individuals preyed, suggesting that the Barn owl hunts in both disturbed and natural open shrub formations. A compilation of previous records, together with those provided in the present study, indicates the occurrence of 44 species of mammals in the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, of which six (13.6%) were exclusively detected in pellets. These new records include species adapted to open formations of the interior of Brazil that were not previously reported in restingas on the basis of voucher-specimens, such as the rodents Necromys lasiurus and Calomys tener, the latter being recorded for the first time in the littoral of Rio de Janeiro state. This study underscores the importance of owl pellet analysis as a complementary and indispensable method for inventorying mammals. The results highlight the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park as one of the restingas in Southeastern Brazil with the highest number of mammal species.

The Promise of Comparative Genomics in Mammals

Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 286 (5439) ◽  
pp. 458-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. O'Brien ◽  
Marilyn Menotti-Raymond ◽  
William J. Murphy ◽  
William G. Nash ◽  
Johannes Wienberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Organization ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Genetic Maps ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Moderate Resolution ◽  
Genetic Assessment

Dense genetic maps of human, mouse, and rat genomes that are based on coding genes and on microsatellite and single-nucleotide polymorphism markers have been complemented by precise gene homolog alignment with moderate-resolution maps of livestock, companion animals, and additional mammal species. Comparative genetic assessment expands the utility of these maps in gene discovery, in functional genomics, and in tracking the evolutionary forces that sculpted the genome organization of modern mammalian species.

scholarly journals Placenta-Specific Protein 1 Is Conserved throughout the Placentalia under Purifying Selection

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Devor
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Purifying Selection ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Successful Group ◽  
The Common

Placental mammals (Placentalia) are a very successful group that, today, comprise 94% of all mammalian species. Recent phylogenetic analyses, coupled with new, quite complete fossils, suggest that the crown orders were all established rapidly from a common ancestor just after the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary 65 million years ago. Extensive molecular and morphologic evidence has led to a description of the common ancestor of all Placentalia in which a two-horned uterus and a hemochorial placenta are present. Thus, the process of placentation in which the placenta invades and anchors to the uterine epithelium was already established. One factor that has been suggested as a crucial component of this process is placenta-specific protein 1 (PLAC1). A phylogenetic analysis of the PLAC1 protein in 25 placental mammal species, representing nine of the sixteen crown orders of the Placentalia, suggests that this protein was present in the placental common ancestor in the form we see it today, that it evolved in the Placentalia and has been subject to the effects of purifying selection since its appearance.

scholarly journals Detection of secretive mammal species by methods of lepidopterological field research

2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (20) ◽  
pp. 132-138
Author(s):  
Yurii Geryak ◽  
◽  
Evgen Khalaim ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Roe Deer ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Scale Insects ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Entomological Research ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Information is given on observations of a number of mammalian species with secretive lifestyle and nocturnal activity, including dormice, made during field lepidopterological research. The use of artificial light and aromatic scents in entomological research is one of the most effective methods for obtaining rich and diverse ecological and faunal information. In addition to scale insects, many other invertebrates, primarily insects, are attracted to light and bait. At the same time, large clusters of invertebrates that flock in masse and converge on light and bait, as readily available food attract a number of mammals with nocturnal activity, mostly insectivores (Soriciformes), bats (Vespertilioniformes), and rodents (Muriformes). A number of species that are rare and lead a hidden way of life are attracted to artificial light and aromatic scents, including species of the dormice family (Gliridae) such as the edible, forest, and hazel dormice. The latter are obviously attracted to the light by the insects. Instead, in case of the use of baits, for edible dormice and yellow-necked wood mice, probably the aroma and taste of the bait is what attracts them, because they were repeatedly seem feeding on the bait. At the same time, bright sources of artificial light are obviously of interest to other mammals. In particular, in this way were noted: hare, fox, European roe deer, and wild boar, as well as such rare mammals as lynx, wild cat, great jerboa, and thick-tailed three-toed jerboa. Based on such observations, as an example, a small overview of new findings of the forest dormouse is given, in particular in areas where this rodent species has not been recorded before or it was observed very infrequently. The authors noted this species on traps for scale insects in the highlands of the Ukrainian Carpathians (Chornohora ridge) and in the Northern Black Sea coast, within Odesa Oblast. Thus, standard methods of collecting field material often used in lepidopterological research, such as attracting by artificial light and aromatic scents, can be quite effective for detecting a number of mammal species of different taxonomic groups, including nocturnal mammals.

scholarly journals Chromosome-Level Genome Assemblies Expand Capabilities of Genomics for Conservation Biology

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1336
Author(s):  
Azamat Totikov ◽  
Andrey Tomarovsky ◽  
Dmitry Prokopov ◽  
Aliya Yakupova ◽  
Tatiana Bulyonkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Chromosome Length ◽  
Chromosome Conformation ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Assemblies ◽  
Chromosome Level

Genome assemblies are in the process of becoming an increasingly important tool for understanding genetic diversity in threatened species. Unfortunately, due to limited budgets typical for the area of conservation biology, genome assemblies of threatened species, when available, tend to be highly fragmented, represented by tens of thousands of scaffolds not assigned to chromosomal locations. The recent advent of high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) enables more contiguous assemblies containing scaffolds spanning the length of entire chromosomes for little additional cost. These inexpensive contiguous assemblies can be generated using Hi-C scaffolding of existing short-read draft assemblies, where N50 of the draft contigs is larger than 0.1% of the estimated genome size and can greatly improve analyses and facilitate visualization of genome-wide features including distribution of genetic diversity in markers along chromosomes or chromosome-length scaffolds. We compared distribution of genetic diversity along chromosomes of eight mammalian species, including six listed as threatened by IUCN, where both draft genome assemblies and newer chromosome-level assemblies were available. The chromosome-level assemblies showed marked improvement in localization and visualization of genetic diversity, especially where the distribution of low heterozygosity across the genomes of threatened species was not uniform.

scholarly journals Potential mammalian species for investigating the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250016
Author(s):  
Arielli Fabrício Machado ◽  
Camila Duarte Ritter ◽  
Cleuton Lima Miranda ◽  
Yennie Katarina Bredin ◽  
Maria João Ramos Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Habitat Occupancy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Forest Regions ◽  
Central Route ◽  
Dispersal Routes ◽  
Multiple Species

Much evidence suggests that Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest were connected through at least three dispersion routes in the past: the Eastern route, the central route, and the Western route. However, few studies have assessed the use of these routes based on multiple species. Here we present a compilation of mammal species that potentially have dispersed between the two forest regions and which may serve to investigate these connections. We evaluate the present-day geographic distributions of mammals occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest and the likely connective routes between these forests. We classified the species per habitat occupancy (strict forest specialists, species that prefer forest habitat, or generalists) and compiled the genetic data available for each species. We found 127 mammalian species presently occurring in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest for which, substantial genetic data was available. Hence, highlighting their potential for phylogeographic studies investigating the past connections between the two forests. Differently from what was previously proposed, the present-day geographic distribution of mammal species found in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest points to more species in the eastern portion of the dry diagonal (and adjoining forested habitats). The Central route was associated with the second most species. Although it remains to be seen how this present-day geography reflects the paleo dispersal routes, our results show the potential of using mammal species to investigate and bring new insights about the past connections between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest.

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