scholarly journals Does the Presence of Shade Trees and Distance to the Forest Affect Detection Rates of Terrestrial Vertebrates in Coffee Home Gardens?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8540
Author(s):  
Marco Campera ◽  
Katherine Hedger ◽  
Hélène Birot ◽  
Sophie Manson ◽  
Michela Balestri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Home Gardens ◽  
Shade Trees ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates

Complex agroforestry systems can host similar biodiversity levels to adjacent continuous forests and can offer important ecosystem services for wildlife. Species inhabiting adjacent forests, as well as species that prefer agroforestry systems, can benefit from this habitat matrix. It is necessary, however, to understand the species-specific adaptability to such a complex matrix. Indonesia is a biodiversity hotspot and hosts many endemic species that are threatened with extinction. Its human population relies heavily on agriculture, meaning that finding a balance between crop productivity and biodiversity is key for the long-term sustainability of local communities and wildlife. We aim to determine the influence of the presence of shade trees and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife in coffee home gardens. In West Java, Indonesia, we monitored 23 gardens between April 2018 and March 2021 via camera traps, totalling 3856 days of monitoring in shade-grown and 3338 days in sun-exposed gardens. We also collected data in the nearby montane rainforest, totalling 1183 days of monitoring. We used Generalized Additive Models to estimate the influence of shade cover and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife. The Sunda leopard cat Prionailurus javanensis was found more frequently in shade-grown gardens and used both the forest and agroforest matrix. Wild boars Sus scrofa mostly occurred in gardens adjacent to the forest, while barred buttonquails Turnix suscitator were associated with gardens far (>1 km) from the forest. Several species (civets Viverricula indica and Paradoxus musangus javanicus, Horsfield’s treeshrew Tupaia javanica, Javan ferret badger Melogale orientalis, Javan mongoose Herpestes javanicus) were not influenced by shade cover and distance to the forest, suggesting they are well adapted to the agroforestry system. Still, species of high conservation importance, such as Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas, Sunda porcupine Hystrix javanica, and grizzled langur Presbytis comata, were present in the forest but not in the agroforest, suggesting that the replacement of the forest by the agroforestry matrix is still detrimental. Nevertheless, it is important to maintain the complexity of the agroforestry system and connectivity with the neighbouring continuous forest to favour the long-term sustainability of this environment and the conservation of endemic species.

scholarly journals Long-term monitoring of margays (Leopardus wiedii): Implications for understanding low detection rates

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247536
Author(s):  
Bart J. Harmsen ◽  
Nicola Saville ◽  
Rebecca J. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Detection Rate ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Exclusive Territories ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Density Population

Population assessments of wide-ranging, cryptic, terrestrial mammals rely on camera trap surveys. While camera trapping is a powerful method of detecting presence, it is difficult distinguishing rarity from low detection rate. The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is an example of a species considered rare based on its low detection rates across its range. Although margays have a wide distribution, detection rates with camera traps are universally low; consequently, the species is listed as Near Threatened. Our 12-year camera trap study of margays in protected broadleaf forest in Belize suggests that while margays have low detection rate, they do not seem to be rare, rather that they are difficult to detect with camera traps. We detected a maximum of 187 individuals, all with few or no recaptures over the years (mean = 2.0 captures/individual ± SD 2.1), with two-thirds of individuals detected only once. The few individuals that were recaptured across years exhibited long tenures up to 9 years and were at least 10 years old at their final detection. We detected multiple individuals of both sexes at the same locations during the same survey, suggesting overlapping ranges with non-exclusive territories, providing further evidence of a high-density population. By studying the sparse annual datasets across multiple years, we found evidence of an abundant margay population in the forest of the Cockscomb Basin, which might have been deemed low density and rare, if studied in the short term. We encourage more long-term camera trap studies to assess population status of semi-arboreal carnivore species that have hitherto been considered rare based on low detection rates.

scholarly journals Impacts of Shade Trees on the Adjacent Cacao Rhizosphere in a Young Diversified Agroforestry System

Agronomy ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Schmidt ◽  
Alana Firl ◽  
Hamran Hamran ◽  
Nur Insana Imaniar ◽  
Taylor M. Crow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Microbial Diversity ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Shade Trees ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Shade Tree

Cacao agroforestry systems offer the potential to diversify farmer income sources, enhance biodiversity, sequester carbon, and deliver other important ecosystem services. To date, however, studies have emphasized field- and system-scale outcomes of shade tree integration, and potential impacts on the rhizosphere of adjacent cacao trees have not been fully characterized. Interactions at the root–soil interface are closely linked to plant health and productivity, making it important to understand how diverse shade tree species may affect soil fertility and microbial communities in the cacao rhizosphere. We assessed the impacts of neighboring shade tree presence and identity on cacao yields and physical, chemical, and biological components of the cacao rhizosphere in a recently established diversified agroforestry system in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Stepwise regression revealed surprising and strong impacts of microbial diversity and community composition on cacao yields and pod infection rates. The presence of neighboring shade trees increased nitrogen, phosphorus, and pH in the rhizosphere of nearby cacao trees without yield losses. Over a longer time horizon, these increases in rhizosphere soil fertility will likely increase cacao productivity and shape microbial communities, as regression models showed nitrogen and phosphorus in particular to be important predictors of cacao yields and microbiome diversity and composition. However, neither presence nor identity of shade trees directly affected microbial diversity, community composition, or field-scale distance-decay relationships at this early stage of establishment. These results highlight locally specific benefits of shade trees in this agroecological context and emphasize the rhizosphere as a key link in indirect impacts of shade trees on cacao health and productivity in diversified systems.

Visual lures increase camera-trap detection of the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii)

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wren R. McLean ◽  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
David A. Westcott
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Population Surveys ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
A Site

Context Monitoring is a key component in managing wildlife populations and is critical for revealing long-term population trends of endangered species. Cryptic or highly mobile species that occur in low densities and in remote terrain require the development of specific monitoring methods. The southern cassowary is an Australian endangered species that poses many challenges for conducting population surveys. Aims The aims of the present study were to determine the effectiveness of camera traps in detecting cassowaries at a site, to determine whether visual lures increased detection rates, and to explore the potential of camera traps in population surveys. Methods Coloured lures (mimicking large blue and red fruit) were placed in front of a set of camera traps and compared with controls (no lures) at 29 survey sites on the Daintree coast, northern Queensland, Australia. Key results Camera traps with lures (1) detected more birds, (2) had a shorter detection latency, (3) had a marginally greater number of captures, (4) experienced a longer capture duration, (5) were more likely to have the cassowary stop in front of the camera, and (6) achieved a 95% probability of detecting cassowaries in 12 trap days, compared with 28 trap days without lures. Conclusions An increase in the number of cassowaries detected, the reduction in camera latency times and the ability to identify the birds enables a more efficient approach to estimating population sizes over existing methods. This is the first published study to use visual lures to conduct camera trapping of birds. Implications The use of camera traps with lures is a practical and cost-efficient technique for the rapid detection of cassowaries at a site and lends itself to studies of population structure, size and trends.

scholarly journals Environmental DNA for tracking waterhole visitation in savanna ecosystems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell J. Farrell ◽  
Danny Govender ◽  
Mehrdad Hajibabaei ◽  
Michelle van der Bank ◽  
T. Jonathan Davies
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Reference Library ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Biodiversity Indicator ◽  
Detection Rates

AbstractThe analysis of waterborne environmental DNA (eDNA) is effective for detecting invasive species and conducting large-scale biodiversity assessments, making it a potentially powerful tool for documenting diversity at sites where large numbers of species aggregate. We explore the utility of eDNA from waterholes for describing local mammal communities, quantifying patterns of species co-occurrences, and monitoring of rare or threatened species. In savanna ecosystems water can be a scarce resource during dry seasons and in periods of drought, promoting the aggregation of medium to large mammals. To explore the reliability of eDNA as a biodiversity indicator in these arid and semi-arid environments, we compare eDNA metabarcoding and camera traps for documenting waterhole use by mammals in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We find that eDNA metabarcoding can recover the majority of mammal species detected in camera traps, but the DNA signatures of mammal visitation are temporally limited. Detection rates varied across sites, sampling time, species, and choice of reference library, with the best performance for water-dependent large bodied mammals visiting within two days of sampling, and matched to a curated system-specific reference library. Our results demonstrate that eDNA-based approaches can be used to track mammals of conservation concern, and reflect patterns of recent waterhole use and co-occurrence across water-dependent species, but also highlight limitations including the lack of long-term eDNA persistence in small and highly utilized waterholes and variability in detection rates among species. Sequencing of eDNA is a valuable tool for next-generation biodiversity sampling and has many exciting applications, but it is not sufficient to capture long-term waterhole visitation patterns or reliably detect rare and small-bodied species.

scholarly journals Intercropping the Sharp-Leaf Galangal with the Rubber Tree Exhibits Weak Belowground Competition

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 924
Author(s):  
Junen Wu ◽  
Huanhuan Zeng ◽  
Chunfeng Chen ◽  
Wenjie Liu ◽  
Xiaojin Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Rubber Tree ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Rubber Plantation ◽  
Belowground Competition ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Use Efficiency

Intercropping the sharp-leaf galangal with the rubber tree could help to improve the sustainability of the rubber tree planting industry. However, our understanding of belowground competition in such agroforestry systems is still limited. Therefore, we used stable isotope methods (i.e., water δ2H and δ18O and leaf δ13C) to investigate plant water-absorbing patterns and water use efficiency (WUE) in a monocultural rubber plantation and in an agroforestry system of rubber trees and sharp-leaf galangal. We also measured leaf carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) to evaluate the belowground competition effects on plant nutrient absorption status. Through a Bayesian mixing model, we found that the monocultural rubber trees and the intercropped sharp-leaf galangal absorbed much more surface soil water at a depth of 0–5 cm, while the rubber trees in the agroforestry system absorbed more water from the shallow and middle soil layers at a depth of 5–30 cm. This phenomenon verified the occurrence of plant hydrologic niche segregation, whereas the WUE of rubber trees in this agroforestry system suggested that the competition for water was weak. In addition, the negative correlation between the leaf P concentration of the rubber trees and that of the sharp-leaf galangal demonstrated their competition for soil P resources, but this competition had no obvious effects on the leaf nutrient status of the rubber trees. Therefore, this study verified that the belowground competition between rubber trees and sharp-leaf galangal is weak, and this weak competition may benefit their long-term intercropping.

scholarly journals ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF ROSE WOOD, GUAVA, EUCALYPTUS, SACRED FIG AND JAMAN LEAF LITTER ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHEAT ( Triticum aestivum L.) IN A WHEAT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. IQBAL ◽  
H.A. RAUF ◽  
A.N. SHAH ◽  
B. SHAHZAD ◽  
M.A Bukhari
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Agroforestry System ◽  
Agroforestry Systems ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Syzygium Cumini ◽  
Allelopathic Effects

ABSTRACT Selection of tree species under agroforestry systems is crucial to sustain the productivity of a crop. In present study, allelopathic effects of the leaf litters of 5 trees named Rose wood (Dalbergia sissoo), Guava (Pisidium guajava), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), Sacred fig (Ficus religiosa) and Jaman (Syzygium cumini) species on wheat growth and yield was examined. Leaf litter of each tress species was mixed in soil with two doses @ 100 and 200 g of leaves of each species per pot. Higher shoot length, shoot dry weight, number of spikelets per spike and biological yield were recorded in 200 g sun dried Jaman (Syzygium cumini) leaves. Total number of tillers per plant and number of ears per plant were higher under the application of Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves (200 g sun dried) as compared to other treatments. Spike length, grain yield per pot, number of grains per pot and harvest index were maximum in 200 g sun-dried Sacred fig (Ficu sreligiosa) leaves. Majority of the parameters were promoted at lower doses of leaves per pot, however, at higher doses they started inhibiting the growth and grain yield of wheat.

scholarly journals Leopard Density Estimation within an Enclosed Reserve, Namibia Using Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture Models

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Noack ◽  
Heyns ◽  
Rodenwoldt ◽  
Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
New Class ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Wildlife Populations ◽  
Effective Conservation

The establishment of enclosed conservation areas are claimed to be the driving force for the long-term survival of wildlife populations. Whilst fencing provides an important tool in conservation, it simultaneously represents a controversial matter as it stops natural migration processes, which could ultimately lead to inbreeding, a decline in genetic diversity and local extinction if not managed correctly. Thus, wildlife residing in enclosed reserves requires effective conservation and management strategies, which are strongly reliant on robust population estimates. Here, we used camera traps combined with the relatively new class of spatially explicit capture-recaptured models (SECR) to produce the first reliable leopard population estimate for an enclosed reserve in Namibia. Leopard density was estimated at 14.51 leopards/100 km2, the highest recorded density in Namibia to date. A combination of high prey abundance, the absence of human persecution and a lack of top-down control are believed to be the main drivers of the recorded high leopard population. Our results add to the growing body of literature which suggests enclosed reserves have the potential to harbour high densities and highlight the importance of such reserves for the survival of threatened species in the future.

Shade trees and agrochemical use affect butterfly assemblages in coffee home gardens

2021 ◽  
Vol 319 ◽  
pp. 107547
Author(s):  
Marco Campera ◽  
Michela Balestri ◽  
Sophie Manson ◽  
Katherine Hedger ◽  
Nabil Ahmad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Gardens ◽  
Shade Trees ◽  
Butterfly Assemblages

scholarly journals Intercommunity interactions and killings in central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) from Loango National Park, Gabon

Primates ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Martínez-Íñigo ◽  
Pauline Baas ◽  
Harmonie Klein ◽  
Simone Pika ◽  
Tobias Deschner
Keyword(s):  
Pan Troglodytes ◽  
National Park ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Intergroup Interactions ◽  
Killing Rate ◽  
The Core ◽  
Pan Troglodytes Troglodytes

AbstractIntercommunity competition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) has been widely studied in eastern (P. t. schweinfurthii) and western (P. t. verus) communities. Both subspecies show hostility towards neighboring communities but differ in rates of lethal attacks and female involvement. However, relatively little is known about the territorial behavior of the two other subspecies, central (P. t. troglodytes) and Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees (P. t. ellioti). Here, we present the first insights into intercommunity interactions of individuals of a community of central chimpanzees living in the Loango National Park in Gabon. The presence of individuals of neighboring communities in the Rekambo home range was assessed using 27 camera traps. Information was compiled on intergroup interactions recorded before (2005–2016) and after (January 2017–June 2019) the habituation of the community. Individuals from neighboring communities entered the core area, where nine out of 16 recorded intercommunity encounters occurred. Males were the main participants in territorial patrols and intercommunity aggressions. Females were part of all six territorial patrols recorded and dependent offspring participated in five patrols. Females were involved in intercommunity aggression in five out of twelve recorded encounters in which there was visual contact between communities. While the intercommunity encounter rate was lower than that reported across most other long-term chimpanzee sites, the annual intercommunity killing rate was among the highest. These results suggest that the frequency of lethal attacks at Loango is comparable to that reported for the eastern subspecies. In contrast, female involvement in intercommunity interactions mirrors that of the western subspecies.

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