Movement ecology and spatial distribution of Tayassu pecari in heterogeneous tropical landscapes

Author(s)

Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Rio Claro. 2019-09-18.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro
• Defense date: 2019-06-14
• Advisor: Milton Cezar Ribeiro; Maria Luisa da Silva Pinto Jorge

Abstract

Land cover modifications, anthropogenic disturbances and climate change in the Neotropical region have been linked to the biodiversity crisis. This thesis proposal was to investigate the effects that landscape structure (including anthropogenic disturbance) and habitat quality have in the spatial distribution, in the movement patterns and in the habitat selection of the white-lipped peccary - Tayassu pecari (WLP). This species is the only Neotropical forest ungulate that forms large herds, and it is a keystone species in forest ecosystems because its local extinction may cause additional biodiversity losses through cascading effects. Still, little is known about WLPs space use and fine-scale movement. For that aim we studied the species distribution and movements in different scales and biomes of Brazil, investigating which landscape variables would influence the species in different scales and orders of selection. Our findings show strong negative effects of landscape modification and habitat fragmentation on white-lipped peccary distribution, with only 47% of the Brazilian territory with suitable areas for the species. We also found that less than half of all protected areas in the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest biomes have suitable habitat for WLP. For the movement analysis we tracked 30 individuals with GPS collars from July 2013 to October of 2016 in the Pantanal and in the Cerrado of Mato Grosso do Sul state. Our main results showed a positive selection of WLP for forest areas when compared with the matrix composed mainly by pasture. A higher percent of tree cover, larger forest patches, proximity to water sources and proximity with fragment center had a positive effect on habitat selection. WLP avoided steep slope areas, paved roads, and areas of higher human population density. The maximum matrix crossing distance for pasture cover did not exceed 700m. Our results showed that functional connectivity for WLP can be limited by land cover, roads and highly populated regions and this information can be applied to determine new conservation management actions in our study region. Also, the mean daily distance traveled for the monitored individuals was 3501m. The total home range size had mean values varying depending on the estimator used: 28 km2 (MCP), 33 km2 (minHREFK) and 52 km2 (AKDE). With this study, we could identify that seasonal changes in resources and the landscape context can trigger changes in the movement patterns and in the home range during the animals’ lifetime. Analyzing movement and home range behavior of individuals in different biomes and scales of time and space can drive different conclusions about the habitat requirements for the species persistence, and that information is essential for its conservation in heterogeneous productive landscapes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/23132-2 - Movement ecology and spatial distribution of a large herbivore in heterogeneous tropical landscapes
• Grantee: Julia Emi de Faria Oshima
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate