Protected areas and unpaved roads mediate habitat use of the giant anteater in anthropogenic landscapes

Autor(es)

Versiani, Natalia F. ^[1] ; Bailey, Larissa L. ^[2] ; Pasqualotto, Nielson ^{[1, 3]} ; Rodrigues, Thiago F. ^[3] ; Paolino, Roberta M. ^{[1, 3]} ; Alberici, Vinicius ^{[1, 3]} ; Chiarello, Adriano G. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Dept Biol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Colorado State Univ, Dept Fish Wildlife & Conservat Biol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 - USA

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Programa Interunidades Posgrad Ecol Aplicada, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY; v. 102, n. 3, p. 802-813, JUN 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

The drastic reduction of the Brazilian Cerrado has transformed this savanna hotspot into vast swaths of commodity-based agriculture fields, mainly soybean, sugarcane, and beef-production pasturelands. The resulting habitat loss and fragmentation are the principal factors underlying population decline of native species inhabiting the Cerrado, particularly those with a high demand for space, low population density, and specialized diet, such as the endangered giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Although the species has been studied in protected areas, we know much less about its ability to endure in disturbed landscapes. Here, we analyzed camera-trapping data to estimate a proxy of habitat use ((psi) over bar; occupancy) and detection probabilities of the giant anteater, identifying environmental covariates influencing these parameters in landscapes with intensive agriculture and commercial forestry. We found this species using about half of the study area (model average (Psi) over bar = 0.51, CI = 0.40-0.62), with two predictors strongly influencing habitat use: protected areas and unpaved roads. In turn, detection probability correlates positively with area of open Cerrado and negatively with area of settlements. The species is more likely to use unpaved roads inside protected areas ((psi) over bar = 0.90, CI = 0.47-0.75), compared to off road sites in the surrounding areas ((psi) over bar = 0.19, CI = 0.10-0.34). Our findings indicate that giant anteaters are dependent on nature reserves and native vegetation areas existing on private properties, whose protection is regulated by the Brazilian Native Vegetation Protection Law. Given the relative paucity of state-owned protected areas in the Brazilian Cerrado, increasing the adherence of rural owners to this law is, therefore, key for the conservation of the giant anteater. The intense use of unpaved roads might reflect travelling and/or foraging optimization, a behavioral response that, nevertheless, may compound this species' susceptibility to suffer mortality from roadkill. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 18/11788-1 - A invasão da Lebre Europeia e sua associação com estrutura, composição e ciclo das culturas agrícolas no interior paulista
• Beneficiário: Nielson Aparecido Pasqualotto Salvador
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 13/12914-7 - Biodiversidade remanescente em áreas de preservação permanente (APPs) do nordeste paulista: situação da mastofauna de médio e grande porte
• Beneficiário: Roberta Montanheiro Paolino
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/22449-4 - Conservação do tamanduá-bandeira nos remanescentes de cerrado do Nordeste do estado de São Paulo: ocupação da paisagem em uma região de agricultura intensiva
• Beneficiário: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 16/19106-1 - Ocorrência de mamíferos e invasão biológica em remanescentes de Cerrado de paisagens agrícolas
• Beneficiário: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular