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JAGUAR BIBLIOGRAPHY
Compiled by C. Inskip & A. Zimmermann, Chester Zoo (UK)

Title:
Studying jaguars, pumas and their prey in Brazil's Atlantic rainforest: The jaguar corridor.
Year Published:
2007
Authors:
Mazzolli, M. & Hammer, L.A.
Abstract:
Expeditions to the southern Atlantic forest of Brazil were conducted with local students in August 2006 and Biosphere Expeditions in November 2006. They aimed to elucidate the current habitat conditions for jaguars and pumas, based on parameters collected from field sampling. Parameters collected were species richness for mammalian communities over 1 kg and proportion of area occupied (PAO) by jaguar and pumas (ocelot PAO was also calculated)in 8 quadrats 2 x 2 km over an area of 130 square kilometers. Species richness was estimated using CAPTURE software, and PAO was estimated using PRESENCE software. Fourteen species of mammals were recorded (R) in total, and the same number of species was estimated (N ?Ä?ú ) by CAPTURE: Agouti Dasyprocta azarae, two species of brocket deer Mazama spp., capybara Hidrochaerus hidrochaeris, capuchin monkey Cebus nigritus, crabeating fox Cerdocyon thous, howler monkey Alouatta guariba, jaguar Panthera onca, nine banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus, ocelot Leopardus pardalis, peccary (inc. sp.), puma Puma concolor, racoon Procyon cancrivorous, and tapir Tapirus terrestris. Capture probabilities calculated from PAO were very high for puma (p=1) and very low for ocelot (p=0.15, SE=0.08) and for jaguar (p=0.1, SE=0.07), resulting in estimated PAOs of 25% for puma and 100% for both jaguar and ocelot. In other words, puma was easy to detect when present, so its PAO was the same as the ‚Äö?Ñ??na‚àö?òve‚Äö?Ñ?¥ PAO, i.e. the product of the number of quadrats where the species was found by the total number of quadrats sampled. Jaguar and ocelots were considered by PRESENCE, based on accumulated data, extremely difficult to detect even when present so that occupancy estimates presumed that they must be everywhere. Puma was recorded only by tracks, jaguar by vocalisation and tracks, and ocelot by tracks and camera traps. It is argued here that jaguar were expected to have similar capture probabilities than puma, as they share the same habits of walking on open trails and being fairly easy to detect, provided the area is suitable for track imprinting. For this reason the high PAO was likely to be an artefact derived from the low area fidelity, and low density of jaguars in the area, rather than a product of its low detection probability. This conjecture is substantiated by the low frequency and non-detection of important prey species in many of the sampled quadrats. Only three species (deer, armadillo, and ocelot) were recorded during 351 camera trap nights, and frequency of tracks was equally low, including those of vulnerable prey that are generally easily detected when present such as peccaries and tapir. Species richness, presence of puma, and presence of vulnerable prey were higher further from human settlement. Low presence of vulnerable prey are certainly a product of human poaching and may be indirectly responsible for the reduced presence of jaguars in the area. The area is crossed by trails used for illegal extraction of palm heart resulting in extensive areas where adult palm stands are simply absent, and where poaching is likely to occur causing a reduction of wildlife populations. The problems connected with illegal palm heart extraction are also the ones connected to illegal (and mostly unrecorded) poaching. It is important in this context to mention that this does not diminish the importance of the study site for jaguar conservation, as it is part of one of the few remaining blocks of connected jaguar habitat in the Atlantic evergreen forest. Instead, these observations identify management needs for these areas could be upgraded from corridors to full habitats if prey species were given opportunity to prosper. Expedi‚àö?ü‚àö¬µes ‚àö‚Ć Floresta Atl‚àö¬¢ntica do sul do Brasil foram realizadas com estudantes locais em Agosto de 2006 e ‚Äö?Ñ??Biosphere Expeditions‚Äö?Ñ?¥ em Novembro de 2006. Estas expedi‚àö?ü‚àö¬µes tiveram como finalidade elucidar as condi‚àö?ü‚àö¬µes atuais de habitat para a on‚àö?üa-pintada e o puma, baseando-se em par‚àö¬¢metros coletados durante amostragem de campo. Os par‚àö¬¢metros coletados foram riqueza de esp‚àö¬©cies de comunidades de mam‚àö‚â†feros (>1kg) e propor‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o de ‚àö¬?rea ocupada (PAO) por on‚àö?üapintada e puma (PAO de jaguatirica tamb‚àö¬©m foi calculada) em 8 quadrantes de 2 x 2 km na extens‚àö¬£o de uma ‚àö¬?rea de 130 quil‚àö¬•metros quadrados. A riqueza de esp‚àö¬©cies foi estimada usando o aplicativo CAPTURE, e PAO foi estimada usando o aplicativo PRESENCE. No total, quatroze esp‚àö¬©cies de mam‚àö‚â†feros foram registradas (R), e o mesmo n‚àö‚à´mero de esp‚àö¬©cies foi estimada (N ?Ä?ú ) pelo CAPTURE: Cutia Dasyprocta azarae, duas esp‚àö¬©cies de veado Mazama spp., capivara Hidrochaerus hidrochaeris, macaco-prego Cebus nigritus, graxaim Cerdocyon thous, bugio Alouatta guariba, on‚àö?üa-pintada Panthera onca, tatu-galinha Dasypus novemcinctus, jaguatirica Leopardus pardalis, porcos-do-mato (inc. sp.), puma Puma concolor, guaxinim Procyon cancrivorous, e anta Tapirus terrestris. As probabilidades de captura calculadas a partir de PAO form muito altas para puma (p=1) e muito baixas para jaguatirica (p=0,15, SE=0,08) e on‚àö?üa-pintada (p=0,1, SE=0,07), resultando em PAOs estimadas de 25% para puma e 100% para a on‚àö?üa-pintada e a jaguatirica. Em outras palavras,puma foi facilmente detectado quando presente, de maneira que a PAO estimada para a esp‚àö¬©cie foi igual ‚àö‚Ć PAO observada, i.e. o produto resultante do n‚àö‚à´mero de quadrantes onde a esp‚àö¬©cie foi encontrada pelo n‚àö‚à´mero total de quadrantes amostrados. Com base nos dados acumulados, a on‚àö?üa-pintada e a jaguatirica foram considerados pelos resultados de PRESENCE como sendo extremamente dif‚àö‚â†ceis de detectar, mesmo quando presentes, de maneira que a ocupa‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o estimada presume que estas duas esp‚àö¬©cies est‚àö¬£o por toda parte. Pumas foram registrados apenas por rastros, on‚àö?üa-pintadas por rastros e vocaliza‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o, e jaguatiricas por rastros e armadilhas-fotograficas. Argumenta-se aqui que o esperado seria a on‚àö?üa-pintada apresentar probabilidades de detec‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o similares ao puma, tendo em vista que ambas tem o h‚àö¬?bito de caminhar por trilhas abertas e serem relativamente f‚àö¬?ceis de detectar, desde que a ‚àö¬?rea seja adequada para impress‚àö¬£o de rastros. Por este motivo a alto PAO estimada para on‚àö?üa-pintada est‚àö¬? mais para ser um artefato derivado de baixa fidelidade ‚àö‚Ć ‚àö¬?rea e baixa densidade da esp‚àö¬©cie, do que um produto de sua baixa probabilidade de detec‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o. Esta conjectura ‚àö¬© substanciada pela baixa freq‚àö¬?‚àö‚Ñ¢ncia de mam‚àö‚â†feros na ‚àö¬?rea, incluindo as esp‚àö¬©cies-presa da on‚àö?üa-pintada e do puma. Apenas tr‚àö‚Ñ¢s esp‚àö¬©cies (veado, tatu-galinha, e jaguatirica) foram registrados durante 351 noites de armadilhamento fotogr‚àö¬?fico, e freq‚àö¬?‚àö‚Ñ¢ncia de rastros foram igualmente baixos, incluindo para as esp‚àö¬©cies vulner‚àö¬?veis de presas que geralmente s‚àö¬£o f‚àö¬?ceis de detectar quando presentes, como os porcos-do-mato e a anta. Riqueza de esp‚àö¬©cies, presen‚àö?üa de puma, e presen‚àö?üa de presas vulner‚àö¬?veis foram maiores quando afastadas de ocupa‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o humana. A baixa presen‚àö?üa de presas vulner‚àö¬?veis foi certamente o produto da ca‚àö?üa e pode ter sido indiretamente respons‚àö¬?vel pela reduzida presen‚àö?üa de on‚àö?üa-pintada. A ‚àö¬?rea ‚àö¬© cruzada por trilhas para extra‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o ilegal de palmito, resultando em ‚àö¬?reas extensas onde palmiteiros adultos est‚àö¬£o simplesmente ausentes, e onde a ca‚àö?üa certamente ocorre, causando a redu‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o das popula‚àö?ü‚àö¬µes silvestres. Os problemas de cumprimento das leis ambientais conectadas com a extra‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o ilegal do palmito s‚àö¬£o as mesmas conectadas com a ca‚àö?üa ilegal (na sua maioria n‚àö¬£o registradas). ‚àö?¢ importante neste contexto mencionar que isto n‚àö¬£o diminui a import‚àö¬¢ncia da ‚àö¬?rea de estudo para a conserva‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o da on‚àö?üa pintada, por ser parte de um dos poucos blocos remanescentes de habitat para on‚àö?üas na Floresta Atl‚àö¬¢ntica costeira (Ombr‚àö‚â•fila Densa). Ao contr‚àö¬?rio, estas observa‚àö?ü‚àö¬µes identificam necessidades de manejo, pois estas ‚àö¬?reas poderiam ser promovidas da fun‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o de corredor de passagem para a fun‚àö?ü‚àö¬£o de habitat completo se as esp‚àö¬©cies presas tivessem a oportunidade de prosperar.
Journal:
Expedition Report. Biosphere Expeditions, UK. 54pp.
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© 2007-2008 Chester Zoo. Registered Charity No. 306077
Created & maintained by Chloe Inskip & Alexandra Zimmermann. Last Updated: 28.08.2008
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