Large Protected Areas Safeguard Mammalian Functional Diversity in Human-Modified Landscapes

Larissa Fornitano (), Jéssica Abonizio Gouvea, Rômulo Theodoro Costa, Marcelo Magioli and Rita Bianchi
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Larissa Fornitano: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Campus São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto 15054-000, São Paulo, Brazil
Jéssica Abonizio Gouvea: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Campus de Piracicaba, Piracicaba 13416-000, São Paulo, Brazil
Rômulo Theodoro Costa: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Campus São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto 15054-000, São Paulo, Brazil
Marcelo Magioli: Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia 12945-010, São Paulo, Brazil
Rita Bianchi: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Campus São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto 15054-000, São Paulo, Brazil

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Habitat loss and fragmentation are pervasive processes driving the disappearance of populations and species in the Neotropical region. Since species loss may translate into functional loss, assessing changes in the composition of assemblages’ functional traits might improve our understanding of the ecological roles played by species and ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigate how landscape structure and composition impact the functional diversity of terrestrial mammals in 18 forest patches composing eight protected areas in Southern Brazil. We used functional diversity (FD) based on dietary, physical, and behavioral traits and species vulnerability to extinction. We determined which landscape variables (patch size, proportions of forest and sugarcane, and patch isolation) most influenced mammal FD values by using a both-direction stepwise model selection from a linear global model. Finally, we evaluated the role of trophic guilds in explaining the variation in the FD values using a Principal Component Analysis. Between 2012 and 2017, using camera traps, we recorded 26 native medium- and large-sized mammals throughout the protected areas, of which 6 are regionally threatened, and 5 domestic/exotic species. Richness among the forest patches varied from 4 to 24 species (9.05 ± 5.83), while the FD values varied from 1.29 to 6.59 (2.62 ± 1.51). FD variation was best explained by patch size, which exhibited a strong positive correlation (adjusted R 2 = 0.55, slope = 0.67, p < 0.001). Insectivores and frugivores presented the highest correlation with patch size, explaining most of the variation in the FD values. Our findings strengthen the paramount role of large protected areas in maintaining mammal diversity and their ecological functions in human-modified landscapes.

Keywords: habitat loss; camera traps; fragmentation; human disturbance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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