Density-dependent decline of early horn growth in European mouflon
In this study, we investigated the effects of population density, environmental covariates and trophy hunting on horn development in a population of European mouflon Ovis aries musimon introduced to the Mediterranean region of Croatia in the early 1980s. The study population was subject to commercial trophy hunting on males since the mid-1980s. This allowed to analyse the temporal trend in early horn growth in 341 rams legally culled. Cohort-based linear model and analysis of deviance (ANODEV) revealed a significant negative trend in early horn growth, with a decline of ca. 10% over only 14 cohorts (1993 – 2007). The inc...
Source: Mammalian Biology - October 16, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in feral pig populations from Argentina
The objective of this study is to genetically characterize the oldest feral pig populations in Argentina, making use of the mitochondrial control region (CR) and the amelogenin gene (AmelY), in order to determine their phylogenetic origin and corroborate its consistency with the historic information. The obtained results indicate that most of the feral pigs in Corrientes and Buenos Aires populations are positioned in the European subclades, E1-A and E1-C for CR, and HY1 and HY2 for AmelY. Despite this fact, a low frequency of individuals of Asian origin was found in populations from Buenos Aires, whereas none of them discl...
Source: Mammalian Biology - October 6, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
State of knowledge and potential distribution of the Colombian endemic brown hairy dwarf porcupine Coendou vestitus (Rodentia)
Publication date: Available online 1 October 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves, María M. Torres-Martínez, Elkin A. Noguera-Urbano, Fernando C. Passos, Javier E. Colmenares-PinzónAbstractThe brown hairy dwarf porcupine Coendou vestitus is a small-sized endemic species, poorly studied since its description more than 110 years ago. It is known from only five localities in the Andes of Colombia. Here, we update the state of knowledge, and provide information on the known and potential distribution of this rare species. We reviewed the literature and examined both specimens from natural histo...
Source: Mammalian Biology - October 2, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Mapping an elusive arboreal rodent: combining nocturnal acoustic surveys and citizen science data extends the known distribution of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in the Czech Republic
Publication date: Available online 28 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Adamík Peter, Poledník Lukáš, Poledníková Kateřina, Romportl DušanAbstractSurveying mammals is always a challenge for field biologists. When those mammals are nocturnal and mostly arboreal, as in the case of the dormice (Gliridae), the task proves even more difficult. During the summers of 2015 and 2016 we carried out a national survey of edible dormouse (Glis glis) distribution in the Czech Republic. Twenty-one trained surveyors conducted acoustic nocturnal surveys in 640 mapping squares (a national 11.2 x 12 km mapping grid) f...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 29, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Implications of an agricultural mosaic in small mammal communities
Publication date: Available online 27 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Marina Falcão, Maria Adélia B. de Oliveira, Martín Alejandro MontesAbstractThe ideas that larger fragments have greater species richness and abundance, when compared to smaller fragments and altered environments, and that assemblage composition is different, was tested in an agricultural mosaic using data on small mammals. To achieve this, we sampled ten forest fragments of different sizes, small and large, as well as five areas in a sugarcane matrix, through the capture-mark-recapture method. The study was conducted in a sugarcane p...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 28, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Jaguar density in a mosaic of disturbed/preserved areas in southeastern Mexico
Publication date: Available online 22 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Mircea G. Hidalgo-Mihart, Alejandro Jesús-de la Cruz, Fernando M. Contreras-Moreno, Rugieri Juárez-López, Yaribeth Bravata-de la Cruz, Diana Friedeberg, Pedro Bautista-RamírezAbstractJaguar populations in Mexico have been extensively reduced to the point where the species is considered Endangered. In south-eastern Mexico, jaguar density estimations have focused in the largest Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) but are lacking for the small, isolated JCUs where natural habitats are usually combined with farming areas. We installed 103 ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 24, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Phylogeny and genetic structure of the Yellow ground squirrel, Spermophilus fulvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), in Iran
Publication date: September 2019Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 98Author(s): Afsaneh Asgharzadeh, Mohammad Kaboli, Hassan Rajabi-Maham, Morteza NaderiAbstractOld world ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) are distributed throughout the Holarctic and Palearctic regions, of which two Iranian species, the Yellow ground squirrel S. fulvus and the Asia Minor ground squirrel S. xanthoprymnus, comprise the southernmost distribution of the genus in the Palearctic. The two species are found in fragmented populations from northeastern to northwestern Iran, with S. fulvus being more common and widespread in the country. The enormo...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 21, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
The relative influence of abiotic and biotic factors on suitable habitat of Old World fruit bats under current and future climate scenarios
Publication date: Available online 16 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): N. Arumoogum, M.C. Schoeman, S. RamdhaniAbstractThere is growing evidence that biotic factors such as predator-prey interactions play significant roles in driving species distribution across large spatial scales. The relative influence of abiotic and biotic factors on species distribution, however, may change under climate change. We investigated the relative influence of abiotic and biotic variables on the potential current and future distributions of three fruit bat species, Epomophorus angolensis (Gray, 1870), E. wahlbergi (Sundevall...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 18, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Prevalence of zoonotic parasites in an endangered Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) population in Portugal
Publication date: Available online 16 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Ana M. Figueiredo, Tânia Barros, Ana M. Valente, Carlos Fonseca, Luís Madeira de Carvalho, Rita Tinoco TorresAbstractAs a top predator, the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) plays a major role shaping interactions within food webs. Due to its conservation status in Portugal, i.e. endangered, it is important to understand the role of parasites in this population, since they can be a limiting factor for the population fitness and trophic interactions and, ultimately, their survival. From November 2017 to August 2018, 33 fresh faecal s...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 18, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Potential distribution and areas for conservation of four wild felid species in Mexico: conservation planning
Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): O. Monroy-Vilchis, Z. Zarco-González, M.M. Zarco-GonzálezAbstractKnowing the potential distribution of species helps to focus conservation efforts more effectively, mainly when dealing with endangered species. The aim of this study was to generate potential distribution models for four species of small wild felids in Mexico (Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus wiedii, Lynx rufus and Puma yagouaroundi). The models were generated based on felids presence records, and topographic, anthropic and vegetation drivers. We used 473 records (171 for ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 13, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Phylogeny and genetic structure of the Yellow ground squirrel (Spermophilus fulvus, Lichtenstein, 1823) in Iran
Publication date: Available online 13 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Afsaneh Asgharzadeh, Mohammad Kaboli, Hassan Rajabi-Maham, Morteza NaderiAbstractOld world ground squirrels (genus Spermophilus) are distributed throughout the Holarctic and Palearctic regions, of which two Iranian species, the Yellow ground squirrel S. fulvus and the Asia Minor ground squirrel S. xanthoprymnus, comprise the southernmost distribution of the genus in the Palearctic. The two species are found in fragmented populations from northeastern to northwestern Iran, with S. fulvus being more common and widespread in the country. T...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 13, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
White-nose syndrome dramatically altered the summer bat assemblage in a temperate Southern Appalachian forest
Publication date: Available online 10 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Joy M. O’Keefe, Joseph L. Pettit, Susan C. Loeb, William H. StiverAbstractWhite-nose syndrome (WNS), an epizootic disease caused by an invasive fungus, threatens bat populations across North America. WNS-induced changes in summer bat populations could impact functional diversity. We assessed the shift in relative abundance within an assemblage of bats in a temperate southern Appalachian forest in North Carolina and Tennessee from 2009 through 2016. We used mixed linear effects models to identify bat species significantly impacted by W...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 11, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Coexistence and habitat use of the South American coati and the mountain coati along an elevational gradient
Publication date: Available online 10 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): José Luis Mena, Hiromi YaguiAbstractThe South American coati Nasua nasua is a relatively common species throughout the Neotropical region. Despite this, ecological information on the species, including its biological interactions and habitat use, is scarce, especially for the Andes. In some regions, Nasua nasua is sympatric with other closely related species of the Procyonidae family, including the mountain coati Nasuella olivacea. Here, we assess the influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the occupancy of these two sp...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 11, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Research trends on bats in China: a twenty-first century review
Publication date: Available online 9 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Anderson Feijó, Yanqun Wang, Jian Sun, Feihong Li, Zhixin Wen, Deyan Ge, Lin Xia, Qisen YangAbstractIn this century, China has sustained unparalleled economic development, leading to exponentially growing investments in scientific research. Yet, the demand for research-funding is large and tracing the current knowledge is a key step to define priority research topics. In this same span, studies on bats in China have uncovered an overlooked diversity and revealed novelties in bats’ evolutionary history and life-history aspects. All thi...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 10, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Riparian vegetation provides crucial shelter for resting otters in a human-dominated landscape
Publication date: Available online 7 September 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Irene C. Weinberger, Stefanie Muff, Andreas Kranz, Fabio BontadinaAbstractThe riparian vegetation belt is one of the few remaining structures that provide coverage for wildlife in many anthropogenic landscapes. It provides shelter for many species and functions as corridors for dispersal. However, this landscape is increasingly utilised by humans for leisure activities. The loss of riparian vegetation with a concurrent increase of human disturbance in these habitats can pose a serious threat to wildlife.One of the species potentially aff...
Source: Mammalian Biology - September 8, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: research
