What is it about?
Here we examine the negative effects of mesopredator mammals on bird richness at Anchieta Island, an 826 ha offshore island in the coast of Brazil.
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Why is it important?
Anchieta Island has the highest density of mammals of the entire Atlantic forest, especially nest predators such as marmosets and coatis, introduced more than 20 years ago. This indiscriminate introduction of mammals may have affected directly the bird community, nowadays represented by 100 species comprised mainly by water-crossing birds, being 73 forest-dwelling species.
Perspectives
Experiments using artificial nests showed a predation of 73% of nests on the floor while only 26% on the mainland. Camera traps recorded predation by coatis, agoutis, and opossums. The restoration of the bird community on this island is highly constrained by the high density of hyper abundant nest predators.
Dr Ricardo S Bovendorp
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz - UESC
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Hyper abundant mesopredators and bird extinction in an Atlantic forest island, Zoologia (Curitiba), June 2009, FapUNIFESP (SciELO),
DOI: 10.1590/s1984-46702009000200011.
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