ATLANTIC BIRDS: a data set of bird species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

South America holds 30% of the world's avifauna, with the Atlantic Forest representing one of the richest regions of the Neotropics. Here we have compiled a data set on Brazilian Atlantic Forest bird occurrence (150,423) and abundance samples (N = 832 bird species; 33,119 bird individuals) using multiple methods, including qualitative surveys, mist nets, point counts, and line transects). We used four main sources of data: museum collections, on-line databases, literature sources, and unpublished reports. The data set comprises 4,122 localities and data from 1815 to 2017. Most studies were conducted in the Florestas de Interior (1,510 localities) and Serra do Mar (1,280 localities) biogeographic sub-regions. Considering the three main quantitative methods (mist net, point count, and line transect), we compiled abundance data for 745 species in 576 communities. In the data set, the most frequent species were Basileuterus culicivorus, Cyclaris gujanensis, and Conophaga lineata. There were 71 singletons, such as Lipaugus conditus and Calyptura cristata. We suggest that this small number of records reinforces the critical situation of these taxa in the Atlantic Forest. The information provided in this data set can be used for macroecological studies and to foster conservation strategies in this biodiversity hotspot. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Data Paper if data are used in publications and teaching events.

ATLANTIC BATS: a data set of bat communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America.

Bats are the second most diverse mammal order and they provide vital ecosystem functions (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient flux in caves) and services (e.g., crop pest suppression). Bats are also important vectors of infectious diseases, harboring more than 100 different virus types. In the present study, we compiled information on bat communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America, a species-rich biome that is highly threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. The ATLANTIC BATS data set comprises 135 quantitative studies carried out in 205 sites, which cover most vegetation types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest: dense ombrophilous forest, mixed ombrophilous forest, semideciduous forest, deciduous forest, savanna, steppe, and open ombrophilous forest. The data set includes information on more than 90,000 captures of 98 bat species of eight families. Species richness averaged 12.1 per site, with a median value of 10 species (ranging from 1 to 53 species). Six species occurred in more than 50% of the communities: Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, Sturnira lilium, Artibeus fimbriatus, Glossophaga soricina, and Platyrrhinus lineatus. The number of captures divided by sampling effort, a proxy for abundance, varied from 0.000001 to 0.77 individuals·h-1 ·m-2 (0.04 ± 0.007 individuals·h-1 ·m-2 ). Our data set reveals a hyper-dominance of eight species that together that comprise 80% of all captures: Platyrrhinus lineatus (2.3%), Molossus molossus (2.8%), Artibeus obscurus (3.4%), Artibeus planirostris (5.2%), Artibeus fimbriatus (7%), Sturnira lilium (14.5%), Carollia perspicillata (15.6%), and Artibeus lituratus (29.2%).

Field calibration of blowfly-derived DNA against traditional methods for assessing mammal diversity in tropical forests.

Mammal diversity assessments based on DNA derived from invertebrates have been suggested as alternatives to assessments based on traditional methods; however, no study has field-tested both approaches simultaneously. In Peninsular Malaysia, we calibrated the performance of mammal DNA derived from blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) against traditional methods used to detect species. We first compared five methods (cage trapping, mist netting, hair trapping, scat collection, and blowfly-derived DNA) in a forest reserve with no recent reports of megafauna. Blowfly-derived DNA and mist netting detected the joint highest number of species (n = 6). Only one species was detected by multiple methods. Compared to the other methods, blowfly-derived DNA detected both volant and non-volant species. In another forest reserve, rich in megafauna, we calibrated blowfly-derived DNA against camera traps. Blowfly-derived DNA detected more species (n = 11) than camera traps (n = 9), with only one species detected by both methods. The rarefaction curve indicated that blowfly-derived DNA would continue to detect more species with greater sampling effort. With further calibration, blowfly-derived DNA may join the list of traditional field methods. Areas for further investigation include blowfly feeding and dispersal biology, primer biases, and the assembly of a comprehensive and taxonomically-consistent DNA barcode reference library.

Comparing the efficiency of monofilament and regular nets for capturing bats.

Regular nylon or polyester mist nets used for capturing bats have several drawbacks, particularly that they are inefficient at sampling insectivorous species. One possible alternative is to use monofilament nets, whose netting is made of single strands of yarn instead of several as regular nets, making them less detectable. To date, only one study has quantified the differences in capture rates between monofilament and regular mist nets for the study of bats, yet surprisingly, its findings suggest that the latter are more efficient than the former. Here, we provide further evidence of the differences in sampling efficiency between these two nets. We captured 90 individuals and 14 species in regular nets and 125 individuals and 20 species in monofilament nets. The use of monofilament nets increased overall capture rates, particularly for insectivorous species. Species accumulation curves indicate that samples based on regular nets are significantly underestimating species diversity, most notably as these nets fail at sampling rare species. We show that incorporating monofilament nets into bat studies offers an opportunity to expand records of different guilds and rare bat species and to improve our understanding of poorly known bat assemblages while using a popular, relatively cheap and portable sampling method.

Structure of understory bird communities in Atlantic Forest Remnants in Northeastern Brazil / Estrutura das comunidades de aves de remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no nordeste do Brasil

The Atlantic Forest in the State of Paraíba integrates the Pernambuco Center of Endemism. The present work investigated understory bird communities of three of its remnants using ten mist nets installed at eight different points of the forest understory of each area. We captured 333 birds of 44 species and 19 families. Bird richness and abundance did not differ between the three remnants (KW = 6.08; p = 0.04 and KW = 10.54; p = 0.004). The composition was little similar among them, and each area presented high species diversity and evenness. The most captured species were Arremon taciturnus (n = 40), Chiroxiphia pareola (n = 32) and Conopophaga melanops (n = 28). C. melanops has a local threat status of “vulnerable” and is considered endemic. Endangered and endemic species each represented 15.91% of the captures. Both Reserva Biológica Guaribas areas had the highest number of threatened species, while Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Engenho Gargaú showed the highest number of endemic and understory insectivorous species, which indicates a better quality status in comparison to the other two. These results show the importance of the remnants to bird conservation in Northeastern Brazil.

A Mata Atlântica do Estado da Paraíba integra o Centro de Endemismo Pernambuco. O presente estudo investigou comunidades de aves de sub-bosque de três remanescentes da região, por meio da captura com redes de neblina. Dez redes foram posicionadas no sub-bosque florestal em oito pontos distintos ao longo de cada remanescente. Foram capturados 333 indivíduos de 44 espécies, divididas em 19 famílias. A riqueza e a abundância diferiram entre as comunidades amostradas (KW = 6,08; p = 0,04 e KW = 10,54; p = 0,004). A composição específica foi pouco similar entre elas e cada área apresentou elevada diversidade e equitabilidade na distribuição de espécies. As espécies mais representativas foram Arremon taciturnus (n = 40), Chiroxiphia pareola (n = 32) e Conopophaga melanops (n = 28), sendo este último táxon vulnerável e endêmico. As duas áreas da Reserva Biológica Guaribas tiveram o maior número de espécies ameaçadas, enquanto que a Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Engenho Gargaú apresentou o maior número de espécies endêmicas, assim como de insetívoros de sub-bosque, sugerindo melhor qualidade em comparação aos outros dois. Esses resultados apontam a importância que os remanescentes estudados têm para a conservação da avifauna no nordeste brasileiro.