RESUMEN
Anthropogenic factors have significantly influenced the frequency, duration, and intensity of meteorological drought in many regions of the globe, and the increased frequency of wildfires is among the most visible consequences of human-induced climate change. Despite the fire role in determining biodiversity outcomes in different ecosystems, wildfires can cause negative impacts on wildlife. We conducted ground surveys along line transects to estimate the first-order impact of the 2020 wildfires on vertebrates in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We adopted the distance sampling technique to estimate the densities and the number of dead vertebrates in the 39,030 square kilometers affected by fire. Our estimates indicate that at least 16.952 million vertebrates were killed immediately by the fires in the Pantanal, demonstrating the impact of such an event in wet savanna ecosystems. The Pantanal case also reminds us that the cumulative impact of widespread burning would be catastrophic, as fire recurrence may lead to the impoverishment of ecosystems and the disruption of their functioning. To overcome this unsustainable scenario, it is necessary to establish proper biomass fuel management to avoid cumulative impacts caused by fire over biodiversity and ecosystem services.
RESUMEN
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201357.].
RESUMEN
The occurrence of Trypanosoma spp. in wild carnivore populations has been intensively investigated during the last decades. However, the impact of these parasites on the health of free-living infected animals has been largely neglected. The Pantanal biome is the world's largest seasonal wetland, harboring a great diversity of species and habitats. This includes 174 species of mammals, of which 20 belong to the order Carnivora. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma cruzi infections and coinfections on the health of the most abundant carnivores in the Pantanal: coati (Nasua nasua), crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), and ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). We captured 39 coatis, 48 crab-eating foxes, and 19 ocelots. Diagnostic tests showed T. cruzi infection in 7 crab-eating foxes and 5 coatis. Additionally, 7 crab-eating foxes, 10 coatis, and 12 ocelots were positive for T. evansi. We observed coinfections in 9 crab-eating foxes, 8 coatis, and 2 ocelots. This is the first report of T. evansi and T. cruzi infection on the health of free-living ocelots and crab-eating foxes. We showed that single T. evansi or T. cruzi infection, as well as coinfection, caused some degree of anemia in all animals, as well as an indirect negative effect on body condition in coatis and crab-eating foxes via anemia indicators and immune investment, respectively. Furthermore, the vigorous immune investment observed in sampled coatis, crab-eating foxes and ocelots infected by T. evansi, T. cruzi and coinfected can be highly harmful to their health. Overall, our results indicate that single and combined infection with T. evansi and T. cruzi represent a severe risk to the health of wild carnivores in the Pantanal region.