Depredation of domestic herds by pumas based on farmer’s information in Southern Brazil

Background

We can conserve cultural heritage and gain extensive knowledge of plant species with pharmacological potential to cure simple to life-threatening diseases by studying the use of plants in indigenous communities. Therefore, it is important to conduct ethnobotanical studies in indigenous communities and to validate the reported uses of plants by comparing ethnobotanical studies with phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Materials and methods

This study was conducted in a Tamang community dwelling in the Makawanpur district of central Nepal. We used semi-structured and structured questionnaires during interviews to collect information. We compared use reports with available phytochemical and pharmacological studies for validation.

Results

A total of 161 plant species belonging to 86 families and 144 genera to cure 89 human ailments were documented. Although 68 plant species were cited as medicinal in previous studies, 55 different uses described by the Tamang people were not found in any of the compared studies. Traditional uses for 60 plant species were consistent with pharmacological and phytochemical studies.

Conclusions

The Tamang people in Makawanpur are rich in ethnopharmacological understanding. The present study highlights important medicinal plant species by validating their traditional uses. Different plant species can improve local economies through proper harvesting, adequate management and development of modern techniques to maximize their use.     

Behavioral Correlates of Dispersal in Female Muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides)

We documented four adolescent female transfers—two emigrations, two immigrations—during a 12-month study from August 1994 to July 1995 on one group of muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) at Estação Biológica de Caratinga in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Intergroup transfers occurred throughout the year independent of season. A total of 613 focal samples of 10-min duration conducted on six adolescent females (5–9 years of age) revealed significant differences in the behavior of migrant versus natal resident females. During the seasons encompassing their respective group transfers, both emigrants and immigrants devoted more of their time to resting than resident females belonging to the same age cohorts did. Time spent feeding on mature fruit was higher for one emigrant and lower for both immigrants compared to the two resident females. Emigrant females had fewer neighbors within a 1-m radius than resident females did, whereas immigrant females were within a 1-m radius of adult females and within a 5-m radius of adult males more often than resident adolescent females were. Adolescent females were displaced on 26 occasions. Displacements occurred mainly during the dry seasons (n = 21) and mainly at food sources (n = 21). Using the number of focal samples conducted on each female as an estimate of observation time, immigrant females were displaced at twice the rate of residents. However, like other behavioral differences detected between resident and migrant adolescent females, differences in individual displacement rates were evident only during the season in which each of the immigrants joined the group. Collectively, our findings imply that female intergroup transfer in this population involves relatively mild, short-term costs.