Field immobilization of Molina's hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus chinga) using ketamine and xylazine

We injected 27 adult Molina's hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus chinga) intramuscularly by hand with ketamine hydrochloride (KH) and xylazine hydrochloride (XH) in the Pampas grassland of Argentina. Skunks were immobilized with a mean (±SD) dosage of 24.9±6.5 mg/kg KH and 1.9±0.6 mg/kg XH. The mean effective dosages of KH (27.6 mg/kg) and XH (1.7 mg/kg) were higher and lower, respectively, than those reported in skunks previously. Mean induction and recovery time were 5.3±1.9 min and 47.7±18.5 min, respectively. Hypothermia was the only problem detected in field immobilization and occurred in winter but did not appear to be associated with to drug doses. We conclude that KH/XH is a safe immobilizing drug combination for Molina's hog-nosed skunk.     

Denning ecology of the striped skunk in the Canadian prairies: implications for waterfowl nest predation

1. From 1993 to 1995, we studied the summer denning ecology of 40 radio-collared striped skunks Mephitis mephitis (32 females, eight males) during the waterfowl nesting season in Saskatchewan, Canada.
2. Forty-seven natal dens were used by 30 females. Natal den sites were either underground burrows (55%) or holes underneath buildings (45%), and were preferably located in farmsteads.
3. Male and female striped skunks used similar resting sites which consisted of above-ground retreats (57%), underground burrows (23%), buildings (17%) and culverts (3%).
4. Habitat preferences for resting sites did not differ between males and females: both sexes preferred farmsteads and wetlands, whereas managed waterfowl nesting areas, woodland and miscellanous habitats were avoided. Cropland was avoided for both natal dens and resting sites.
5. Females did not simultaneously share natal dens or resting sites, but both types of retreats were occupied by different females over time. Natal dens were occupied for 47 ± 3 days for females using a single den vs. 60 ± 3 days for females using >1 natal dens. Den switching may have been induced by a build-up of faeces.
6. Management of natal den sites such as abandoned farmsteads and buildings may provide an avenue of non-destructive predator management that is less expensive and controversial than exclusion or control.     

Effects of fragmentation and landscape matrix on the nesting success of grassland birds in the Pampas grasslands of Argentina

The loss of grasslands in southeastern South America has negatively affected grassland birds, leading to marked declines in their populations. However, the extent to which habitat transformation impacts on their reproductive performance, and whether the magnitude of these effects may be modulated by landscape matrices, is unknown. We assessed the effect of fragmentation on grassland bird reproduction by comparing the combined influence of fragmentation and landscape matrix on nesting success, brood parasitism and productivity of the Spectacled Tyrant Hymenops perspicillatus and the Brown‐and‐yellow Marshbird Pseudoleistes virescens. Surveys were undertaken in small grassland patches embedded within different landscape matrices (urban and agro‐ecosystem) and in a large patch within a reserve. Reproductive performance was adversely affected by fragmentation. However, these effects were conditioned by matrix type, and the response was not the same for the two species. For Brown‐and‐yellow Marshbird, fragmentation resulted in higher rates of brood parasitism and lower productivity regardless of the matrix type, whereas for Spectacled Tyrant, we found a negative effect only in an agricultural matrix. The lack of extensive grasslands makes small patches important; however, knowing the effects of different matrix types is critical to predicting the conservation value of grassland patches, and the response of different species is not uniform.     

Long-term variations in rodent abundance in a rural landscape of the Pampas, Argentina

The goal of this study was to analyze the variations in abundance of rodent communities over the last 24 years in a rural area, and their relation to possible changes in climatic variables and land use. The principal change in the area observed along the study period was an increase in the area covered by soybean. The habitats studied were crop fields and borders. The total abundance of rodents did not show a significant trend of variation over time in crop fields while in borders the abundance in autumn–winter (A–W) showed a significant trend to decrease over time. The different rodent species showed a differential response over time. While Calomys laucha and C. musculinus showed a decrease between the period before and after the soybean expansion, Akodon azarae did not change its abundance over time. The mean minimum temperature increased over time while the number of days with frost decreased. Total rodent abundance in A–W was positively associated with the cumulated precipitation of the previous spring–summer period and negatively with the cumulated precipitation of the same period. We conclude that rodent abundance variations in crop fields and borders of the study area are influenced by precipitation, but the observed trends of variation over time are better explained by changes in agricultural practices than by meteorological variables.     

Regional patterns of ecosystem functional diversity in the Argentina Pampas using MODIS time-series

The characterization of ecosystem functioning is significant for different purposes such as biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. A key aspect of ecosystem functioning is carbon gains, since it represents the energy available for upper trophic levels. In this sense, remote-sensing methods have allowed the study of ecosystem dynamics and spatial distribution at different spatial and temporal scales. The objectives were to describe the regional patterns of ecosystem functional diversity and to establish the importance of interannual variability in the definition of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) in the Argentina Pampas. EFTs were obtained from carbon gains using a set of seven functional attributes and their interannual variations, which were retrieved from 14-year NDVI time-series. An ISODATA technique was applied to all the analyzed variables, and the clusters that best separate in the n-dimensional space were selected using discriminant analysis. The Argentina Pampas shows a high heterogeneity in the spatial patterns of ecosystem functional attributes. The annual integral of NDVI (i-NDVI, a linear estimator of net primary productivity), a complex of ecosystem functional attributes that describe the interannual variability, and the annual relative range of NDVI (RREL, ecosystem seasonality) had the highest relevance to distinguish nine EFTs in the study area. This study shows a novel approach for mapping ecosystem functioning, which reveals the importance of interannual variations. This methodology includes the effects of climate variability on ecosystem dynamics, thus enhancing our understanding of ecosystem functional diversity. The results obtained represent a baseline scenario to evaluate the effects of both land use change and climate variability on ecosystem functioning from a temporal perspective.     

The skunk Conepatus chinga as new host of Trypanosoma cruzi in Argentina

We report the first systematic epidemiological research carried out in Argentina on the skunk Conepatus chinga. Forty-nine animals were captured in the settlements of Amamá, Trinidad, and nearby forested areas located in the Department of Moreno, Province of Santiago del Estero, between April 1985 and May 1989. Isolation of parasites was done through xenodiagnosis, and their identification as Trypanosoma cruzi was achieved by biological and biochemical criteria. The isolate was highly virulent and pathogenic in inoculated C3H mice. Prevalence was 4.1% (2 of 49). Two facts account for a possible domestic source of infection: both infected skunks were captured near Trinidad, in an area that had never been treated with insecticides, and electrophoretic isoenzyme patterns of the parasites isolated from the skunks were identical to those found in humans. Because extensive deforestation probably would increase the distribution area of C. chinga, further investigation should be performed to evaluate the epidemiological role of this wild mammal.     

Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) species diversity in the Pampas, Argentina

Abstract.  A study was conducted to describe the major features of geographical and temporal variation in the diversity of grassland grasshopper species (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in different sites of the Pampas, Argentina. Species richness and relative abundance were assessed at 12 sites in eastern La Pampa and western Buenos Aires provinces, from 1994 through 1999. Mean species richness at the regional level was 10, and 34 grasshopper species were collected throughout of the study. Comparison with grasshopper species diversity from the Great Plains of North America is discussed. An evaluation of the proportions of species in each of the three distribution groups (broad, intermediate and narrow) revealed that, over all sites, broadly distributed species made up 14.7% of species composition and intermediately and narrowly distributed species made up 26.5% and 58.8%, respectively. The three top-ranked species in the studied sites were Dichroplus elongatus , D. pratensis and Staurorhectus longicornis . Results showed that, contrary to what was expected, one of the widely distributed species in the region (i.e. Baeacris punctulatus ) does not always constitute one of the most abundant species. Finally, the loss of one of the historically most common species in the Pampas, D. maculipennis , is also discussed.     

A new species of Atriotaenia (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) from the hog-nosed skunk Conepatus chinga (Carnivora: Mephitidae) in Peru

Atriotaenia sanmarci n. sp. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) is described as a parasite of the Andean hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus chinga (Carnivora: Mephitidae), from Cusco, Perú. The new species is primarily distinguished from related species by the distribution, and greater number, of testes, i.e., 194-223 versus 40-60 in Atriotaenia sandgroundi (Sandground, 1926) Baer, 1935, 47-73 in Atriotaenia procyonis (Chandler, 1942) Spasskii, 1951, and 21-84 in Atriotaenia incisa Railliet, 1899. Also, there are differences with respect to the larger dimensions of suckers (300-371 μm vs. 140 in A. sandgroundi, 83-134 in A. procyonis, 70-140 in A. incisa, and 155-192 in Atriotaenia hastati Vaucher, 1982) and in the cirrus pouch length (204-732 μm vs. 90 in A. sandgroundi, 200-220 in A. procyonis, 100-180 in A. incisa, and 150-205 in A. hastati). The new species differs from A. sandgroundi and A. hastati in having a larger body size (122-133 mm vs. 10.6 and 10, respectively). This cestode is the fifth species of Atriotaenia Sandground, 1926.     

Environmental drivers of ant species richness and composition across the Argentine Pampas grassland

Understanding the underlying mechanisms causing diversity patterns is a fundamental objective in ecology and science‐based conservation biology. Energy and environmental‐heterogeneity hypotheses have been suggested to explain spatial changes in ant diversity. However, the relative roles of each one in determining alpha and beta diversity patterns remain elusive. We investigated the main factors driving spatial changes in ant (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) species richness and composition (including turnover and nestedness components) along a 500 km longitudinal gradient in the Pampean region of Argentina. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps in 12 sample sites during the summer. We performed a model selection approach to analyse responses of ant richness and composition dissimilarity to environmental factors. Then, we computed a dissimilarity partitioning of the contributions of spatial turnover and nestedness to total composition dissimilarity. Temporal habitat heterogeneity and temperature were the primary factors explaining spatial patterns of epigean ant species richness across the Pampas. The distance decay in species composition similarity was best accounted by temperature dissimilarity, and turnover had the greatest contribution to the observed beta diversity pattern. Our findings suggest that both energy and environmental‐heterogeneity‐related variables are key factors shaping richness patterns of ants and niche‐based processes instead of neutral processes appear to be regulating species composition of ant assemblages. The major contribution of turnover to the beta diversity pattern indicated that lands for potential reconversion to grassland should represent the complete environmental gradient of the Pampean region, instead of prioritizing a single site with high species richness.     

The ecology of skylarks on arable farmland

Skylarks are common birds on arable farmland throughout Britain and have recently been implicated in grazing damage to sugar-beet seedlings in Eastern England. Their feeding habits and their relationship to variations in food supplies were described.     

Facilitative effect of Lotustenuis on Paspalumdilatatum in a lowland grassland of Argentina

We studied the responses in growth and N content of the perennial grass Paspalum dilatatum to the substitution of Lotus tenuis for a whole group of species, the dicotyledons of a natural grassland community, in the Salado lowland Pampas of Argentina. Two kinds of manipulations were performed in the field: removal of alien dicots with herbicide application, and introduction of L. tenuis, resulting in a combination of four treatments, arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial randomized block design. Leaf area per tiller of P. dilatatum was higher when it was growing near L. tenuis; this increase was the result of a greater leaf elongation rate and slower leaf senescence. In the vicinity of L. tenuis, P. dilatatum exhibited an increase in tiller production and a decrease in tiller death. More tillers were functional at the end of the growing season and their aboveground biomass was 5␣times higher than for plants growing in plots where the community dicots were removed. This increment was accompanied by a higher N content. Growth enhancement of P. dilatatum plants when L. tenuis was the␣immediate neighbour is interpreted as the result of facilitation mediated by higher N availability, and not as a consequence of a release from competition exerted by the community dicots. Competition and facilitation did not interact to produce an increase in the vegetative output of Paspalum dilatatum plants growing under these field conditions. It is on these grounds that Lotus tenuis might be considered as a keystone species in the managed grassland. Received: 5 July 1997 / Accepted: 12 December 1997     

Ecology of the free living stages of cattle nematodes during summer contamination in Argentina Western Pampas

Development, migration and survival of infective larvae (L3) were studied in the Western Pampeana Region. Faeces of naturally nematode infected cattle were deposited as artificial pats on plots during mid-spring-summer of 1994/1995 and 1995/1996. Since the start and during 1995, the study coincided with a severe drought, rainfalls being 29% below the 45-year means. The predominant genera recovered were Cooperia, Ostertagia and Haemonchus. Initial and peak recovery of L3 from pats occurred 8-15 and 15-21 days later respectively. A low percentage of L3 survived from November (0.3% L3) and January (0.06% L3) to the following autumn and winter. The mean persistence of larvae detected in pats or herbage was around 200 days from deposition. The migration of L3 from faecal pats to herbage started 15 to 30 days after deposition according to rainfall occurrence. Maximum herbage recoveries of L3 from pats deposited in late summer occur during autumn rainfalls. Only, few L3 were occasionally recovered from soil. Summer conditions were associated with rapid development and translation of L3 to herbage, but also with low L3 detection after initial recoveries. Faecal pats deposited from mid-summer were the main source of autumn herbage contamination.     

Effects of agriculture expansion and intensification on the vertebrate and invertebrate diversity in the Pampas of Argentina

In this paper we summarize for the first time the effects of agriculture expansion and intensification on animal diversity in the Pampas of Argentina and discuss research needs for biodiversity conservation in the area. The Pampas experienced little human intervention until the last decades of the 19th century. Agriculture expanded quickly during the 20th century, transforming grasslands into cropland and pasture lands and converting the landscape into a mosaic of natural fragments, agricultural fields, and linear habitats. In the 1980s, agriculture intensification and replacement of cattle grazing-cropping systems by continuous cropping promoted a renewed homogenisation of the most productive areas. Birds and carnivores were more strongly affected than rodents and insects, but responses varied within groups: (a) the geographic ranges and/or abundances of many native species were reduced, including those of carnivores, herbivores, and specialist species (grassland-adapted birds and rodents, and probably specialized pollinators), sometimes leading to regional extinction (birds and large carnivores), (b) other native species were unaffected (birds) or benefited (bird, rodent and possibly generalist pollinator and crop-associated insect species), (c) novel species were introduced, thus increasing species richness of most groups (26% of non-rodent mammals, 11.1% of rodents, 6.2% of birds, 0.8% of pollinators). Much taxonomic and ecological work is still needed to understand Pampean animal biodiversity, to understand how agriculturization is affecting it, and to identify appropriate conservation actions. Networks of Important Bird Areas and Valuable Grassland Areas harbor a balanced representation of Pampean biodiversity and, if adequately protected, may provide valuable research sites, but complementary work should be carried out on agriculturized areas.     

Spatial ecology of white-tailed mongoose in farmland in the Ethiopian Highlands

The spatial ecology of the white‐tailed mongoose Ichneumia albicauda was studied during November 1998 to February 2000 on farmland adjacent to the Bale Mountains National Park in southern Ethiopia. Four male and one female white‐tailed mongooses were captured and radiotagged. The average range size was 3.2 km² for three adult males and 2.6 km² for the female which is larger than previously recorded in savannah habitat. Asymptotic range size was reached at approximately 50 locations for the males and twenty locations for the female. The ranges of the three adult male mongooses overlapped on average only 2% whereas the single female range overlapped with two adjacent males by 81 and 25%, respectively. Twenty per cent of mongoose sightings were of groups that consisted of a male and female. Diurnal resting sites were found amongst rocks or in empty buildings. The mongooses foraged on grassy areas within woodland and bush during nocturnal activity periods. We conclude that white‐tailed mongoose social organization in this agricultural landscape was similar to other solitary mongooses and was characterized by a mosaic of exclusive male ranges overlapping a separate mosaic of smaller female ranges.     

Spatial ecology of golden jackal in farmland in the Ethiopian Highlands

The spatial ecology of golden jackal Canis aureus was studied on farmland adjacent to the Bale Mountains National Park in southern Ethiopia during 1998–2000. Three adult and four subadult jackals were captured in leg‐hold traps and radiotagged. The range size of the adult jackals varied from 7.9 to 48.2 km² and the subadults from 24.2 to 64.8 km² . These ranges are the largest recorded for this species. Range overlap of the tagged jackals averaged 54%, which, in conjunction with observations of associations between individuals, suggested that all the tagged jackals belonged to one social group. Tagged jackals were observed alone on 87% of occasions despite the extensive overlap in individual ranges. Pairs consisting of a male and female were the most commonly observed group and larger groups were seen on only five occasions. Jackals in this population appeared less gregarious than observed elsewhere. The jackals used all the habitats available to them, particularly at night when they foraged in Artemesia and Hypericum bush and farmland. During the day they were more frequently found in Hagenia and Juniper woodland and their diurnal resting sites were characterized by thick cover. This is the first detailed study of golden jackals in a human‐modified landscape in Africa and further demonstrates the flexibility in behaviour and ecology exhibited by this species throughout its range.     

中国集中连片特困区退耕还林还草生态效应评估

集中连片特困地区作为我国生态环境脆弱区是退耕还林还草的主战场,其退耕成效直接反映了退耕还林还草工程的整体实施效果,为新征程中巩固和拓展退耕还林还草成果提供经验镜鉴。以《中国农村扶贫开发纲要(2011-2020年)》文件明确的14个集中连片特困地区作为研究区域,基于2000-2020年生态系统年总初级生产力(AGPP)数据集和归一化植被指数(NDVI)数据集,对比分析集中连片特困区的退耕区和未退耕区AGPP和NDVI的年际变化差异,以此来评估集中连片特困地区实施退耕还林还草工程的生态效应。研究发现:(1)2000-2020年,集中连片特困区退耕还林还草面积为178554km²,占2000年耕地总面积的44.71%;(2)研究期内,退耕区与未退耕区AGPP和NDVI整体表现出增长趋势,其中退耕区AGPP和NDVI呈现极显著和显著上升趋势的面积分别占总面积的69.07%和86.51%,未退耕区的占比分别为65.88%和72.61%,且退耕区AGPP和NDVI的年均值和相对变化率均高于未退耕区;(3)2000-2020年整个区域、退耕区以及未退耕区AGPP和NDVI年际变化趋势大体一致,均表现出线性递增态势,且退耕区AGPP和NDVI的增长始终高于整个集中连片特困区和未退耕区。因此,研究通过探讨原集中连片特困区退耕还林还草对AGPP和NDVI的影响,为进一步调整和优化退耕还林还草政策提供了参考依据。     

Using the ecosystem services approach to link raptors with human well-being in the Southeast Pampas of Argentina

Biodiversity and Conservation - Understanding the link between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being is necessary to work towards a sustainable use of agroecosystems and the...