Use of autonomous audio recordings for the rapid inventory of birds in the white‐sand forests of the Peruvian Amazon

White‐sand forests are patchily distributed ecosystems covering just 5% of Amazonia that host many specialist species of birds not found elsewhere, and these forests are threatened due to their small size and human exploitation of sand for construction projects. As a result, many species of birds that are white‐sand specialists are at risk of extinction, and immediate conservation action is paramount for their survival. Our objective was to evaluate current survey methods and determine the relative effect of the size of patches of these forests on the presence or absence of white‐sand specialists. Using point counts and autonomous recorders, we surveyed avian assemblages occupying patches of white‐sand forest in the Peruvian Amazon in April 2018. Overall, we detected 126 species, including 21 white‐sand forest specialists. We detected significantly more species of birds per survey point with autonomous recorders than point counts. We also found a negative relationship between avian species richness and distance from the edge of patches of white‐sand forest, but a significant, positive relationship when only counting white‐sand specialists. Although we detected more species with autonomous recorders, point counts were more effective for detecting canopy‐dwelling passerines. Therefore, we recommend that investigators conducting surveys for rare and patchily distributed species in the tropics use a mixed‐method approach that incorporates both autonomous recorders and visual observation. Finally, our results suggest that conserving large, continuous patches of white‐sand forest may increase the likelihood of survival of species of birds that are white‐sand specialists.     

Colonization and extinction of land planarians (Platyhelminthes,Tricladida) in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant

Long-term assessments of species assemblages are valuable tools for detecting species ecological preferences and their dispersal tracks, as well as for assessing the possible effects of alien species on native communities. Here we report a 50-year-long study on population dynamics of the four species of land flatworms (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) that have colonized or become extinct in a 70-year-old Atlantic Forest regrowth remnant through the period 1955–2006. On the one hand, the two initially most abundant species, which are native to the study site, Notogynaphallia ernesti and Geoplana multicolor have declined over decades and at present do not exist in the forest remnant. The extinction of these species is most likely related with their preference for open vegetation areas, which presently do not exist in the forest remnant. On the other hand, the neotropical Geoplaninae 1 and the exotic Endeavouria septemlineata were detected in the forest only very recently. The long-term study allowed us to conclude that Geoplaninae 1 was introduced into the study area, although it is only known from the study site. Endeavouria septemlineata, an active predator of the exotic giant African snail, is originally known from Hawaii. This land flatworm species was observed repeatedly in Brazilian anthropogenic areas, and this is the first report of the species in relatively well preserved native forest, which may be evidence of an ongoing adaptive process. Monitoring of its geographic spread and its ecological role would be a good practice for preventing potential damaging effects, since it also feeds on native mollusk fauna, as we observed in lab conditions. Júlio Pedroni: Granted by CNPQ–Brazil.