Biology subjects

Rovero, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Rovero, F..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Predictors of extinction risk in large tropical forest mammals: from global to local

Studies can only guide conservation if their findings are informative at the scales at which practitioners and policymakers operate. Yet, it is rarely tested whether large-scale studies reach similar conclusions to the smaller-scale studies on which conservation traditionally relies. We examine whether predictors of extinction risk are consistent across global, regional, and local scales, for 210 tropical forest mammal species ([≥] 1 kg) that existed during the last 130,000 years, in 64 tropical forests, across three biogeographical realms. We found consistent predictors of extinction risk (body mass, generation length, diet, brain volume and scansoriality) when analyses differed only in their spatial resolution. However, predictors differed when analyses also varied in their temporal extent. Macroecological findings about extinction risk can, thus, inform conservation at smaller scales, but they risk misidentifying threatened species if differences in temporal extent are not recognised.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

The moon's influence on the activity of tropical forest mammals

Changes in lunar illumination alter the balance of risks and opportunities for animals at night, influencing activity patterns and species interactions. Our knowledge about behavioral responses to moonlight is incomplete, yet it can serve to assess and predict how species respond to environmental changes such as light pollution or loss of canopy cover. As a baseline, we wish to examine if and how wildlife responds to the lunar cycle in some of the darkest places inhabited by terrestrial mammals: the floors of tropical forests. We quantified the prevalence and direction of activity responses to the moon in tropical forest mammal communities. Using custom Bayesian multinomial logistic regression models, we analyzed long-term camera trapping data on 88 mammal species from 17 protected forests on three continents. We also tested the hypothesis that nocturnal species are more prone to avoiding moonlight, as well as quantified diel activity shifts in response to moonlight. We found that, apparent avoidance of moonlight (lunar phobia, 16% of species) is more common than apparent attraction (lunar philia, 3% of species). The three species exhibiting lunar philia followed diurnal or diurnal-crepuscular activity patterns. Lunar phobia, detected in 14 species, is more pronounced with higher degree of nocturnality, and is disproportionately common among rodents. Strongly lunar phobic species were less active during moonlit nights, which in most cases also decreases their total daily activity. Our findings indicate that moonlight influences animal behavior even beneath the forest canopy. This suggests that such impacts may be exacerbated in degraded and fragmented forests. Additionally, the effect of artificial light on wild communities is becoming increasingly apparent. Our study offers empirical data from protected tropical forests as a baseline for comparison with more disturbed areas, together with a robust approach for detecting activity shifts in response to environmental change. Open Research statement: The data and code for performing the analyses described in this article are available at https://github.com/richbi/TropicalMoon.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Nature Forest Reserves in Tanzania and their importance for conservation

Since 1997 Tanzania has undertaken a process to identify and declare a network of Nature Forest Reserves (NFRs) with high biodiversity values, mainly from within its existing portfolio of national Forest Reserves, but with some new extensions. In recent years this expansion has accelerated, with ten NFRs declared since 2015. The current network of 19 existing NFRs covered 918,212 hectares by the end of 2020 (with an additional three reserves covering 34,862 hectares in the process of being declared). The coverage by NFRs of Tanzanian habitat types has increased to include the main forest types, wet, seasonal, and dry, and includes wetlands and grasslands. This has led to more than a doubling of the coverage of species ranges of vertebrates by the NFR network. Declared and proposed reserves now contain at least 178 of Tanzanias 242 endemic vertebrate species, of which over 50% are threatened with extinction, and 553 Tanzanian endemic plant taxa (species, subspecies, and varieties), of which 61.3% are threatened. NFRs also support 41 single site endemic vertebrate species and 76 single site endemic plant taxa. Time series data show that NFR management effectiveness is increasing, especially where donor funds are available. Tourism, diversified revenue generation and investment schemes are required to create a network of economically self-sustaining NFRs able to conserve critical biodiversity values. Improved management and investment have reduced some threats in recent years, but ongoing challenges include illegal logging, charcoal production, firewood, pole cutting, hunting, fire, wildlife trade, and the unpredictable impacts of climate change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2018

Reserve size and anthropogenic disturbance affect the density of an African leopard (Panthera pardus) meta-population

Determining correlates of density for large carnivores is important to understand their ecological requirements and develop conservation strategies. Of the several earlier density studies conducted, few were done at a scale that allows inference about the correlates of density over heterogeneous landscapes. We deployed 164 camera trap stations covering [~]2500 km2 across five distinct habitats in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, to investigate correlates of density for a widespread and adaptable carnivore, the leopard (Panthera pardus). We modelled data in a capture-recapture framework, with both biotic and abiotic covariates hypothesised to influence leopard density. We found that leopard density increased with distance to protected area borders (mean{+/-}SE estimated effect = 0.44{+/-}0.20), a proxy for both protected area extent and distance from surrounding human settlements. Second, we detected a weak positive relationship between leopard density and estimated mean prey occupancy, while density was not related to habitat type. We estimated mean leopard density at 3.84 individuals/100km2 (95% CI = 2.53 - 5.85/100km2), with relatively moderate variation across habitat types. These results indicate that protected habitat extent and anthropogenic disturbance seemingly limit leopard populations more than prey abundance or habitat type. Such vulnerability is relevant to the conservation of this carnivore, which is generally considered more resilient to human disturbance than other large cats. Our findings support the notion that protected areas are important to preserve viable population of leopards, increasingly so in times of unprecedented habitat fragmentation. Protection of buffer zones smoothing the abrupt impact of human activities at reserve edges also appears of critical conservation relevance.

ecology↗