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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.03.08.434374

Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot

Kaizer, M. C.·Alvim, T. H. G.·Novaes, C. L.·McDevitt, A. D.·Young, R. J.
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Abstract

The Atlantic Forest of South America supports some of the greatest terrestrial biodiversity on our planet but is now reduced to only a small extent of its original forest cover. It hosts a large number of endemic mammalian species but our knowledge on arboreal mammal ecology and conservation has been hindered by the challenges of observing arboreal species from ground level. Camera trapping has proven to be an effective tool in terrestrial mammal monitoring, but the technique has rarely been used for arboreal species. Here we generated data on the arboreal mammal community based on canopy camera trapping for the first time in the Atlantic Forest, focusing on Caparao National Park, Brazil. We placed 24 infrared camera traps in the forest canopy distributed in seven areas within the Park, operating continuously from January 2017 to June 2019. In this time, they accumulated 4,736 camera-days and generated 2,256 sets of pictures and 30 second videos of vertebrates. Canopy camera traps were able to detect arboreal mammals spanning a wide variety of body sizes. The local mammal assemblage comprised of 15 identifiable species, including the critically endangered northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) and the buffy-headed marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps), and other rare, nocturnal and inconspicuous species. For the first time, we confirmed the occurrence of the thin-spined porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus) in the Park. Species richness varied across sampling areas and forest types. Our findings demonstrate the potential of canopy camera trapping for future surveying efforts to better inform conservation strategies for mammals.

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Kaizer, M. C., Alvim, T. H. G., Novaes, C. L., McDevitt, A. D., Young, R. J.. 2021-03-09. Snapshot of the Atlantic Forest canopy: surveying arboreal mammals in a biodiversity hotspot. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.434374

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