Vertebrate Conservation and Biodiversity

ISBN-13: 9781402063190 / Angielski / Twarda / 2007 / 494 str.

David L. Hawksworth; Alan T. Bull

Opis

The structure and function of grasslands worldwide have been disrupted by habitat fragmentation, the removal of native grazers and altered ?re frequency (Samson and Knopf 1994). Such changes threaten the integrity of native grassland communities of plants and animals in many ways and at many levels (Janzen 1983; Collins 2000; Cully and Michaels 2000). Habitat fragmentation alters size, spacing and context of habitat patches, which can result in an increase in the local rate of extinction of plant and animal species by reducing fecundity, population size and colonization of species from similar habitats (Noss and Csuti 1992). Compounding the effects of fragm- tation, extirpation of ?re and loss of populations of native grazers can lead to encroachment of woody vegetation and loss of grassland (Leach and Givnish 1996; Collins et al. 1998). In addition to effects on plant communities, the use of prescribed ?re to enhance grasslands is of increasing relevance as regional losses, isolation and fragmentation of grasslands have led to corresponding declines in local population densities of many species of grassland-dependent birds (Askins 1993; Vickery et al. 1994). Ar- sensitive species in grasslands are especially vulnerable to these effects (Herkert 1994a, b) which can create speci?c physical, environmental and ecological changes (Yahner 1988) that lower habitat quality for area-sensitive species that have been historical specialists of grassland habitats.

Spis treści

1. Responses of plant and bird communities to prescribed burning in tallgrass prairies; F. van Dyke et al.- 2. Population trends and spatial synchrony in peripheral populations of the endangered Lesser grey shrike in response to environmental change; D. Giralt, F. Valera.- 3. Monitoring mammals in the Caxiuanã National Forest, Brazil – First results from the Tropical Ecology, Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) program; S. de Souza Martins et al.- 4. Grassland versus non-grassland bird abundance and diversity in managed grasslands: local, landscape and regional scale effects; P. Batáry et al.- 5. Biogeographic patterns of the East African coastal forest vertebrate fauna; E.T. Azeria et al.- 6. Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) on Guafo Island: the largest seabird colony in the world?; R. Reyes-Arriagada et al.- 7. Mexico in the international reptile skin trade: a case study; I. Arroyo-quiroz et al.- 8. Use of forest fragments by blue-winged macaws (Primolius maracana) within a fragmented landscape; M. Flávia Conti Nunes, M. Galetti.- 9. Commercialization and use of snakes in North and Northeastern Brazil: implications for conservation and management; R. Romeu da Nobrega Alves, G. Alves Pereira Filho.- 10. Philopatry, dispersal patterns and nest-site reuse in Lesser Grey Shrikes (Lanius minor); A. Kristín et al.- 11. Conservation biogeography of anurans in Brazilian Cerrado; J.A. Felizola Diniz-Filho et al.- 12. Avian responses to tourism in the biogeographically isolated high Córdoba Mountains, Argentina; L. Heil et al.- 13. Population decline of loggerhead turtles: two potentialscenarios for Fethiye beach, Turkey; Ç. Ilgaz et al.- 14. Habitat use, roost selection and conservation of bats in Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar; A. Kofoky et al.- 15. Territoriality and survivorship of the Sierra Madre sparrow in La Cima, México; A. Oliveras de Ita, H. Gomez de Silva.- 16. Analysis of the species description process for a little known invertebrate group: the limnoterrestrial tardigrades (Bilateria, Tardigrada); N. Guil, F.J. Cabrero-Sanudo.- 17. Environmental correlates for species richness among amphibians and reptiles in a climate transition area; C. Soares, J. Carlos Brito.- 18. Amphibian diversity in East African biodiversity hotspots: altitudinal and latitudinal patterns; J.C. Poynton et al.- 19. China subregional avian endemism and biodiversity conservation; F.-M. Lei et al.- 20. How resilient are Andean montane forest bird communities to habitat degradation?; N. O’Dea, R.J. Whittaker.- 21. Human and natural impacts on forests along lower Tana river, Kenya: implications towards conservation and management of endemic primate species and their habitat; N. Nthenya Moinde-Fockler et al.- 22. Fragmentation causes rarity in common marmosets in the Atlantic forest of northeastern Brazil; A.R. Mendes Pontes et al.- 23. Distribution, abundance, and habitat use of introduced Boa constrictor threatening the native biota of Cozumel Island, Mexico; I. Romero-Nájera et al.- 24. Camera-trap studies of maned wolf density in the Cerrado and the Pantanal of Brazil; M. Trolle et al.- 25. Mammal survey at a ranch of the Brazilian Cerrado; M. Trolle et al.- 26. Surveying carnivores at

Blurb

This book brings together a selection of original studies submitted to Biodiversity and Conservation that address the conservation and biodiversity of vertebrates - particularly those in terrestrial habitats. Vertebrates are, along with plants, the best-known and most intensively studied components of biological diversity on Earth. While studies on vertebrates can be expected to provide models for other groups, they can also pose their own particular problems due to their relative mobility as in some migratory birds. In addition, many mammals and fish are also subject to extensive human exploitation for food or sport.

The contributions in this volume are drawn from a wide range of countries – from Australasia, East Africa, Europe, and North, Central and South America. Collectively they provide a snap-shot of the types of studies and actions being taken in vertebrate conservation – topical examples that will make the volume especially valuable for use in conservation biology courses.

Reprinted from Biodiversity and Conservation, volume 16:4 (2007)