Domestic dogs in Atlantic forest preserves of south-eastern Brazil: a camera-trapping study on patterns of entrance and site occupancy rates Cães-domésticos em remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no sudeste do Brasil: padrões de entrada e de ocupação obtidos a partir de armadilhas fotográficas

• Published in: Brazilian Journal of Biology
• Main Authors: AC. Srbek-Araujo, AG. Chiarello
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Internacional de Ecologia 2008
• Subjects: armadilha fotográfica; Canis lupus familiaris; cão doméstico; espécies exóticas; Mata Atlântica; Atlantic forest; camera traps; domestic dogs; exotic species; Science; Q; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Zoology; QL1-991; Botany; QK1-989; Entrada; Sudeste; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1519-69842008000400011; https://doaj.org/article/d7ace60d0af14d1bbbf58bd93560141f

Presence of exotic species in forest remnants is a major concern for the conservation of wild species, not only on islands, where potential impact is higher. Although the problem is widespread and increasing, there are few studies on Neotropical forests. Here we quantify the occurrence of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in an Atlantic forest reserve in south-eastern Brazil (Santa Lúcia Biological Station - SLBS). Throughout two years of monitoring with camera traps (2,142 camera-days), 25 records of 16 individual dogs were obtained in the interior of SLBS, making dogs the fourth most frequently recorded species of mammals in general and the first-ranking among Carnivora, ahead of the ocelot and puma, the top two terrestrial predators present in SLBS. Dogs entered the forest year round, in almost half of the sampled months (48%), and predominantly during daytime (89%). They were detected in various trails inside the reserve, but mostly in areas nearest to the reserve's border (<200 m from the edge). Record rates of domestic dogs did not correlate significantly with climate variables, with frequency of mammal records and richness in general, or with any particular mammal species (Spearman rank correlation, p > 0.05 in all cases), suggesting an erratic, non-seasonal pattern of entrance in the reserve. Data indicate that domestic dogs can be abundant and frequent visitors to little disturbed Atlantic forest reserves even when these are located in regions of low density of human population. The potential impact to native fauna is discussed. A presença de espécies exóticas em remanescentes florestais é um dos maiores problemas para a conservação de táxons silvestres, não apenas em ilhas, onde o impacto potencial do contato entre os grupos citados revela-se mais significativo. Apesar deste problema ser amplo e crescente, poucos são os estudos desenvolvidos em florestas Neotropicais. Neste sentido, o presente estudo objetivou caracterizar a presença de cães-domésticos (Canis lupus familiaris) em uma reserva ...