IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Nunes, B.d.A. | |
| Impacts of a large wildfire in the medium and large mammals community in a Cerrado area in central Brazil | |
| 2022 Full Book | |
Because fire events are common in tropical savannas, knowledge of the effects of these events on fauna is fundamental for proper management of natural areas in these ecosystems. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a large unplanned fire (burned area ~66 000 ha) on the community of medium and large mammals in a Cerrado area of central Brazil, in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. The objective was to understand, over three years after fire, changes in community composition, diversity, and occurrence patterns (absolute and relative abundance) of food guilds and the most abundant species in the system. We compared burned and unburned areas using camera traps, recording 26 species of medium and large mammals. Species richness was higher in the burned area (25 species) compared to the unburned area (19 species). A Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed a significant change in the community up to 3 years after fire, with the greatest difference in the community between the first and second year of data collection. Herbivore species (tapir and pampas deer) were more common in burned areas, while carnivore species (e.g., puma, maned wolf, and pampas cat) were more abundant during the second year after fire in burned areas. Linear mixed models showed that the effects of fire vary according to feeding guilds. The herbivore group showed an increase in relative abundance during the first year after fire compared to pre-fire values. Carnivore species (e.g., puma) were more abundant in burned areas compared to unburned areas, while omnivore and insectivore species showed less evident effects of fire in their occurrence patterns. Overall, there was an increase in species abundance, richness, and diversity during the second year after fire in the burned area compared to the unburned area and pre-fire values. Our results highlight the complexity of the medium and large mammal community response to a large unplanned fire in a Neotropical savanna. It seems that an efficient fire management that allows the occurrence of a mosaic of areas with distinct fire histories (unburned areas and areas burned one and two years before), may contribute to enhance the local mammal diversity. |
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