Abstract
Exploring factors related to species distribution is important to better understand their natural histories and provide their effective conservation. However, the ecology of some threatened species remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted the first quantitative investigation of species-habitat relationships for the Brazilian three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes tricinctus, a threatened species endemic to Brazil. We combined camera traps and active searches to explore the influence of ecological and methodological factors, including human-related habitat features, on T. tricinctus occupancy and detection probabilities in a human-modified landscape in northeastern Brazil. The T. tricinctus occupancy probability was high throughout the study area, whereas its detection probability was eight times higher by active searches than camera trap**, which should be considered when designing studies on T. tricinctus ecology in the future. Our results suggest that T. tricinctus can be widely distributed in human-modified landscapes under moderate levels of hunting and habitat loss and highlight the importance of the engagement of local people into research and conservation projects for better outcomes, as we found by counting on their local ecological knowledge for the conduction of active searches.
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Acknowledgements
The companies Azurit Engenharia and Statkraft provided logistical support in the study area. We thank the field assistants Cosme, Lourisvaldo, and Olavo for their indispensable help with field activities.
Funding
This work was supported by the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (ACNC)/Phoenix Zoo Conservation & Science Grant Program, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) [grant numbers: 88887.199565/2018–00; 88882.316024/2019–01], and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) [grant number: 301289/2019–0].
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Conceptualization: Rodolfo A. Magalhães, Rodrigo L. Massara, Fábio S. de Oliveira, and Flávio H. G. Rodrigues. Methodology: Rodolfo A. Magalhães, Rodrigo L. Massara, Fábio S. de Oliveira, and Flávio H. G. Rodrigues. Formal analysis and investigation: Rodolfo A. Magalhães, Rodrigo L. Massara, and Fábio S. de Oliveira. Writing — original draft preparation: Rodolfo A. Magalhães. Writing — review and editing: Rodrigo L. Massara, Fábio S. de Oliveira, and Flávio H. G. Rodrigues. Funding acquisition: Rodolfo A. Magalhães, Rodrigo L. Massara, and Flávio H. G. Rodrigues.
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Communicated by Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas.
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Magalhães, R.A., Massara, R.L., de Oliveira, F.S. et al. The Brazilian three-banded armadillo is widely distributed in a human-modified landscape in northeastern Brazil. Mamm Res 68, 53–62 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-022-00651-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-022-00651-5