Brazil, with its vast territory and climatic diversity, harbors a rich biodiversity of plants, including ferns and lycophytes. However, these groups remain understudied in northeastern Brazil, particularly in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Here we provide a comprehensive floristic survey of ferns and lycophytes in the state, docu-menting 334 records of 64 species in 23 families. Fourteen species are reported for the firsttime from Rio Grande do Norte. We identified collection gaps and sampling biases and revealed ecological and distributional patterns. The analysis shows a significant concentration of sampling effort in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga, strongly influenced by seasonality and water availability. Our results underscore the need for conservation efforts targeting fern and lycophyte species and identify critical areas for future research.
Understanding the ecology and impact of organisms on ecosystems requires information on abundance and diet. We assessed both aspects for a population of Athene cunicularia pichinchae located at the Latacunga Airport in Cotopaxi in the Ecuadorian Andes. Between September and November 2023, we conducted weekly censuses in an area of 0.4 km2 and collected complete and disaggregated pellets at each visit to determine the composition, diversity and variation in the diet of the owls. We found a high density with an average of 19 individuals in 10 burrows (mean= 1.9 individuals by burrow) clustered in grassy areas within the airport. Owls consumed prey belonging to eight orders, among which rodents accounted for almost 30% of the biomass, although there was a higher frequency of invertebrates (96%), mainly Coleoptera, including the Andean dung beetle Dichotomius cotopaxi. Other prey included Arachnida, amphibians and bats, the latter representing the seventh reported in the diet of this owl. Trophic breadth was narrow (Bsta = 0.02) indicating greater specialization, mainly on beetles Scarabaeidae compared to other Ecuadorian populations in lower elevations.
In this study, we evaluated the structure of the medium-and large-sized mam-mal assemblage to examine potential signs of defaunation in Reserva Ecologica Manglares Churute, located in the lowlands of western Ecuador. This reserve is characterized by its high diversity of ecosystems and fauna, although it is subject to significant anthropogenic pressure. Between November 2022 and June 2023, surveys were conducted with camera trap at five stations located in different terrestrial ecosystems, accumulating a total of 800 camera-days of monitoring. We recorded 14 native species belonging to 12 families and seven orders, in addition to cattle and the domestic dog. The most frequent species were Dasyprocta punctata and Nasua nasua; both showed diurnal habits and high ecological plasticity. In contrast, Leopardus pardalis exhibited nocturnal activity, while Sylvilagus daulensis displayed a catemeral pattern. Tamandua mexicana and Odocoileus virginianus, categorized as Endangered on the national Red List, were also recorded, along with N. nasua, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, L. pardalis, and Dicotyles tajacu, classified as Vulnerable. Additionally, we recorded one H. yagouaroundi individual with skin abnormality and kinked tail. The predominance of generalist species and the absence of large carnivores suggest defaunation and biotic homogenization processes within the reserve. Our findings highlight the dual nature of this reserve: as a refuge for resilient mammal species on the Ecuadorian coast and as a system subjected to considerable and increasing anthropogenic pressure. This underscores the need to strengthen management and monitoring strategies to ensure the persistence of these populations in highly modified coastal landscapes.
We assessed non-volant medium-and large-sized mammals in a Mauritia flexuosa-dominated wetland within the Los Achales Reserve (southern Ecuadorian Amazon) between January and July 2023. We applied a multi-evidence approach that combi-ned direct observations, tracks and signs, camera trapping, and 37 semi-structured interviews with Shuar residents, yielding 242 field records and 77 hunting reports. Field surveys recorded nine species, while interviews added four additional taxa, for a total of 13 species documented in the study area. The most frequently detected species was Dicotyles tajacu (n = 72). Diversity was moderate (Shannon H ' = 1.812; Simpson 1-D = 0.800), with assemblage structure dominated by a few disturbance-tolerant taxa. Our results highlight the complementarity of local ecological knowled-ge and conventional field methods in improving species detection, particularly for elusive taxa. The observed assemblage is consistent with patterns of habitat loss and hunting pressure reported in human-modified Amazonian landscapes. Agricultural expansion, urban encroachment, and sustained hunting likely represent the main drivers of mammal population declines in Los Achales. These findings underscore the need for targeted research and conservation actions, including participatory monitoring approaches, to support the persistence of mammal communities in this underrepresented Amazonian wetland system.
Ferns and lycophytes represent the second largest epiphytic group of vascular plants. Here we examined herbaria collection and literature to provide an account of epiphytes for Peru's pteridoflora. We assessed compositional differences related to geography, altitudinal distribution, and vegetation type, along with observations on endemism and conservation. We report in total 521 species of epiphytes, of which 86 are new epiphyte records. These epiphytic ferns and lycophytes represent 35.4% of the total pteridoflora of Peru. We found 32 endemic species among these plants, most of them growing in humid montane forests. We also found regional differences in the composition of this flora, with compositional richness higher in the Eastern Andean slopes, followed bythe Lowlands of the Amazon basin. Populations of epiphytic ferns and lycophytes are mostly known from protected areas (82% of all epiphytes), and most of them were recorded from 10 National Parks, whereas 97 species of which 15 are endemics occur in non-protected areas. There are still many challenges for those interested in epiphytism. These challenges include the correct use of the term epiphyte and habit details, incorporating the gametophytic phase of the life cycle of these plants, the biology of interactions, genetics and population studies. All are challenges associated with the continued need to address geographical gaps in knowledge of the epiphytic flora outside of protected sites, and in regions threatened by land-use and landscape changes.
