Individual variation in the booming calls of captive Horned Guans (Oreophasis derbianus)

   Online ISSN: 2165-0586
    Print ISSN: 0952-4622

Individual variation in the booming calls of captive Horned Guans (Oreophasis derbianus): an endangered Neotropical mountain bird

Fernando González-García, J. Roberto Sosa-López, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Pedro Jordano, Victor Rico-Gray & Vicente Urios Moliner

Abstract
The Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus) is a cracid restricted to cloud forests in the Sierra Madre of Chiapas in Mexico and the westerncentral Mountains in Guatemala. It is an endangered species and urgent conservation measures are required, such as non-invasive monitoring techniques. Here, we study individual features in the boom calls of Horned Guans. ... View full abstract

Boom calls are acoustic signals used by males during courtship and territorial displays. This call is made of seven notes, divided into two parts: an introductory section characterized by low-amplitude notes and a body section characterized by highamplitude notes. We recorded 10 males during the breeding seasons of 2010 and 2011 in two captive populations and measured 22 acoustic variables of the calls. We used a combination of statistical analyses to test individuality in Horned Guan vocalizations. Our results showed that time-related variables – but not frequency-related traits – varied between individuals, and that individual calls showed no variation between years. Our results suggest that Horned Guan individuals can be distinguished using fine structural characteristics of their calls and that calls remain stable across years. We argue that such vocal signature could be used to track wild populations as a non-invasive technique in order to improve census data in the short and long term.

Abundancia relativa de la zorra gris Urocyon cinereoargenteus en la zona centro de Veracruz México

ISSN impreso: 0034-7744
ISSN electrónico: 2215-2075

Abundancia relativa de la zorra gris Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Carnívora: Canidae) en la zona centro de Veracruz, México

Sonia Gallina T. • Paloma López-Colunga
Carolina Valdespino • Verónica Farías

Abstract
Relative abundance of the gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Carnívora: Canidae) in Veracruz central area, Mexico. The gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, is a medium-size canid widely distributed in México. Most studies on this species focus on habitat use, home range, diet, intraguild competence, and lanscape distribution between urban and rural sites. In central Veracruz, gray foxes are present in fragments of cloud forest and in shaded coffee plantations; nevertheless, its abundance has not yet been compared among other vegetation types found in the area, such as sugarcane plantations. In this study we described gray foxes abundance variations using 500 m transects, among sugarcane plantations, shaded coffee plantations, and cloud forest fragments throughout eight months, by scat counting in three sites of each cover type. We reported the relative abundance index for each cover type and each month, and evaluated its relationship with four landscape features:

1. shade percent,
2. trail density,
3. human population density, and
4. habitat juxtaposition, in influence areas of 450 ha around sampling sites.

Abundance comparison among cover types showed lower abundances in cloud forest fragments and higher abundances in coffee and sugarcane plantations. No significant differences were found throughout months (p = 0.476). We proposed that higher abundances in plantations may be related to the presence of rodent plagues and fruit trees which offer food resources to gray foxes. The evaluation of landscape features showed that only medium-impact trail density and human population density were positively correlated with gray fox abundance; fact that demonstrates that this canid can coexist with humans in rural sites. We highlight the gray fox capacity to take advantage of heterogeneous landscapes.

Relación entre la riqueza de mamíferos medianos en cafetales y la heterogeneidad espacial en el centro de Veracruz

ISSN 0065-1737

Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n.s.), 30(2): 337-355 (2014)

RELACIÓN ENTRE LA RIQUEZA DE MAMÍFEROS
MEDIANOS EN CAFETALES Y LA HETEROGENEIDAD
ESPACIAL EN EL CENTRO DE VERACRUZ

Jorge GARCÍA-BURGOS,²Sonia GALLINA¹ &Alberto GONZÁLEZ-ROMERO¹

¹Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados. Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Carretera Antigua a Coatepec #351, El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz, C.P.91070.
²Domicilio actual. Grupo SELOME S. A. de C.V. Louisiana No.104, Col. Nápoles, Del. Benito Juárez, México D.F. C.P. 03810

Abstract. Coffee plantations are biologically and economically important agrosystems at both national and international level, and they are one of the main crops in central Veracruz which have replaced the cloud forest, however they are able to retain some of the original biodiversity of the region. In order to analyze the patterns between alpha, beta and gamma diversity of medium-sized mammals, and spatial heterogeneity of coffee plantations along a management gradient, there were considered registers from tracks, camera-traps, Tomahawk traps, and also information obtained from people who live around five coffee plantations (1 diverse polyculture, three simple polyculture and one unshaded coffee plantation) and two fragments of cloud forest as control in two areas: Coatepec and Huatusco. The spatial heterogeneity was measured through landscape variables that involved human population, roads density, Normalized Differential Vegetation Index and interspersion and juxtaposition of habitats in a buffer area of 2 km around the sampling sites. Alpha diversity was affected by spatial heterogeneity as negative correlations were found between mammal richness and total human population and the percentage of open areas, as well, on the other side, negative correlations were found between the percentage of shadow emerging vegetation (several crops and secondary vegetation) and juxtaposition of habitats. Alpha diversity varied from 5 to 13 species, while beta diversity, percentage of complementarity varied from 9.09% to 84.61 %, and gamma diversity of landscape was 15 species. A cluster analysis showed that Huatusco has features that are different from Coatepec, as less roads impact and less human population in addition the sites with greater intermediate shade cover are more adequate to conservation due a high species diversity in which six species were at some risk.

Información adicional con los autores.