“Estructura de comunidades de mamíferos carnívoros bajo influencia de manejo forestal en Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, Oaxaca”

Abstract

ABSTRACT Any change to the environment, either naturally or induced, may disturb the ecosystems structure. Such disturbances are considered an integral piece of terrestrial ecosystems since they take action as a force of natural selection, determining species adaptation to their environment. It is known that any species should respond to these changes, but a particular change may produce different reactions in different species. In such a case, carnivorous mammals are important to be studied because they may act as indicators of the ecosystems conservation status. Carnivorous has low population densities and low reproductive rates and need a large area per individual in comparison with other groups. In the case of mammalian carnivores, knowledge about the effects of logging is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of logging on the carnivorous mammal diversity in Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, Oaxaca. Monthly series of sampling and observations were conducted from October 2010 to September 2011. Four transects of two kilometers long were walked in search of carnivorous activity, mostly tracks and sightings. Two of them were located in an area subjected to deforestation and two in a protected area. 20 scent stations traps and 20 track plates were placed in any of those places. Nine species were recorded distributed in five families and nine genera. Logging area had the highest species richness (eight) compared to the preserved area (five). Beta diversity expressed by the Jaccard similarity coefficient was 0.625. A possible cause of this difference is that the change in vegetation caused by logging may increase resources for carnivores preys