Long-term ecological program reveals high species richness of medium- and large-sized mammals in forest fragments of the Cerrado

Abstract

We inventoried medium- and large-sized mammals in private properties in a long- term ecological program entitled Effect of Landscape Configuration and Composition on Biodiversity: Multilevel Analysis (PELD EBMN), in Southwest of Goiás state, Brazilian Midwest, Cerrado. We inventoried 60 sites in forest fragments inside private properties using camera trap, between March 2022 and April 2023, with 30 days of continuous sampled, after which the camera trap was removed and reinstalled after a period of approximately six months. We registered a total of 31 medium- and large-sized mammals species, with our sampled effort, the largest one employed in the region, the richness found here is the largest already recorded for this region, representing 60% of medium- and large-sized mammals listed from Cerrado. Beyond this, we found seven threatened and two “Data deficient” species, which highlights that despite deforestation in the last century, this region is still capable of harboring threatened species. However, we recorded three exotic, invasive, or domestic species, which is a worrying scenario, which could compromise the ecological balance of the region. Finally, we found that Tapirus terrestris, although threatened, was the most frequent species recorded in our study, showing the potential of this area for medium- and large-sized mammals conservation. Therefore, in the first sampled year of PELD EBMN we found a medium- and large-sized mammals richest in the study area, showing the potential of this project in the long term.