Frugivores, as seed dispersers may influence the spatial patterns of adult and juvenile plants, but a large portion of the potential recruitment of plant populations is lost to seed predators. The majority of seeds dispersed by primates are killed by seed predators or moved by secondary dispersers. Little is known about post-dispersal seed-predation and seedling distribution of exploited plant species. This study iinvestigated the survival and establishment of seedlings from seeds defecated by the golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), a frugivorous endemic primate of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Two groups of golden lion tamarins were studied in the União Biological Reserve from April 2003 to March 2004. Seeds from fruits consumed by tamarins and collected from their feces were evaluated with respect to the following: germination success, seed disappearance or secondary dispersal on the forest floor, seed predation, and seedling establishment and survival for the length of the study period. The tamarin groups consumed 88 fruit species. Of these, 38 were used to run 107 experiments which indicated that more than 50% of the seeds disappeared, about 15% died before germinating and seeds of 22 species reached the seedling stage. At the end of the study, only 15 of these species still had surviving seedlings. Studies on seed fate are important for understanding the role of the golden lion tamarind in the natural process of forest regeneration in the lowland Atlantic Forest of the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Etant donné leur texture sableuse, les sols de la zone côtière de la province de Thua Thien Hue au Centre Vietnam présentent un milieu particulier pour le développement des organismes du sol, dont les vers de terre représentent 70% de la biomasse. Cette étude met en relation les caractéristiques du sol et les communautés de vers de terre, après identification de ceux-ci. Sept espèces appartenant aux familles des Glossoscolecidae, des Megascolecidae et des Microchaetidae ont été relevées : Pontoscolex corethrurus, Glyphidrilus papillatus, Pheretima rodericensis, Pheretima danangana, Pheretima sp., Perionyx excavatus, et Lampito mauritii. Les Microchaetidae sont présents quelque soit la richesse du sol et constituent la famille dominante dans les sols acides à forte teneur en limon et argile. Les deux autres familles sont associées à des sols pauvres mais moins acides, riches en sable. Il ressort également de cette étude que le nombre de P. corethrurus est significativement plus important dans les vergers (AF) alors que L mauritii est significativement plus présent dans les sols avec des autres cultures que le riz (AC). G. papillatus, significativement plus abondant dans les friches, est la seule espèce retrouvée dans ce milieu. L'étude de la diversité (Indice de Shannon-Wiener) montre que les cultures autres que le riz (AC) présentent la plus grande diversité de vers de terre (H' = 0,97) alors que les friches ne présentent aucune diversité.

The purpose of this study was to assess farmers' attitudes, as well as perceptions and knowledge that shape those attitudes, toward the ecological role of vertebrates inhabiting shaded-coffee farms. We also aimed to determine whether differences existed among two groups of farmers: one that had attended environmental education workshops, and one that had not. We conducted 36 oral interviews of farmers in the region of Cuetzalan, Mexico. All farmers were members of an important regional cooperative, Tosepan Titataniske. In general, farmers' attitudes towards birds were positive. Snakes were perceived as useful but dangerous animals. Attitudes towards non-flying mammals were mostly indifferent. Bats were poorly understood and badly perceived. Seed dispersal was perceived as an important ecological function performed by animals. Pollination was also perceived as important, but to a lesser degree. Knowledge about ecological functions was high for seed dispersal, and low for pollination. We found a positive correlation between attendance of educational workshops and the presence of “environmentally-friendly” attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge. However, a cause-effect relationship could not be clearly established. We suggest that environmental education programs include the objective of increasing the knowledge of people about the ecological functions played by different groups of animals that live in agroecosystems. Particular efforts should be directed toward improving the way in which certain non-charismatic groups of animals, such as bats, are perceived.

In this paper we aim to investigate the problems and potentialities of species distribution modeling (SDM) as a tool for conservation planning and policy development and implementation in tropical regions. We reviewed 123 studies published between 1995 and 2007 in five of the leading journals in ecology and conservation, and examined two tropical case studies in which distribution modeling is currently being applied to support conservation planning. We also analyzed the characteristics of data typically used for fitting models within the specific context of modeling tree species distribution in Central America. The results showed that methodological papers outnumbered reports of SDMs being used in an applied context for setting conservation priorities, particularly in the tropics. Most applications of SDMs were in temperate regions and biased towards certain organisms such as mammals and birds. Studies from tropical regions were less likely to be validated than those from temperate regions. Unpublished data from two major tropical case studies showed that those species that are most in need of conservation actions, namely those that are the rarest or most threatened, are those for which SDM is least likely to be useful. We found that only 15% of the tree species of conservation concern in Central America could be reliably modelled using data from a substantial source (Missouri Botanical Garden VAST database). Lack of data limits model validation in tropical areas, further restricting the value of SDMs. We concluded that SDMs have a great potential to support biodiversity conservation in the tropics, by supporting the development of conservation strategies and plans, identifying knowledge gaps, and providing a tool to examine the potential impacts of environmental change. However, for this potential to be fully realized, problems of data quality and availability need to be overcome. Weaknesses in current biological datasets need to be systematically addressed, by increasing collection of field survey data, improving data sharing and increasing structural integration of data sources. This should include use of distributed databases with common standards, referential integrity, and rigorous quality control. Integration of data management with SDMs could significantly add value to existing data resources by improving data quality control and enabling knowledge gaps to be identified.

Avian declines and extinctions are a worldwide concern. Conservation priorities for birds should target threatened taxa (taxonomic targets) and regions with high levels of species richness and endemism (geographical targets). Does published research on bird conservation reflect the global taxonomic and geographic priorities? We surveyed six years (2000–2005) of six international conservation journals, and analyzed all articles on birds. Attention indexes were calculated for orders, threatened species, and biogeographic realms. We also examined how well research from tropical nations (with high levels of richness and endemism) are represented in the international literature. Results show that Struthioniformes is the order that has the highest attention (0.54), mostly because this order has relatively few species, and the lowest attention was recorded for Coliiformes (0.00). For some orders (Anseriformes, Apodiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Coraciiformes, Cuculiformes, Gaviiformes, Pelecaniformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Podicipediformes, Struthioniformes, Tinamiformes and Trogoniformes), most of the published research focuses on non-threatened species. The Nearctic and Palearctic are the biogeographic realms that receive most attention by avian conservationists. However, the Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan are the regions with higher species diversity. Eighty-four countries contributed articles, but the majority of bird conservation research is conducted by North American and western European researchers. There is urgent need for capacity building in tropical developing nations. Birds are seriously threatened and are rapidly declining worldwide. However, bird conservation is still misplacing its focus in lower-biodiversity regions and for some orders focusing in non-threatened species. If such trends are not changed, the consequences for the persistence of birds worldwide may be dire.

Soft shell turtles are among the most threatened groups of freshwater animals that are in need of urgent conservation attention. In Kerala (South India), two species of freshwater turtles, the Indian black turtle or Indian pond terrapin, Melanochelys trijuga coronata (Schweigger, 1812) and the Indian Flap-shelled turtle Lissemys punctata punctata (Lacépède, 1788) are exploited from Vembanad lake and associated wetlands in Punnamada to meet the demand from local restaurants and toddy shops. Eight hundred and forty three individuals belonging to the two species (499 pond terrapins and 344 flap-shelled turtle) were observed during a field survey conducted in 2007 at Punnamada. Despite being listed at the highest level in the Indian wildlife protection act, very little law enforcement takes place and turtles are exploited and traded regularly. Collection and trade have also become an important component of the local livelihoods in Punnamada, with the involvement of around five full-time and 25 part-time collectors. Details of the collection, marketing, economics and management of the freshwater turtles in Punnamada are discussed.