Hunting practices in southwestern Amazonia: a comparative study of techniques, modalities, and baits among urban and rural hunters

BACKGROUND

Hunting is a vital means of obtaining animal in various human populations. Hunters rely on their knowledge of species ecology and behavior to develop and employ hunting techniques and increase their chances of success. The comparison of the hunting practices of different human societies can shed light on the sustainability of hunting and the impact it has on species' populations. In this study, we examine and compare the techniques, modalities, and baits used by urban and rural hunters in Rondônia, a state in southwestern Amazonia, Brazil. We expected that rural hunters would use these elements and have greater knowledge when compared to urban hunters. We also expect that the use of specific hunting techniques and modalities will have greater selectivity and specificity of capture for rural hunters and that this knowledge will differ between groups.

METHODS

We conducted 106 semi-structured interviews with rural and urban hunters from October 2018 to February 2020. We analyzed the data using PERMANOVA and Network analyses to compare and contrast the hunting practices of each group.

RESULTS

We recorded four main hunting techniques divided into ten modalities with three techniques and seven modalities being the preferred choices among hunters. Waiting for at a Fruit Tree was cited as the primary technique employed by hunters living in urban and rural areas indicated. While the techniques and modalities were similar among hunters, the composition of species targeted and baits used differed between groups. Our network approach showed that modularity in urban areas was numerically lower than in rural areas. All species had one to more techniques associated with their capture.

CONCLUSIONS

Hunters living in urban and rural environments showed high similarity in their practices, probably due to sharing similar environments to hunt containing similar species, as well as targeting preferably the same species.

Coleções biológicas da Universidade Federal de Rondônia: o Programa de Visitação na Socialização do Conhecimento Científico

A Universidade Federal de Rondônia é referência importante relacionada à biodiversidade da Amazônia em razão de suas coleções biológicas, que apresentam significativo acervo com foco na região sul-ocidental do bioma. Essas coleções têm papel relevante para que a Universidade se destaque no tripé ensino, pesquisa e extensão. Este artigo tem como objetivos descrever e refletir sobre o processo de implantação e implementação do Programa de Visitação às Coleções Biológicas da Unir, frente aos desafios de socialização do conhecimento da biodiversidade do estado de Rondônia; e relacionar as possiblidades e desafios para intensificação das atividades de extensão. As coleções e suas ações na área de extensão foram estabelecidas na última década por meio do programa de visitas orientadas por roteiro interpretativo à coleção didática e acervos, e se intensificaram nos últimos anos (mil alunos/ visitantes/ano). Os desafios para os próximos períodos envolvem produção de materiais didáticos mais interativos (físicos e virtuais), elaboração e promoção de atividades virtuais e curso de formação de monitores. Os resultados demonstram a importância de a ciência ir além dos muros da academia, e que ela deve ser transferida para toda a sociedade com metodologias apropriadas, em espaços formais e não formais de educação. Conclui-se que o conhecimento da biodiversidade local é favorecido com a presença de coleções biológicas e museus que podem ser acessadas pela população.

The consumption of the White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus macrosternum Leptodactylidae: Anura) in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon

The consumption of anurans by subsistence hunters in the Brazilian Amazon is unrecorded. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to present the first record of White-lipped Frog consumption by subsistence hunters in the Amazon region of Rondônia. The data were collected through interviews with two migrant hunters from the state of Espírito Santo, currently residing in the municipality of Itapuã do Oeste in Rondônia. The hunters used to consume white-lipped frog (possibly Leptodactylus latrans) in their state of origin, and after locating a similar species (Leptodactylus macrosternum) and confirming the possibility of consumption with the mother through WhatsApp, they started consuming the frog. This record demonstrates how certain habits related to the consumption of wild animals can be maintained in new locations and how instant messaging tools can collaborate with information exchange about game species.

The Program for Biodiversity Research in Brazil: The role of regional networks for biodiversity knowledge, dissemination, and conservation

The Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) is an innovative program designed to integrate all biodiversity research stakeholders. Operating since 2004, it has installed long-term ecological research sites throughout Brazil and its logic has been applied in some other southern-hemisphere countries. The program supports all aspects of research necessary to understand biodiversity and the processes that affect it. There are presently 161 sampling sites (see some of them at Supplementary Appendix), most of which use a standardized methodology that allows comparisons across biomes and through time. To date, there are about 1200 publications associated with PPBio that cover topics ranging from natural history to genetics and species distributions. Most of the field data and metadata are available through PPBio web sites or DataONE. Metadata is available for researchers that intend to explore the different faces of Brazilian biodiversity spatio-temporal variation, as well as for managers intending to improve conservation strategies. The Program also fostered, directly and indirectly, local technical capacity building, and supported the training of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. The main challenge is maintaining the long-term funding necessary to understand biodiversity patterns and processes under pressure from global environmental changes.

Naturally Acquired Humoral Immunity against Malaria Parasites in Non-Human Primates from the Brazilian Amazon, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest

Non-human primates (NHPs) have been shown to be infected by parasites of the genus Plasmodium, the etiological agent of malaria in humans, creating potential risks of zoonotic transmission. Plasmodium brasilianum, a parasite species similar to P. malariae of humans, have been described in NHPs from Central and South America, including Brazil. The merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1), besides being a malaria vaccine candidate, is highly immunogenic. Due to such properties, we tested this protein for the diagnosis of parasite infection. We used recombinant proteins of P. malariae MSP1, as well as of P. falciparum and P. vivax, for the detection of antibodies anti-MSP1 of these parasite species, in the sera of NHPs collected in different regions of Brazil. About 40% of the NHP sera were confirmed as reactive to the proteins of one or more parasite species. A relatively higher number of reactive sera was found in animals from the Atlantic Forest than those from the Amazon region, possibly reflecting the former more intense parasite circulation among NHPs due to their proximity to humans at a higher populational density. The presence of Plasmodium positive NHPs in the surveyed areas, being therefore potential parasite reservoirs, needs to be considered in any malaria surveillance program.

The Munduruku marmoset: a new monkey species from southern Amazonia

Although the Atlantic Forest marmosets (Callithrix spp.) are among the best studied Neotropical primates, the Amazonian marmosets (Callibella humilis, Cebuella spp. and Mico spp.) are much less well-known. Even species diversity and distributions are yet to be properly determined because field data and materials currently available in scientific collections do not allow comprehensive taxonomic studies of Amazonian marmosets. From 2015 to 2018, we conducted 10 expeditions in key-areas within southern Amazonia where little or no information on marmosets was available. In one such region-the Tapajós-Jamanxim interfluve-we recorded marmosets with a distinctive pelage pigmentation pattern suggesting they could represent a new species. We tested this hypothesis using an integrative taxonomic framework that included phylogenomic data (ddRAD sequences), pelage pigmentation characters, and distribution records. We found that the marmosets of the northern Tapajós-Jamanxim interfluve have unique states in pelage pigmentation characters, form a clade (100% support) in our Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood phylogenies, and occur in an area isolated from other taxa by rivers. The integration of these lines of evidence leads us to describe a new marmoset species in the genus Mico, named after the Munduruku Amerindians of the Tapajós-Jamanxim interfluve, southwest of Pará State, Brazil.

Amphibia, Anura, Centrolenidae, Cochranella adenocheira Harvey and Noonan, 2005: Distribution and geographic extension in the state of Rondônia, Brazil

We report the first formal record of Cochranella adenocheira Harvey and Noonan, 2005 in the state of Rondônia, Brazil.

Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Cruziohyla craspedopus (Funkhouser, 1957): distribution extension in southwestern Amazonia, state of Rondônia, Brazil

We report for the first time the presence of the Fringed Leaf Frog Cruziohyla craspedopus in southwestern Amazonia in an area near the transition between rainforest and savanna enclaves vegetation in the state of Rondônia. The specimen was collected in the Estação Ecológica do Cuniã located at BR 319 (Manaus – Porto Velho Highway).

Amphibia, Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leptodactylus chaquensis: distribution extension and geographic distribution map

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