MONITORING OF WILDLIFE IN A SECONDARY DRY TROPICAL FOREST, NANDAROLA, NANDAIME, NICARAGUA

Abstract

Wild animals obtain refuge, habitat, food and water from vegetal cover inside forest. In the 60s, most of forest areas from Nandarola were pruned and used in agricultural grains (beans, corn, rice) and cattle production. The fields were recently abandoned and are being colonized by a young secondary forest (González, 2005). Wildlife also got colonization process of abandoned lands, thus, is important to know the leading species that are part of this colonization, and evaluate changes in animal communities composition in time, mainly because several vegetables depend on animals to carry out important biological and ecological processes,0 such as seeds dispersion and pollination. Two samples were carried out for wildlife monitoring in a patch of secondary dry forest of 3.5 ha in Nandarola, seventeen visits were done to the study area in the first year (2007) and 15 in the second (2009), distributed in eight months (October-May in each sampling). The area was for agriculture and was abandoned 17 years ago to transform it in forest. To take the data, six transects of 20 x 100 m were established and six count points of 25 m of radio. On it, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians groups were counted and identified using the sight technique. Subsequently, we calculate and compare richness, abundance, biological diversity and describe the species composition, the habitats preference, the food habits and also the species of probable occurrence in the study area. On average across the two samples, 113 individual were identified, grouped into 35 species, 34 genera and 26 families of wildlife. Four species were mammals, 21 birds, seven reptiles and three amphibians. The most represented families according to the numbers of species were: Columbidae (3 species) and Iguanidae (3). The most represented species considering abundance were: Campylorynchus rufinucha (22.5 individuals), Thryothorus pleurostictus (11.5), Calocitta formosa (10.5), Turdus grayi (8), Pachyrampuhus aglaiae (7), Eumomota supersiliosa (6.5) and Trogon melanocephalus (6). The abundance and the richness did not vary significantly among the two samplings; the diversity was highest in the first, due to an increase of specific dominance (mainly by Campylorynchus rufinucha) in the second sampling. Mammals, reptiles and amphibians groups were little represented in the study area, it was because the surround people. The landscape was mostly represented by bird of open habitats that select invertebrate animals and seeds for feed. On the other hand, with a less specific relationship, the mammals and reptiles were mainly from general habitats and mostly consumers of fruits, grasses and vertebrates. Among the species of probable occurrence in the study we found: Bufo coccifer, Boa constrictor, Ctenosaura similis, Mabuya unimarginata, Amazilia rutila, Aratinga canicularis, Ciccaba virgata, Crax rubra, Polyborus plancus, Dasypus novencintus, Dasyprocta punctata, Felis pardalis, Felis wiedii, Philander opossum, Nasua narica, Odocoileus virginianus, Procyon lotor, Puma concolor, Sylvilagus sp, Tayassu tajacu.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/calera.v11i16.749

La Calera Vol. 11, No 16 p. 24-32/junio 2011