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Does riparian habitat condition influence mammalian carnivore abundance in Mediterranean ecosystems?

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Abstract

The severe loss or degradation of riparian habitats has led to their impoverishment and impaired function, which may have severe consequences on both the riparian habitats themselves and their associated biota, including mammalian carnivores. We selected 70 riparian habitat reaches to evaluate the condition of the riparian habitats in southern Portugal and their use by carnivores. These sites were assessed for riparian condition using the stream visual assessment protocol (SVAP) and surveyed for carnivore presence along the riparian zones and across the surrounding matrix landscape, both in the wet (winter) and the dry (summer) season. Results show that carnivore surveys adjacent to riparian habitats consistently had significantly higher species richness than the matrix habitats, in both sampling seasons. Carnivore relative abundance and relative abundance of stone marten, common genet and Egyptian mongoose also showed higher values in riparian habitats, with significant differences in at least one season. The Eurasian badger, on the other hand, showed higher relative abundance values in the landscape matrix, though differences were not significant. The SVAP index ranked about 83% riparian reaches as poor or fair condition, and species richness was significantly higher in fair condition reaches during the wet season. These results reflect the importance of riparian habitats in Mediterranean ecosystems for mammalian carnivores. However, the generalized poor condition of these habitats suggests that direct measures for riparian restoration could be appropriate. The preservation or improvement of riparian habitats would certainly benefit the mammalian carnivore populations and consequently their conservation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Luís Miguel Rosalino and Ana Rita Alves for their help in the field work. We also thank the financial support from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, SFRH/BD/10599/2002, POCTI/MGS/47435/2002). We also thank Francis Bozzolo for the English revision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biologia Ambiental/Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Edifício C2, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Hugo M. Matos, Maria J. Santos & Margarida Santos-Reis

  2. Departamento de Biología de la Conservación, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Avenida de Maria Luisa s/n, Pabellón del Perú, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Francisco Palomares

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  1. Hugo M. Matos
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  2. Maria J. Santos
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  4. Margarida Santos-Reis
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Correspondence to Hugo M. Matos.

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Matos, H.M., Santos, M.J., Palomares, F. et al. Does riparian habitat condition influence mammalian carnivore abundance in Mediterranean ecosystems?. Biodivers Conserv 18, 373–386 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9493-2

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