William Douglas Carvalho

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• PhD in Animal Biology
• Researcher at Autonomous University of Madrid

Conservation policies in Brazil differ between the "biomes" into which the country has divided its territory since 2004. The Amazon biome is predominantly tropical forest but also includes unique savanna ecosystems, while the Cerrado biome is composed of various types of savanna but also includes islands and corridors of forest. Confusion, both ina...

Although large carnivores usually prefer large prey, in some situations, they may shift their predation patterns towards smaller but abundant prey. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large carnivore capable of changing its diet according to prey and habitat availability. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatiotemporal interactions between jaguars an...

Os morcegos são mamíferos voadores envoltos em vários mitos, sendo o mais conhecido o vampirismo. Neste segundo volume, continuamos a tratar dos mitos e buscamos ir além, pois são animais que têm papéis importantes nos ecossistemas, tanto naturais, quanto urbanos. Os morcegos se alimentam de diferentes tipos de alimentos, como insetos, frutos, néct...

Morcegos insetívoros desempenham um papel crucial na agricultura e na saúde pública, suprimindo populações de pragas agrícolas e vetores de doenças. Esses serviços ecossistêmicos promovidos por morcegos insetívoros são essenciais em um mundo que busca sustentabilidade na produção agrícola e no manejo de áreas urbanas. Apesar do status do Brasil com...

Identifying how species richness or diversity changes with different proportions of natural and anthropized environments in the landscape is important for landscape management for conservation. Here, we propose a new method to assess biodiversity changes in landscapes with varying proportions of habitat types. The algorithm is based on the resampli...

Bat capture, handling, and tagging can cause injuries to the animals. Here, we aim to describe and quantify the most common incidents during the capture, manipulation, and marking of Neotropical bats by analysing a database of long-term studies in Brazil. We found 401 incidents (0.95% of the total bats captured). The most common incidents were coll...

Understanding fine‐scale assemblage composition patterns of mammals is important to increase ecological knowledge and support conservation actions. We investigated whether β‐diversity of medium and large‐sized mammals and its components (replacement and richness difference) are related to distance to major rivers, height above the nearest drainage...

Although large carnivores usually prefer large prey, in some situations, they may shift their predation patterns towards smaller but abundant prey. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large carnivore capable of changing its diet according to prey and habitat availability. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatiotemporal interactions between jaguars an...

Comparable data is essential to understand biodiversity patterns. While assemblage or community inventorying requires comprehensive sampling, monitoring focuses on as few components as possible to detect changes. Quantifying species, their evolutionary history, and the way they interact requires studying changes in taxonomic (TD), phylogenetic (PD)...

Aim We aim to find the main drivers of the taxonomic and functional richness and functional dispersion of vertebrates (amphibians, birds, primates, marsupials, rodents, bats and medium‐ and large‐sized mammals) across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We also aim to identify hotspots of vertebrate diversity and quantify the extent to which they are le...

Insect-eating bats play a crucial role in agriculture and public health by suppressing populations of agricultural pests and disease vectors. These ecosystem services promoted by insect-eating bats are essential in a world that seeks sustainability in agricultural production and the management of urban areas. Despite Brazil’s status as one of the l...

The fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals co...

Islands are biodiversity hotspots that host unique assemblages. However, a substantial proportion of island species are threatened and their long‐term survival is uncertain. Identifying and preserving vulnerable species has become a priority, but it is also essential to combine this information with other facets of biodiversity like functional dive...

Neotropical bats are known for their extraordinary taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, and for the ecosystem services they provide through seed dispersal, pollination, and control of insect populations. This diversity is unarguably unique in the Amazon, and hitherto there are many gaps in the knowledge of these spectacular mammals th...

Introduction The conversion of natural habitats to agricultural systems is one of the main global threats to bats. Here, we aimed to develop a systematic mapping to identify publication trends and research gaps in studying bats and agricultural systems. Methods We reviewed 309 studies published between 1990 and 2021 that sampled bats in agricultur...

Bats are the second-most diverse group of mammals in the world, and bat flies are their main parasites. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding these antagonistic interactions, especially since diverse factors such as seasonality and host sex can affect their network structures. Here, we explore the influence of such factors by compari...

Mist nets are one of the most widely used techniques in the study of birds and bats worldwide. However, a number of risks are involved, including opportunistic predation. Given this potential cost, here we: (1) review the global literature to understand the factors that might contribute to predation risk for birds and bats captured in mist nets; (2...

Uma estratégia para a conservação da biodiversidade consiste na criação de unidades de conservação. A Área de Relevante Interesse Ecológico Floresta da Cicuta visa proteger um dos últimos fragmentos de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual Submontana no estado do Rio de Janeiro. O objetivo deste estudo foi apresentar a assembleia de morcegos da Área de...

Patterns of detectability and occupation of the jaguar (Panthera onca) vary throughout its distribution, being determined primarily by vegetation cover, prey availability, and anthropogenic factors. However, there is still a large knowledge gap regarding what determines jaguar occupancy, especially in the Amazon. This knowledge gap is even more pro...

Globally, fragmented landscapes and other anthropogenic pressures are causing declines in large carnivore populations. Conservation organizations are working to counteract these trends through the translocations of large carnivores, for example by reintroducing them to their historic ranges or by reinforcing existing populations to promote gene flo...

Aim: We evaluated the relative importance of geographical and environment variables for taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional β-diversity of phyllostomid bats along the entire Amazon biome and specifically in the lowlands. Location: Amazon biome. Taxon: Chiroptera. Methods: We carried out a bibliographic review and compiled a wide and unpreceden...

Variations in environmental conditions along gradients play an important role in species distribution through environmental filtering of morphological and physiological traits; however, their effects on bat diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of the distance to the nearest watercourse, terrain elevation, vegetation c...

Context Analyze the multiple dimensions of biodiversity under a local and landscape lens in natural habitats, such as Amazonian savannas, is fundamental for the conservation of species and ecosystems. Objectives We aim to explore how landscape forest cover and patch-level variables affect the patterns of species abundance, functional traits, and t...

Effective survey methods are paramount to measure changes in species distribution, populations dynamics and to guide conservation. Mist-netting and passive acoustic monitoring are two of the most used techniques to sample bats assemblages. Yet, despite the great potential of low-cost autonomous ultrasound recorders in surveying bat assemblages, we...

Context: Identifying how species richness (or diversity) changes with different proportions of natural and anthropized environments in the landscape is important for landscape management for conservation. Objectives: Here we propose a new method to assess biodiversity changes in landscapes with varying proportions of habitat types. Methods: Our m...

Aim Roads are a major threat for wildlife, degrading habitat and causing mortality via wildlife–vehicle collisions. In Latin America, the conjunction of high biodiversity and a rapidly expanding road network is reason for concern. We introduce an approach that combines species traits and habitat preferences to describe vulnerability and map areas o...

Understanding how species respond to habitat boundaries in a landscape is essential because such responses influence several ecosystem processes and services. However, most studies to date are focused on boundaries between natural and human-made ecosystems, with few investigating species' responses to boundaries between natural habitats. Using a tw...

Over a century after Wallace’s proposition of the riverine barrier hypothesis, the role of rivers in the diversification of species remains a matter of interest in Amazon biogeography. Amazonian rivers, in particular those large and fast flowing rivers, are widely recognized to act as barriers to the dispersal of some organisms. However, the extent...

Limited space on islands usually cannot sustain stable populations of large predators. However, jaguars, the largest cat species in the Americas, unexpectedly occur in the Estação Ecológica Maracá-Jipioca reserve, a system of continental Amazonian islands in the Atlantic Ocean. We investigated jaguar population structure, density, and activity patt...

Gallery forests are important to the maintenance of a substantial portion of the biodiversity in neotropical savanna regions, but management guidelines specific to this forest type are limited. Here, we use birds as study group to assess if: (1) functional traits can predict the abundance and occupancy of forest species within a savanna landscape,...

1. Despite evidence about the contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) to conservation, prevailing strategies still seek their separation from nature, often triggering conflicts. Current pledges to expand global protected area coverage suggest a need for critical analysis of governance quality and the way conservation intera...

Globally, fragmented landscapes and anthropogenic pressures are causing steep declines in large carnivore populations. Conservation organizations are working to counteract these trends through the reintroduction of large carnivores and translocations within existing populations to promote gene flow and resilience. This study analyzes a dataset we g...

The high levels of biodiversity in the Amazon are maintained mostly due to its composition as a natural mosaic of different habitats, including both unflooded and flooded forests, campinaranas, and savannahs. Here, we compared multiple dimensions of α-and β-bat biodiversity between four natural Amazonian habitats (savannah, campinarana, forest patc...

Few studies that apply the theory of island biogeography have considered the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of diversity. However, the joint use of the three diversity dimensions, i.e. taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic, can help us to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying ecological and evolutionary processes. Here,...

Annually millions of animals are killed as a result of human-wildlife impacts. Each year the NGO Associação Mata Ciliar (NGOMC), in Southeastern Brazil, receives and rehabilitates thousands of animals. We evaluated how natural and anthropogenic characteristics affect the risk of different types of human-wildlife impacts for mammals that arrive at t...

Across the globe, millions of hectares of native vegetation have been replaced by commercial plantations, with negative consequences for biodiversity. The effects of the replacement of native vegetation with commercial plantations on the functional and phylogenetic diversity of bat assemblages remain understudied, and most studies have focused excl...

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In...

Activity outside day roosts among insectivorous bat species can vary considerably and has been linked to feeding habits. We aimed to assess time of emergence, duration of activity, and foraging efficiency in a Brazilian population of Molossus molossus. We also investigated if body mass gain was related to foraging amplitude and night length. We ach...

The maned wolf, the largest canid in South America, was originally distributed in areas with open natural vegetation in the Cerrado biome, Chaco and Pampas regions. The dynamics of its distribution are, however, in flux, with populations declining at the southern limit of its distribution, and areas of apparent range expansion in Brazil. Although t...

The Amazonian savannas of French Guiana are rare and of high ecological and cultural value but are also highly threatened. They are socioecological systems that have been coconstructed by humans and nature and today form mosaic landscapes along the country’s coast. From pre-Columbian raised fields through colonial and Créole uses to contemporary us...

The maned wolf, the largest canid in South America, was originally distributed in areas with open natural vegetation in the Cerrado biome, Chaco and Pampas regions. The dynamics of its distribution are however in flux, with populations declining at the southern limit of its distribution, and areas of apparent range expansion in Brazil. Although the...

Sazonalidade e tipo de habitat podem afetar a disponibilidade de abrigos e recurso alimentares, afetando, assim, a presença e abundância dos morcegos. Por exemplo, habitats florestais (floresta de terra firme) tendem a ser mais produtivos e ter mais abrigos do que habitats não florestais (savanas). Assim, nosso objetivo foi entender qual dos dois f...

A total of 482 bats representing 32 species and two families were captured in the Amazon forests of the Amapá state in northern Brazil. Nineteen Artibeus planirostris bats (3.9 %) were infested with 160 ticks, all identified as Ornithodoros hasei. Three pools of larvae were screened for rickettsial DNA via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting...

Although raptors are known to be among the predators of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri spp.), there is little specific information concerning this interaction. In this short communication, we report the use of a common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) as a food resource by a Great Black Hawk (Urubitinga urubitinga). Beyond aggregating useful inform...

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Two anteater species of the family Myrmecophagidae, Myrmecophaga tridactyla (giant anteater) and Tamandua tetradactyla (southern anteater), have their core range in Brazil, where they occur across several biomes and at altitudes ranging from 0 to 1,500m. Both species are in population decline but only the giant anteater is categorized as vulnerable...

While we recognize the need for feral pig control to assure native species conservation, by reducing competition, predation and reducing human-wildlife conficts, we are hesitant to support sport hunting as part of feral pig control until a more careful consideration has been made of (i) the potential efectiveness of this and other control options u...

Despite efforts to reduce deforestation in the BrazilianAmazon,there has been an up-turn in clearing rates since 2012. These increases are in part due to failures in deforestation control. Soybean planters, cattle ranchers, and timber merchants find ways to circumvent agreements and legislation. Here we explain some of the key problems with the imp...

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Domestic or free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) can have deleterious effects on wildlife, acting as predators or competitors to native species. These impacts can be highly important in fragmented pristine habitats or well-preserved areas located in human dominated landscapes and where biodiversity values are usually high, such as those in so...

Reproductive rates in bats are higher when there is a greater availability of food, and when temperatures and rainfall are higher. Along elevational gradients, variation in these factors occurs over a small area, making them ideal natural laboratories for studies that aim to describe reproductive patterns and to identify possible vertical migration...

We report an observation of predation by an Amazon tree boa, Corallus hortulanus, on an American fruit-eating bat, Artibeus sp., in an area of seasonal forest close to a small stream in the northern Brazilian Amazon. While bats appear to be one of the main food items of C. hortulanus, our observation is only the fourth such event to be recorded in...

Reproductive rates in bats are higher when there is a greater availability of food, and when temperatures and rainfall are higher. Along elevational gradients, variation in these factors occurs over a small area, making them ideal natural laboratories for studies that aim to describe reproductive patterns and to identify possible vertical migration...

Aim: This study aims to contribute to the identification of ecological determinants of tropical moist forest montane biodiversity, analysing changes in the structure of bat assemblages along an elevational gradient and testing the role of species traits shaping those assemblages. Location: Mountain ranges in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Methods...

The Amazon region is made up of a mosaic of important habitats scattered throughout the rainforests, which differ in vegetation structure, basal area, primary productivity, biomass and production of flowers and fruits. Consequently, species richness and abundance also vary between these habitat types, in part explaining the high levels of richness...

In this study, our objectives were to: (i) compare the functional, α and β diversity of bats bewteen four Amazonian habitats: campinarana, terra firme forest (later referred to as forest), savannah and natural forest patches; and (ii) verify the composition of species’ functional traits in the four habitats. Our hypothesis was that forest would hav...

In recent years there has been an increase in research interest in remnants of Atlantic Forest above 500 m a.s.l., such as in the Serra da Mantiqueira, which is considered a priority area for conservation. The chiropterofauna of the Serra da Mantiqueira remains relatively under-studied, and here we present a list of bat species from the "Reserva Pa...

In recent years there has been an increase in research interest in remnants of Atlantic Forest above 500 m a.s.l., such as in the Serra da Mantiqueira, which is considered a priority area for conservation. The chiropterofauna of the Serra da Mantiqueira remains relatively under-studied, and here we present a list of bat species from the “Reserva Pa...

Although Amapá is the most protected Brazilian state, the same level of protection does not extend to its savannas. These are currently suffering increased pressure from threats including large-scale agriculture, particularly the expansion of soybean plantations. In September 2016, the Government of Amapá presented a zoning proposal (Zoneamento Soc...

An Amazonian savanna in northern Brazil known as the Cerrado of Amapá is under imminent threat from poor land-use planning, the expansion of large-scale agriculture and other anthropogenic pressures. These savannas house a rich and unique flora and fauna, including endemic plants and animals. However, the area remains under-sampled for most taxa, a...

The biodiversity of the Amazonian savannahs may be lost before it is known, unless scientists, conservationists and policymakers come together quickly to protect it.

We report recapture data for phyllostomid bats in different types of forests, and at different altitudes, obtained through long-term fieldwork in southeastern Brazil. We provide evidence of long-distance movements, with bats moving up to 120 km from mountains to the beach, with an altitudinal variation of 1,237 m. These movements demonstrate the hi...

Artibeus spp. are Neotropical bats that are known to feed on the fruits of many plant species in forest remnants and disturbed areas. Taking in to account the lack of information on bat diet in the Caatinga biome, we report the first record of consumption of the fruits of the invasive species Prosopis juliflora and add a new record of the consumpti...

Current wisdom holds that predation is not a significant cause of mortality for bats. However, recent studies suggest that the importance of predation has been underestimated. In this paper, we aimed to: identify the species of animals that feed on bats; identify the species of bats that have been recorded as having been predated; verify the geogra...

Pumas (Puma concolor) are the second largest Neotropical felid, widespread throughout of the Americas. In Brazil, the species is presently affected by habitat destruction and fragmentation, driven often by the increase of road density. As a result, individuals are often victims of collisions with vehicles, some of which survive and are taken to zoo...

We report the opportunistic predation of a female Common Scale-backed Antbird (Willisornis poecilinotus) entangled in a mist-net by a Goliath bird-eating spider (Theraphosa blondi) in the Brazilian Amazon. We suggest that the predation event occurred for the following combination of reasons: the spider is common in the study area; the bird became e...

Variation in body size, behavior, feeding habits and habitat use patterns in medium- and large-sized mammals influence the adequacy of sampling methods to register presence and abundance. Moreover, even if methods are similarly adequate, different methodologies result in distinct cost-efficiency relationships (i.e. some may have reduced costs, be l...

The effect of elevational gradients on the richness and composition of communities are reflected by different biotas. The objective of this study was to document changes in the species richness and composition of bats along a tropical elevational gradient between 500 and 2,500 m of elevation in southeastern Brazil. We carried out fieldwork from Jun...