Mammal use of Raphia taedigera palm stands in Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula

Yaap, Betsy;Watson, Haley;Laurance, William F.

Abstract

Raphia taedigera is a wetland palm species that occurs in monospecific stands in Central and South America, Africa, and Madagascar. Use of this ecosystem by wildlife is largely unknown. We surveyed R. taedigera stands at the Osa Biological Corridor in Costa Rica using 26 camera traps to identify which large (> 1 kg) mammal species use this habitat and the distance each species will travel into it from the surrounding habitats. We conclude that R. taedigera provides habitat and a connectivity function in the Osa region for coati (Nasua narica), raccoon (Procyon sp.), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), whitefaced capuchin (Cebus capucinus), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), northern tamandua (Tamandua mexicana), and paca (Cuniculus paca). Other species were detected only on the edges of stands or not at all. On the basis of literature review, interviews with farmers, frequent detections of collared peccary, and detection in adjacent habitat, the jaguar (Panthera onca) is also expected to traverse R. taedigera stands. Raphia taedigera stands can be considered an important habitat for maintaining connectivity across the Osa Biological Corridor and potentially provide a similar function in other Neotropical landscapes.

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MAMMALIA

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1864-1547

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Walter de Gruyter

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DOI

10.1515/mammalia-2014-0033