Papers by Candelaria Estavillo
Zoonotic Risk in the agriculturally intensified Pampas region, 2023
La Eco-epidemiología estudia la relación entre humanos, vida silvestre y transmisión de enfermeda... more La Eco-epidemiología estudia la relación entre humanos, vida silvestre y transmisión de enfermedades. Esta relación puede ser compleja y dependiente de contexto, lo que lleva a preguntarnos si existen generalidades en la influencia de los factores biológicos sobre la salud humana. En este trabajo, investigamos las especies de mamíferos transmisoras de enfermedades zoonóticas en el sudeste bonaerense. El conocimiento ecológico de las especies, junto con datos de salud pública, pueden proveer información importante para la vigilancia epidemiológica y el manejo del riesgo zoonótico.
<p>A. Abundance (mean and 95% confidence interval). B. Alpha diversity (mean and 95% confid... more <p>A. Abundance (mean and 95% confidence interval). B. Alpha diversity (mean and 95% confidence interval). C. Gamma diversity. D. Biplot of 2D NMS ordination of the presence/ absence matrix of all small mammal species in each habitat and landscape. Dot – forest; triangle – matrix; from white to black – increasing amount of remaining forest at the landscape.</p
EcoHealth, 2022
The relationship between humans, wildlife and disease transmission can be complex and contextdepe... more The relationship between humans, wildlife and disease transmission can be complex and contextdependent, and disease dynamics may be determined by idiosyncratic species. Therefore, an outstanding question is how general is the finding that species with faster life histories are more probable hosts of zoonoses. Ecological knowledge on species, jointly with public health data, can provide relevant information on species that should be targeted for epidemiological surveillance or management. We investigated whether mammal species traits can be good indicators of zoonotic reservoir status in an intensified agricultural region of Argentina. We find support for a relationship between reservoir status and the pace of life syndrome, confirming that fast life histories can be a factor of zoonotic risk. Nonetheless, we observed that for certain zoonosis, reservoirs may display a slow pace of life, suggesting that idiosyncratic interactions can occur. We conclude that applying knowledge from the life history-disease relationship can contribute significantly to disease risk assessment. Such an approach may be especially valuable in the current context of environmental change and agricultural intensification.
Revista CAITITU - aproximando pesquisa ecológica e aplicação, Oct 4, 2013
Que problema ambiental e foco deste trabalho? A ausencia de um protocolo pragmatico e com base ... more Que problema ambiental e foco deste trabalho? A ausencia de um protocolo pragmatico e com base ecologica para a avaliacao de viabilidade ambiental em processos de autorizacao de supressao de vegetacao nativa (ASV). Qual foi a estrategia do trabalho para contribuir com sua solucao? Integrar conhecimento academico e aplicado a partir do dialogo entre tecnicos ambientais e ecologos visando desenvolver um protocolo com essas carateristicas. Qual e a principal conclusao do trabalho? O uso de uma arvore de decisoes que integra tres escalas espaciais e explicita criterios de precaucao tem potencial para qualificar os pareceres tecnicos sobre ASVs
Page 1. Proyecto CITES No. S-298 CONSERVACION DE LA BOA AMPALAGUA (Boa constrictor occidentalis) ... more Page 1. Proyecto CITES No. S-298 CONSERVACION DE LA BOA AMPALAGUA (Boa constrictor occidentalis) EN LA REPUBLICA ARGENTINA A 20 años de su inclusión en el Apéndice I de la CITES Tomás Waller Patricio ...
The relationship between humans, wildlife and disease transmission can be complex and contextdepe... more The relationship between humans, wildlife and disease transmission can be complex and contextdependent, and disease dynamics may be determined by idiosyncratic species. Therefore, an outstanding question is how general is the finding that species with faster life histories are more probable hosts of zoonoses. Ecological knowledge on species, jointly with public health data, can provide relevant information on species that should be targeted for epidemiological surveillance or management. We investigated whether mammal species traits can be good indicators of zoonotic reservoir status in an intensified agricultural region of Argentina. We find support for a relationship between reservoir status and the pace of life syndrome, confirming that fast life histories can be a factor of zoonotic risk. Nonetheless, we observed that for certain zoonosis, reservoirs may display a slow pace of life, suggesting that idiosyncratic interactions can occur. We conclude that applying knowledge from the life history-disease relationship can contribute significantly to disease risk assessment. Such an approach may be especially valuable in the current context of environmental change and agricultural intensification.
<p>For abundance and alpha diversity, the mean and 95% confidence interval among the eight ... more <p>For abundance and alpha diversity, the mean and 95% confidence interval among the eight surveyed sites per landscape are shown. A. Forest specialist species; B. Habitat generalist species; C. Open-area specialist species; D. Small mammal community.</p
As deforestation proceeds, habitat is lost in the landscape and the human-created matrix augments... more As deforestation proceeds, habitat is lost in the landscape and the human-created matrix augments. Species that differ in their habitat requirements and tolerance to disturbance should not be equally affected by habitat loss and degradation. Forest dependent species should be more affected by these effects than generalist species that can use more than one habitat type. On the other side, non-native species should benefit from environmental degradation. In this work, we compared the responses of three assemblages of small mammals (forest specialist, generalists and open area dwelling species) along a gradient of forest cover in five landscapes of the Atlantic Forest. We followed the responses of the assemblages in native forests and in non-forested matrices, observing diverse responses in adjacent environments within a forestmatrix system. As was expected, the specialists were the most affected by the loss of native habitat; they decayed considerably in richness and abundance below 35% of habitat in the landscape. Generalist species were not affected by the quantity of habitat in the forest but, conversely, they were positively affected by moderate levels of disturbance in the matrix. Open area species did not colonize the forest irrespective of coverage and they were the dominant assemblage in the disturbed, matrix environment. Keywords extinction thresholds-specialization-forest-matrix-small mammals-Atlantic Forest America, from Ecuador to Argentina, occurring in a variety of biomes and habitats. It is encountered on plains, marshes, grasslands and marginal and rain forests. It is present in open areas, urban centers and disturbed forests. Is a generalist species, associated to open areas, commonly found in secondary forest, disturbed forest and urbanized areas (Bonvicino et al. 2002; Monteiro-Filho 2007). D. albiventris is not affected by fragmentation (Rossi 2011). The diet is omnivore including invertebrates, fruits, seeds and small vertebrates. Habits are terrestrial.
Biological Conservation, 2020
Recent studies suggest that habitat amount is the main determinant of species richness, whereas h... more Recent studies suggest that habitat amount is the main determinant of species richness, whereas habitat fragmentation has weak and mostly positive effects. Here, we challenge these ideas using a multi-taxa database including 2230 estimates of forest-dependent species richness from 1097 sampling sites across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We used a structural equation modeling approach, accounting not only for direct effects of habitat loss, but also for its indirect effects (via habitat fragmentation), on the richness of forestdependent species. We reveal that in addition to the effects of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation has negative impacts on animal species richness at intermediate (30-60%) levels of habitat amount, and on richness of plants at high (> 60%) levels of habitat amount, both of which are mediated by edge effects. Based on these results, we argue that dismissing habitat fragmentation as a powerful force driving species extinction in tropical forest landscapes is premature and unsafe.
A priori classification of small mammal species into habitat requirement categories. Detailed def... more A priori classification of small mammal species into habitat requirement categories. Detailed definition of each habitat requirement category, and the list of references for classifying each species
List of small mammal species in each habitat requirement category . List of captured small mammal... more List of small mammal species in each habitat requirement category . List of captured small mammal species, showing their classification for each of the two criteria (habitat use and geographical distribution) and the final habitat requirement classification
Habitat loss, environmental laws, and scientific knowledge: a proposal of evaluation criteria for... more Habitat loss, environmental laws, and scientific knowledge: a proposal of evaluation criteria for requests for the suppression of vegetation What environmental problem is the focus of this work? The lack of a pragmatic and ecologically-based protocol for evaluating the environmental feasibility in processes that authorize the suppression of native vegetation (ASV). What was the strategy of the work to help solving the problem? To integrate academic and applied knowledge by the means of the dialog among environmental technicians and ecologists aiming to produce a protocol with such features. What is the main conclusion of the work? The use of a decision tree that integrates three spatial scales and states precautionary principles has the potential to enhance the quality of the technical reports on ASVs. Keywords: Brazilian forest code; biodiversity conservation; habitat fragmentation; environmental management; environmental law; environmental licensing; ecological thresholds
Habitat loss - a landscape-scale process that affects the survival of spatially-structured popula... more Habitat loss - a landscape-scale process that affects the survival of spatially-structured populations - is the main driver of the current biodiversity crisis. Although habitat loss can lead to an abrupt decline in the chance of persistence of particular species, a drastic decline in the number of species (biodiversity threshold) is still the cause of much controversy in the literature. Here we test the existence of a biodiversity threshold across fragmented landscapes, using the Atlantic forest small mammals as a model system. We draw on a spatially-replicated dataset consisting of five 3600-ha landscapes (5% to 45% of remaining forest) sampled both in forests and matrix habitats, and an a priori classification of species into habitat requirement categories. Forest specialist species declined abruptly below 30% of forest cover, and spillover to the matrix only in more forested landscapes. Generalist species responded positively to landscape heterogeneity, peaking at intermediary le...
PLoS ONE, 2013
Habitat loss is the main driver of the current biodiversity crisis, a landscape-scale process tha... more Habitat loss is the main driver of the current biodiversity crisis, a landscape-scale process that affects the survival of spatially-structured populations. Although it is well-established that species responses to habitat loss can be abrupt, the existence of a biodiversity threshold is still the cause of much controversy in the literature and would require that most species respond similarly to the loss of native vegetation. Here we test the existence of a biodiversity threshold, i.e. an abrupt decline in species richness, with habitat loss. We draw on a spatially-replicated dataset on Atlantic forest small mammals, consisting of 16 sampling sites divided between forests and matrix habitats in each of five 3600-ha landscapes (varying from 5% to 45% forest cover), and on an a priori classification of species into habitat requirement categories (forest specialists, habitat generalists and open-area specialists). Forest specialists declined abruptly below 30% of forest cover, and spillover to the matrix occurred only in more forested landscapes. Generalists responded positively to landscape heterogeneity, peaking at intermediary levels of forest cover. Open area specialists dominated the matrix and did not spillover to forests. As a result of these distinct responses, we observed a biodiversity threshold for the small mammal community below 30% forest cover, and a peak in species richness just above this threshold. Our results highlight that cross habitat spillover may be asymmetrical and contingent on landscape context, occurring mainly from forests to the matrix and only in more forested landscapes. Moreover, they indicate the potential for biodiversity thresholds in human-modified landscapes, and the importance of landscape heterogeneity to biodiversity. Since forest loss affected not only the conservation value of forest patches, but also the potential for biodiversity-mediated services in anthropogenic habitats, our work indicates the importance of proactive measures to avoid human-modified landscapes to cross this threshold.
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2007
Biological odors that convey cues regarding individual identity are known to alter mating behavio... more Biological odors that convey cues regarding individual identity are known to alter mating behavior in some rodents. Deposition of chemical signals by males on the substrate could give females information about their neighbors’ identity and allow familiarization with their odors. This study tested whether familiarization of females with conspecific male odors affects mating behavior in Ctenomys talarum Thomas, 1898, facilitating mating as a consequence of a decrease in aggressive behavior and an increase in sexual behavior. Tuco-tucos are solitary subterranean rodents that occupy and defend adjacent burrows. Both sexes usually scent-mark burrow openings, providing odor signals to neighbors during their aboveground patrolling and foraging activities. Hence, familiarity by odor cues may represent an important mechanism that mediates neighbor recognition and probably mate selection. In this study, familiarity was established by housing females with male odors for 8 days. In C. talarum, ...
Revista CAITITU - aproximando pesquisa ecológica e aplicação, 2013
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Papers by Candelaria Estavillo