Activity patterns of arboreal mammals in a tropical rain forest in México

Abstract

Studying activity patterns of canopy mammals provides information on the biology of these species. However, the challenges of reaching and sampling the forest canopy restrict the information available on activity patterns. This study aimed to describe the activity patterns of canopy mammals, and analyze their temporal overlap, in the Santa Gertrudis Ecological Reserve, State of Veracruz, Mexico. Camera trap records were obtained from February 2016 to February 2017. Nine camera traps were set in the study area, separated between 300 and 1500 m from each other, along a straight line in the forest canopy (~ 8 to 12 m above the ground). Cameras were affixed to a trunk above a branch that was perpendicular to the line and overlapping a neighboring tree. A total of 12 mammal species that use the tree stratum were recorded, including two diurnal and ten nocturnal species. The five species for which at least ten records were obtained were included in the activity pattern analyses. Four of these are nocturnal species and showed temporal overlap values (Δ1) ranging from 0.69 to 0.9. Four of the 12 species recorded are listed in an extinctionrisk category as per the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM. This is one of the first studies providing ecological information on activity patterns of canopy mammals in Mexico.