‘Terrestrial mammal communities in the tropical rainforests of Ecuador’

Congratulations to Daniel López Martínez for successfully completing his MPhil on ‘Terrestrial mammal communities in the tropical rainforests of Ecuador’

Daniel used camera trapping to determine the diversity, abundance and activity of mammals around the Timburi Cocha Research Station, San José de Payamino, Ecuador. This is an interesting geographic area in the transition zone between the Andes and the Amazon and is understudied. A total of 19 mammal species were captured on the cameras, including pumas, anteaters and tapirs. The activity of the different species varied, with some species being more active during the day, some during the night and some favouring the hours around dawn and dusk. Activity patterns for certain species, especially those that formed part of the local diet, appears to have shifted towards an increase in nocturnal activity when compared to less disturbed areas in the Amazon basin. This suggests that human disturbance may have influenced the behaviour of the mammals around San José de Payamino.