Rattlesnakes occur throughout the Americas.

Research projects cover a wide range of topics and organisms.

NGC provides research equipment to conservations projects in Neotropical grasslands. The Research Equipment Program (REP) provides research groups of professors and students with the vital equipment needed to conduct studies.

Below, read some recent examples of funded research groups and their projects.

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BRAZIL AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES – Fire Ecology Cinthia Brasileiro Depto de Ecologia - Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo Effects of Fire on Amphibian and Reptile Diversity in the Cerrado, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Fire is a natural disturbance in Neotropical grassland habitats, and an important factor in structuring terrestrial, vertebrate assemblages. This regime has been greatly modified by humans. In protected areas, the Brazilian government has instituted a fire suppression program, while ranchers intentionally set fires during the dry season. The impact of this altered fire regime is poorly understood.

The purposes of this study are:

• To evaluate the direct effect (mortality and injuries) on amphibians, snakes, and lizards assemblages.
• To compare the relative abundance and species richness of amphibians, snakes, and lizards assemblages as well the absolute abundance of the most common species on burned and unburned areas.
• To examine differences in body size and weight of most common species on burned and unburned areas.

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ARGENTINA BIRDS – Predation & Parasitism Gustavo Javier Fernández Departmento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución Universidad de Buenos Aires Effect of predation and brood parasitism on the reproductive success of the Brown-and-Yellow Marshbird, Pseudoleistes virescens (Icteridae, Aves).

The Brown-and-Yellow Marshbird is a locally vulnerable species. Much of its breeding habitat has been fragmented by cattle ranching and agriculture. Specifically, intentionally set fires and land conversion have removed shrub habitat used by marshbirds. Previous studies have demonstrated that fragmentation of breeding habitat can increase the rate of nest predation and brood parasitism.

The objectives of this project are:

• To assess the relative impact of nest predation on nesting success and recruitment.
• To identify the main predators in modified grassland habitats.
• To assess the relative impact of cowbirds on breeding success and its interaction with nest predation.

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VENEZUELA FISH – Population Biology Aniello Barbarino Duque Universidad Nacional Experimental de Los Llanos Ezequiel Zamora (UNELLEZ), Guanare, Portuguesa, Venezuela Ecology of commercial fish species in the lower Apure and Arauca rivers.

Existing maps of the lower reaches of the Apure and Arauca rivers are outdated. The donated GPS was used to provide updated information regarding hydrological features of these two rivers, including length of the study area, changes in elevation, exact locations of river mouths and tributaries important for local movement and migration of commercial fish species.

The researchers found that approximately 67% of the biomass of commercially important freshwater fish species are harvested from these two regions. This harvest included approximately 44 different species, of which, Prochilodus mariae and various species of large catfish (family Pimelodidae) were the most important. In addition, researchers collected data on food preferences, timing and location of reproduction, fishing seasons, fishing methods, and the sex and size of fish harvested from these regions.

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URUGUAY MAMMALS – Pampas Deer Conservation Biology Susana González División Citogenética – IIBCE The main objective of this project was to continue surveying Los Ajos and El Tapado population to obtain the demographic parameters and find suitable habitat in the neighboring ranches to ensure that there are areas available for their natural dispersion.

Specific objectives:

• To carry out periodic censuses.
• To map the individuals and the exactly location and habitat quality.
• To evaluate the carrying capacity (pampas deer, rhea and cattle) in the ranch enclosures.
• To explore the suitability of habitat and the acceptance of the species in neighboring ranches.
• To perform a dissemination campaign in the rural schools.

Dissemination Campaign
In each field expedition group visited the rural schools. They gave talks to the children and their parents, about the status of pampas deer, conservation efforts, and the importance of the biodiversity to the local people. They used slides and video to show the biodiversity of the area and the importance of the pampas deer in the ecosystem. The children made posters to be distributed in the closest towns.

Demographic Parameters and Habitat Use
Researchers are recording all this information to gather all together and analyze the population trends and habitat preferences.