Abstract Indicator species are frequently used to monitor restoration areas. However, species of conservation concern are usually absent in highly fragmented landscapes, making the selection of indicator species a challenging task. Here, we select indicator species of birds and mammals to be used for the evaluation of restoration sites in a highly fragmented landscape, the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams region located in north Paraná, Brazil. By using the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), we show that the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams landscape has low IBI values and bird richness when compared with two other landscapes in the north of Paraná. Therefore, we used the Individual Indicate Value to identify birds and mammals associated with forest fragments in the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams landscape. Six bird and four mammal species were selected as indicators of forest fragments, none of which were of conservation concern. However, monitoring of these species could help evaluate the recovery of restoration sites in the Capivara-Taquaruçu Dams region. Lastly, several species of birds and mammals were frequently recorded in the restoration sites, including vulnerable species such as the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris). This is indicative that restoration sites can be important habitats in highly fragmented landscapes despite the loss of biodiversity.

Nós avaliamos as distribuições de abundância em três espécies de parulídeos na porção sul da Mata Atlântica do Brasil: a Mariquita (Parula pitiayumi), o Pula-pula (Basileuterus culicivorus) e o Pula-pula-assobiador (Basileuterus leucoblepharus). Três diferentes tipos de formações florestais compõem esta região da Mata Atlântica: a floresta estacional semidecidual (FES), a floresta ombrófila mista (FOM) e a floresta ombrófila densa (FOD). Estes tipos de floresta ocupam altitudes diferentes: FES ocorre entre 200 m e 800 m, a FOM é encontrada entre 800 m e 1200 m de altitude e a FOD ocorre desde o nível do mar até 2000 m. Nós usamos pontos de escuta em 15 áreas florestais localizadas nos três tipos de floresta. O Pula-pula-assobiador e a Mariquita apresentaram maior abundância na FOM e uma correlação positiva entre abundância e altitude. Já o Pula-pula não apresentou diferença significativa de abundância entre os três tipos floresta nem correlação entre abundância e altitude. Nós sugerimos que a diferença de ocupação dos estratos de floresta por Pula-pula é resultante do fato desta espécie ser mais generalista e, portanto, menos sensível a variações na estrutura de vegetação entre os tipos de floresta quando comparada às duas outras espécies de parulídeos.

We evaluated the distribution of abundance of three species of warblers in the southern portion of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF): Tropical Parula (Parula pitiayumi), the Golden-Crowned Warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus) and the White-Rimmed Warbler (Basileuterus leucoblepharus). Three types of forests comprise this region of the Atlantic Forest: seasonal semi-deciduous forest (SF), mixed rain forest (MF) and dense rain forest (DF). These forest types occur at different elevations: SF ranging from 200 to 800 m, MF ranging from 800 to 1,200 m and DF ranging from sea level up to 2,000 m. We used point counts in fifteen study areas distributed in the three forest types. The White-Rimmed Warbler and the Tropical Parula had higher abundances in MF, and their abundance was positively correlated with the elevation. The Golden-Crowned Warbler did not present a significant difference in abundance among the forest types, and no correlation between abundance and elevation was found. We suggest that the difference in the occupancy of the forest strata by the Golden-Crowned Warbler is because this species is more generalist and thus less sensitive to variations in the vegetation structure among the forests types when compared to the other two warbler species.