Publications by authors named "Brian M Griffiths"
Article Synopsis
- - Mineral licks in the Amazon are crucial for large mammals, serving as key resources that affect their behavior and ecological interactions, particularly in the Peruvian Amazon.
- - The study monitored six large mammals using camera traps and soil analyses, finding that mineral licks provide vital nutrients like sodium, especially for frugivorous species, while also playing a role in toxin mitigation for others like the Brazilian porcupine.
- - The research emphasizes the necessity of protecting mineral lick sites, highlighting their contribution to biodiversity and the overall health of the Amazonian ecosystem.
Article Synopsis
- Peru has a high concentration of malaria cases in the Loreto department, particularly among Indigenous populations in isolated riverine communities, highlighting the need for targeted prevention efforts.
- A study involving interviews with 33 community members from the Maijuna people revealed varied levels of knowledge about malaria prevention, confusion about disease transmission, and a general acceptance of bed nets as a preventive measure.
- The findings suggest that local beliefs and experiences should inform future health interventions in these communities, emphasizing the importance of culturally relevant programming to address health issues like malaria.
Mineral licks are key ecological components of the Amazon rainforest, providing critical dietary functions for herbivorous and frugivorous mammals and birds, which help maintain the structure and function of the forest itself through seed and nutrient dispersal. One of the most frequent visitors of interior forest mineral licks in the Amazon is the red brocket deer (), a large-bodied ruminant frugivore and seed predator. While several hypotheses for the drivers of geophagy exist, including mineral supplementation, toxin adsorption, and habitat selection, robust data on geophagy for the red brocket deer for large numbers of mineral licks is nonexistent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMineral licks, sites where animals go to consume soil, are key resources for herbivorous birds and mammals in the Amazon, providing supplemental dietary nutrients and toxin adsorption functions. However, because they are often difficult to find, the properties of mineral licks are poorly understood. Here, we undertake the largest survey of Amazonian mineral licks to date to determine the landscape, physical, and chemical properties of these critical sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Mineral licks in Amazonia are vital for birds and mammals, offering important nutrients and clays, yet little is known about the species that visit and their behaviors.
- Researchers conducted a study using camera traps at 52 mineral licks in northeastern Peru, identifying 20 mammal and 13 bird species over a period of 6,255 camera nights.
- The study found that visitation patterns were influenced by both seasonal changes and the lunar cycle, revealing significant behaviors of various species, including the previously unrecorded nighttime visits of nocturnal curassows.
Background: The overhunting of wild species is a major threat to biodiversity in the Amazon; yet, managed, sustainable hunting is widely considered part of the solution to conserving wildlife populations. Hunting is both a culturally important activity for Indigenous people and provides an important food source. Mineral licks, a focal point of hunting in Amazonia, are naturally occurring areas in the forest where animals come to obtain essential minerals or clays that are thought to neutralize plant-based alkaloids.
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