ABSTRACT Congeneric species have similarities in phenotypic and ecological traits. The sympatry of congeneric species constitutes an opportunity for studies on coexistence. Two bird species of Mimidae, the native Tropical mockingbird, Mimus gilvus Oberholser, 1919, and the restinga invader Chalk-browed mockingbird, Mimus saturninus (Lichtenstein, 1823), currently occur in sympatry across the sandy-coastal ecosystem (restinga) of Espírito Santo state, Southeastern Brazil. We studied the spatial distribution of Tropical mockingbird and Chalk-browed mockingbird to understand the degree of competition across a preserved and urban gradient. We sampled 1,451 sampling units across a preserved and urban landscape in a coastal area of southeastern Brazil. The best-fitting model for abundance (Punctual Abundance Index) included urbanization index, distance from the coast, and distance from the closest protected area, which explained 63% and 97% of the abundance of Tropical mockingbird and Chalk-browed mockingbird, respectively. The species exhibited a segregated spatial pattern at small scale, indicating that both species are avoiding one another. Chalk-browed mockingbird showed ecological plasticity in modified environments, whereas Tropical mockingbird was more sensitive to urbanization. We suggested that the coexistence of these species is associated with resource partitioning. Monitoring Tropical mockingbird populations may be a proxy for the assessment of habitat quality and restoration success in the highly threatened restinga ecosystem.

ABSTRACT Trindade Island has lost much of its original vegetation cover as a result of approximately three centuries of human occupation and intense herbivory caused by invasive mammals. Since the eradication of some of these herbivores, the recovery of some plant species has started. Plantago trinitatis is an endemic herb from Trindade Island, which was considered extinct until 1998, when it was rediscovered in the higher areas of the island. The regeneration of the species was attributed to the soil seed bank. This communication reports new records of P. trinitatis close to sea level on Trindade Island, at lower altitude than previously documented. The new records suggest that P. trinitatis is recolonizing the island, but leaves doubts whether sampling gaps in the past have led to the non-detection of the plant in its vegetative form in these locations, emphasizing that other species considered extinct may share this issue. Regardless of recolonization or sampling gaps, the eradication of invasive herbivores is necessary as a strategy to protect local flora and native vegetation. Understanding the population status can help in making decisions about the need of environmental management and species population recovery.