IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ribeiro, J.M. | |
| An lise do esfor‡o amostral para ecologia comportamental: on‡as-pardas como exemplo | |
| 2014 Full Book | |
The detection of large carnivores such as the Puma (_Puma concolor_), is hindered by the fact that they show low density, elusive habits and are hard to be seen. Sampling procedures via noninvasive methods, like using feces, can allow the access to a number of information regarding the behavioral ecology of the species, including the identity of each individual - using DNA extraction- home range and diet. The use of feces as an indirect population measurement in wildlife management and conservation depends on the successful collection of them. Faced with this, we analyzed the sampling effort to collect Pumas' feces in order to optimize time and cost in planning field actions. Anthropic and abiotic variables of the study area were analyzed: distances between sampling sites to ponds, farmhouse and roads; the average rainfall in the gathering period; time period from the last rainfall; the period between visits and time interval from the last sample found. In all pathways there were trails of footprints from pumas, but feces were found only in specific spots. Thus, territorial marking by these animals, using chemical and physical patterns, may be due to ecological causes from the species itself, and anthropogenic and abiotic factors. This study indicated puma preference for locations close to ponds and those more isolated from human activity. It was also possible to estimate a range of days that optimizes the field visits, with the average number of days in the period between visits being 7-9 days as the optimal interval for field visits in the aim of finding puma feces. And it was established that is most probable to find a sample when the last one has been found around 20 days before. |
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