IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| de Azevedo, F.C. | |
| Puma Ecology: top predator interactions in an agro-ecosystem | |
| 2017 Full Book | |
Activity patterns, feeding habits and spatial organization of pumas (_Puma concolor_) were studied in an agro-ecosystem in Southeast Brazil, through camera trapping and radio-telemetry with GPS (Global Position System) technology. The study was carried from 2009 to 2017 in Minas Gerais state, Triƒngulo Mineiro region, Araguari municipality, an ecotone zone between Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. Regarding activity patterns, in the study site pumas were mostly nocturnal and presented higher temporal overlapping with most consumed prey. Specifically, males showed mostly nocturnal behavior, while females were cathemeral (active at night and day hours in same proportions) and consumed more prey with diurnal activity such as coatis (_Nasua nasua_) and tegus (_Salvator merianae_). Domestic animals (dogs and cattle) and people use the same trails as pumas, however, temporal overlapping between humans, domestic animals and this felid are not expressive. Pumas feed on a wide variety of prey (n = 20 species) in the study site. But showed specialized behavior towards diet, relying mostly on wild prey, which were more consumed in terms of frequency of occurrence and biomass. Capybaras (_Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris_) and six-banded armadillos (_Euphractus sexcinctus_) were selected, while domestic animals were avoided despite their high availability in Araguari. Regarding habitat preference for killing prey, pumas showed a pronounced preference for forested habitats and pasture with shrubs, probably because they offer cover protection and opportunities to ambush prey. Pumas hunted every 3.54 ñ 1.62 days, being that females presented shorter handling time of prey than males, reflecting higher consumption of small prey by this sex. This result also highlights the potential of detection of smaller prey than 15 kg through the monitoring of large-sized carnivores using GPS devices and the frequent verifying of clusters of locations. Mean home range size for pumas was 209.4 ñ 46.5 km2. As expected, males exhibited larger home ranges and traveled greater distances per day than females, showing a most pronounced territorial behavior, as also suggested by low intrasexual overlap. Pumas showed strong habitat association with natural features (forest vegetation) both at population and individual level, highlighting the importance of fragments of natural vegetation for the permanence of this top-predator in humanmodified landscapes. The presented results fill a gap on puma's ecology knowledge in tropical ecosystems. Data demonstrate that the permanence of a large carnivore in modified landscapes is related to its ability to adjust its activity pattern to different factors (including anthropic), and the availability of wild prey and natural vegetation habitats. In addition, they collaborate to demystify the high negative impact attributed to pumas in areas where they cohabit with domestic species and humans. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |