Diet of guanaco in sheep-free rangeland in Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Muñoz, Alfonso Salgado; Simonetti, Javier A.

doi:10.4067/s0718-16202013000100016

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…On the other hand, although the availability of herbs was relatively high related to the total available biomass inside the forest (and much higher if we consider the adjacent vegas), they were rejected by the guanacos, coinciding with the results presented by other studies (Soler Esteban et al, 2011;Muñoz & Simonetti, 2013). Grasses, instead, although rejected during spring, they were slightly selected during the summer and consumed according to their availability.…”

Section: Guanaco Selectivity Of Forest Understory Speciessupporting

confidence: 72%

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Guanaco’s diet and forage preferences in Nothofagus forest environments of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

et al. 2017

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Aim of study: Guanaco (Lama guanicoe Müller), is a South American native ungulate widely distributed in Patagonia, which in the island of Tierra del Fuego (TF), extends its habitat into Nothofagus spp. forests. Within these forests, guanacos consume lenga (Nothofagus pumilio) leaves and twigs, and other understory species. The aim of this work was to determine: 1) the spring and summer diet of free ranging guanacos, and 2) which plants, grown in the forest understory, guanacos do prefer, or avoid, in these seasons of great forage abundance.Area of study: Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), on three representative areas which combined Nothofagus forests and adjacent meadows (vegas).Material and Methods: Guanacos' diet was determined by comparing epidermal and non-epidermal plant fragments with microhistological analyses of feces. The analysis was made from composite samples of fresh feces, collected at the seasons of maximum forage productivity (spring and summer).Main results: During spring, 48% of guanacos' diet was composed of lenga leaves, 30% of grass-like species, 15% of grasses, and less than 7% of herbs, shrubs, and lichens. In summer, 40% of the diet was composed of grasses, 30% of lenga leaves, 25% of grasslike species and the rest corresponded to herbs, shrubs, and lichens. Within the forest understory, guanaco selected lenga leaves and twigs, grass species were consumed according to their availability (or sometimes rejected), while other herbs were not consumed at all.Research highlights: Guanacos' consumption preference for lenga, even considering the high availability of other forages, could adversely affect forest regeneration.

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Section: Guanaco Selectivity Of Forest Understory Speciessupporting

confidence: 72%

“…) Oerst.] and several other low abundant shrubs, seems to constitute an important part of its diet all year round (Raedeke, 1980;Bonino & Pelliza Sbriller, 1991;Soler Esteban et al, 2011;Muñoz & Simonetti, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guanaco’s diet and forage preferences in Nothofagus forest environments of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

et al. 2017

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“…This foraging behavior could be explained by: 1) J. frigida dominance in slopes (Osorio et al 2011); 2) large areas covered by zonal vegetation (Osorio et al 2011), which can be used by camelids due to its wide home range (Vicuña: 22,1 to 43,5 km 2 , González et al 2013; Guanaco: 65 to 163 km 2 , Contreras et al 2006); and 3), the presence of domesticated animals, which have a negative effect on resource used by wild camelids (Borgnia et al 2008;Muñoz & Simonetti 2013). It is worth mentioning that 299 domesticated animals were registered in the study area (wetlands) (Goats: 267; horses: 32, unpublished data).…”

Section: Botanical Composition Of the Dietmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the presence of livestock alter the trophic behaviour of sympatric populations of wild camelids Vicugna vicugna Molina 1782 and Lama guanicoe Müller 1976 (Artiodactyla: Camelidae)?: Evidence from Central Andes

Tirado

Cortés²,

Carretero

et al. 2016

Gayana (Concepc.)

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We described and compared the diets of two sympatric Andean camelids, during the humid season (austral summer) in a site of Northern Chile, in presence of domestic livestock. Results indicate that: 1) grasses and shrubs are the main component in the diet of both camelids, 2) shrubs were more consumed by V. vicugna; 3) V. vicugna and L. guanicoe used the same trophic resources but in different proportions; 4) in mountain environments, wetlands exploitation by wild camelids seems restricted by domestic cattle, which would cause the displacement of Vicuñas and Guanacos to suboptimal habitat for feeding. KEYWORDS:Guanaco, Vicuña, livestock, diet, herbivory. RESUMENDescribimos y comparamos la dieta de dos poblaciones simpátricas de camélidos silvestres, durante la estación húmeda (verano) en un sector del norte de Chile en presencia de ganado domesticado. Nuestros resultados indican que: 1) gramíneas y arbustos son el principal componente de la dieta de ambos camélidos; 2) arbustos fueron consumidos principalmente por V. vicugna; 3) V. vicugna and L. guanicoe utilizan los mismos recursos trófi cos pero en diferentes proporciones; 4) en ambientes de montaña, el uso de vegas altoandinas por parte de camélidos silvestres estaría siendo restringido por la presencia de ganado domesticado, el cual provocaría el desplazamiento de ambos camélidos a zonas subóptimas de alimentación.

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“…This agrees with what was before described about the guanaco diet in Tierra del Fuego, 8,16,19,29,31,32 in arid and semiarid areas of the Patagonia. [34][35][36][37][38] Table 2 Comparison of the vegetal composition of the three studied communities, using the Sörensen Index. Ranch "Estancia Buenos Aires" (EaBA), Ranch "Estancia San José "(EaSJ) and Ranch "Estancia Ushuaia" (EaUs)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The guanaco, as a generalist herbivore of intermediate selection, is capable of consuming most available species of plants, from grasses to ligneous species, but mainly bushes. 14,36,43,44 Indirect evidence suggests that prairies are the preferred habitat for guanacos in Tierra del Fuego, but that they use forest patches due to displacement by sheep. 3 In a continental site where the guanacos were sedentary, it was shown that the ewes excluded guanacos from the prairies through resource competition.…”

Section: Eaba Easjmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guanacos’ and domestic livestock’s summer diets comparison in ecotone of “Tierra del Fuego” (Argentina)

Mg¹,

As²,

Mo³

et al. 2018

BIJ

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At present, it is believed that the population of guanacos has increased in the "Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego", arising a conflict with livestock and forestry activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the guanaco's food resources, taking into account the presence of different types of domestic livestock, in order to provide a tool which will enable the evaluation of environmental management projects. We conducted the study in different areas, considering the presence/absence of domestic livestock and of guanaco. The diet was analyzed by identifying botanical remains present in the pretreated feces. The relative frequencies of ingested taxa were obtained and analyzed according to their functional groups, being the soft, herbaceous and graminoid grasses the most consumed, where the soft grasses were the most frequently ingested. Tree species only appear in diets of guanacos, in a low frequency, compared to other forms of life. In the case of soft grasses, forbs and Graminoides, the diets differ according to ingested species and intake frequency. These results allow us to establish that the guanaco selects the items to be consumed, changing its diet based on the presence of other herbivores, and has a trophic overlap with domestic livestock, mainly with sheep.

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Diet of guanaco in sheep-free rangeland in Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Cited by 21 publications

References 10 publications

Guanaco’s diet and forage preferences in Nothofagus forest environments of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Guanaco’s diet and forage preferences in Nothofagus forest environments of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Does the presence of livestock alter the trophic behaviour of sympatric populations of wild camelids Vicugna vicugna Molina 1782 and Lama guanicoe Müller 1976 (Artiodactyla: Camelidae)?: Evidence from Central Andes

Guanacos’ and domestic livestock’s summer diets comparison in ecotone of “Tierra del Fuego” (Argentina)

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