Seasonal variation in feeding habits and diet selection by wild boars in a semi-arid environment of Argentina

Cuevas, M. Fernanda; Ojeda, Ricardo A.; Dacar, María Ana; Jaksic, Fabián M.

doi:10.1007/s13364-012-0105-x

Cited by 29 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In general, the increasing number of studies on fungal consumption by mammals has determined the diversity of items of the diet from stomach content analyses (e.g. Baubet et al, 2004;Vernes and Lebel, 2011), and only a few have used feces for this purpose (Carey et al, 1999;Vernes et al, 2001;Nouhra et al, 2005;Cuevas et al, 2013). In our study, a high frequency of spores from both hypogeous and epigeous fungi was detected in feces samples.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Mycophagy by invasive wild boar (Sus scrofa) facilitates dispersal of native and introduced mycorrhizal fungi in Patagonia, Argentina

et al. 2017

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Fleshy hypogeous fungi produce scents that enable mycophagous mammals and invertebrates to locate them and disperse their spores. The European wild boar (Sus scrofa) was introduced in central Argentina in 1900s and later expanded into Patagonia. Here, we determined the diversity and abundance of fungal taxa, and the frequency of hypogeous fungal spores in wild boar feces in Patagonia. We collected fecal samples on Isla Victoria, Nahuel Huapi National Park, and identified fungi using microscope and DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 rDNA. Hypogeous fungal spores occurred in almost all fecal samples. The most abundant species belonged to the genera Hysterangium, Melanogaster, Radiigera and Gautieria. In addition to the symbiotrophic hypogeous taxa, we also identified numerous pathotrophic and saprotrophic taxa. Not only diverse native hypogeous fungi, but also introduced ones are part of the diet of the wild boar in forests of Patagonia. If viable, introduced fungi are being dispersed as far as 2.5 km from the nearest plantation, highlighting how the introduced wild boar might alter the local distribution and composition of fungal communities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Mycophagy by invasive wild boar (Sus scrofa) facilitates dispersal of native and introduced mycorrhizal fungi in Patagonia, Argentina

et al. 2017

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“…This herbaceous class is maintained by grazing pressure (e.g., native grasses intensively grazed by cattle, exotic pastures, grasslands with very small earthmounds and bare soil areas). The intensive use of grasslands and pastures had already been described in southern Pantanal and in other regions ( Barrett, 1982 ; Baubet, Bonenfant & Brandt, 2004 ; Choquenot & Ruscoe, 2003 ; Desbiez et al, 2009 ; Dexter, 1998 ; Dexter, 1999 ; Graves, 1984 ; Oliveira-Santos, 2013 ), and plants like grass, herbs and forbs usually represent a considerable part of the feral pigs and wild boar diets ( Baber & Coblentz, 1986 ; Cuevas et al, 2013a ; Cuevas, Ojeda & Jaksic, 2013b ; Giménez-Anaya et al, 2008 ; Hellgren, 1993 ; Taylor & Hellgren, 1997 ). Furthermore, the SDM approach showed that habitats with greater suitability for feral pigs are those predominantly herbaceous (around 80% coverage), interspersed with patches of seasonally dry forest (optimum between 35 and 40% coverage) and not too far from water bodies (around one kilometer).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Achilles heel of a powerful invader: restrictions on distribution and disappearance of feral pigs from a protected area in Northern Pantanal, Western Brazil

Cordeiro

Hofmann

Fonseca

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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This paper focuses on a rare case of natural disappearance of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in an extensive area without using traditional methods of eradication programs. The study was conducted both in the Private Reserve of Natural Heritage (PRNH) Sesc Pantanal and in an adjacent traditional private cattle ranch. In 1998, feral pigs were abundant and widely distributed in the PRNH. However, the feral pigs gradually disappeared from the area and currently, the absence of pigs in the PRNH contrasts with the adjacent cattle ranch where the species is abundant. To understand the current distribution of the species in the region we partitioned the effects of variation of feral pigs’ presence considering the habitat structure (local), landscape composition and the occurrence of potential predators. Additionally, we modeled the distributions of the species in Northern Pantanal, projecting into the past using the classes of vegetation cover before the PRNH implementation (year 1988). Our results show areas with more suitability for feral pigs in regions where the landscape is dominated by pastures and permeated by patches of Seasonal Dry Forest. The species tends to avoid predominantly forested areas. Additionally, we recorded that the environmental suitability decreases exponentially as the distance from water bodies increases. The disappearance of feral pigs in the PRNH area seems to be associated with changes in the landscape and vegetation structure after the removal of the cattle. In the Brazilian Pantanal, the feral pigs’ occurrence seems strongly conditioned to environmental changes associated to livestock activity.

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“…Instead, the Puna Rhea supplements its diet with the herbaceous H. doellii and S. philippiana, both considered excellent natural forage, and with higher protein levels than Lycium spp. (Ulibarri 1979;Cuevas et al 2013). The Puna Rhea consumed a large variety of the plant species recorded in the study area, a behaviour corresponding to a generalist foraging strategy (Recher 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there were different periods when this species selectively consumed both shrubs (Adesmia sp.) and herbaceous species (G. pumila, H. doellii and S. philippiana), which are characterised by their high protein content (Cuevas et al 2013). In this sense the selection of food resources in terms of their nutritional value is a behaviour that the Puna Rhea shares with northern populations of the Lesser Rhea (Puig et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does food abundance determine the diet of the Puna Rhea (Rhea tarapacensis) in the Austral Puna desert in Argentina?

Marinero

Navarro

Martella

2017

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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The Puna Rhea (Rhea tarapacensis) is a large, flightless herbivorous bird found in the Andes Mountains of four countries, namely Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Despite its ample distribution range, little is known about the ecological requirements of the species. In this work, the diet and food selection behaviour of the Puna Rhea in the Argentine Puna desert were analysed. From 2011 to 2014, throughout the dry and wet periods of each year, fresh faeces were collected and vegetation cover was simultaneously recorded. Diet composition was determined by microhistological analysis of the faeces and diet selectivity was established statistically by the Bonferroni method. The diet of the Puna Rhea was completely herbivorous and mostly folivorous, consisting of 51% of the plant species in the study area. This species was highly selective, consuming scarce shrub and herbaceous species and rejecting grasses or graminoids. The strongly selective foraging strategy presented by the Puna Rhea was therefore unrelated to the abundance of particular species but probably influenced by factors such as nutritional value, mainly in terms of fibre content and plant secondary compounds, and predation risk. Consequently, conservation efforts aimed at the Puna Rhea should be focused on maintaining the availability of the few preferred plant species and reducing possible competition with other generalist herbivores. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Seasonal variation in feeding habits and diet selection by wild boars in a semi-arid environment of Argentina

Cited by 29 publications

References 41 publications

Mycophagy by invasive wild boar (Sus scrofa) facilitates dispersal of native and introduced mycorrhizal fungi in Patagonia, Argentina

Mycophagy by invasive wild boar (Sus scrofa) facilitates dispersal of native and introduced mycorrhizal fungi in Patagonia, Argentina

Achilles heel of a powerful invader: restrictions on distribution and disappearance of feral pigs from a protected area in Northern Pantanal, Western Brazil

Does food abundance determine the diet of the Puna Rhea (Rhea tarapacensis) in the Austral Puna desert in Argentina?

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