The ecology and behavior of thin-spined porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus, Olfers 1818) in fragments of the Atlantic forest, Ilheus, southern Bahia

Author(s)

Gastón Andres Fernandez Giné

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2009-05-22

Examining board members

José Maurício Barbanti Duarte; Artur Andriolo; Carla Gheler Costa; Alexandre Reis Percequillo; Mauro Galetti Rodrigues

• Advisor: José Maurício Barbanti Duarte

Abstract

The behavioral ecology of thin-spined porcupine (Chaetomys subspinosus, Olfers 1818), threatened rodent endemic from Atlantic forest, was researched in the cacao-growing region of southern Bahia. The knowledge about basic aspects of specie natural history is still incipient. The aim of the present research was to study feeding ecology, behavior temporal organization, use of space, and habitat selection, to know the adaptation strategies, their habitat requirements and to support conservation actions. In this way, four individuals in situ were followed using radiotelemetry along 11 to 13 months each, during 146 half-nights and 24 complete days (24h), totaling 1520 hours of observation, from April 2005 to September 2006. Data about behavior, localization and use of resources were registered by instantaneous sampling performed each 10 minutes by direct visualization of animals. Simultaneously, data about climatic variables, food availability, moon phase, vegetation types in landscape, horizontal and vertical vegetation structure, resource abundance, and nutritional composition of diets species were collected. Data was analyzed following three different approaches. The results of the first part revealed that the thin-spined porcupines are strictly folivorous and specialist, eating a lot of few species, any change on foraging patterns and diet composition were observed along the year. The preference was for young leaves, pioneer species, mainly Fabaceas with capability of biological nitrogen fixation. The results of the second part indicated that the studied thin-spined porcupines are strictly nocturnal and solitary presenting low level of activity among other strategies for energy conservation. Also, presented circadian rhythm and activity bimodal pattern related to aspects that permeate their foraging and digestive process. They did not change their activities or dislocations due to seasonal but in raining nights their activity was reduced. The results of the third approach revealed that they exhibit small home range, were strictly arboreal and preferred locals with high complexity vertical vegetation and lianas abundance in all the habitat-scales selection evaluated. Thus the forest and the edged areas were preferred by the porcupine, and rarely went to early-growth forest and agro-forest systems. This study confirmed that thin-spined porcupine is strictly folivore, arboreal and specialist. They adopt conservative-energy strategies similar to others arboreal folivorous mammals, and denotes that are highly selective in use habitat resources. Those resources are common in forest areas with edge effect disturbance. While demonstrated to be specialist in edges forest, in other side, they avoid simplified structurally areas. The thin-spined porcupine tolerance to edge effect and their avoidance to agroforest systems are discussed under the focus of conservation. (AU)