Using reliable predator identification to investigate feeding habits of Neotropical carnivores (Mammalia, Carnivora) in a deforestation frontier of the Brazilian Amazon

Author(s)

Tirelli, Flavia P. ^{[1, 2]} ; de Freitas, Thales R. O. ^{[1, 3]} ; Michalski, Fernanda ^{[4, 5]} ; Percequillo, Alexandre R. ^{[6, 7]} ; Eizirik, Eduardo ^{[2, 4]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Programa Posgrad Biol Anim, Av Bento Goncalves 9500, BR-91501970 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[2] Escola Ciencias, Lab Biol Genom & Mol, 6681 Ipiranga Av, BR-90619900 Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Inst Biociencias, Dept Genet, Campus Vale, Av Bento Goncalves 9500, BR-9150197 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[4] Inst Procarnivoros, CP 10, BR-12940970 Atibaia, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Amapa, Lab Ecol & Conservacao Vertebrados, Km 02, Bloco T, BR-68903419 Macapa, AP - Brazil

^[6] Nat Hist Museum, Dept Life Sci, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 5BD - England

^[7] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Biol, Escota Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Av Padua Dias 11, Caixa Postal 9, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: MAMMALIA; v. 83, n. 5, p. 415-427, SEP 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Accurate identification of predator species is a critical requirement to investigate their diet using faecal samples. We used non-invasive sampling and two methods of predator identification to investigate the diets of sympatric carnivores in a highly deforested region of the Brazilian Amazon. Of 108 scats, 81 could be identified at the species level using DNA sequencing and/or trichology. The former performed better than the latter (81.5% vs. 54.3% of the identified samples), and results were quite congruent (89.7% concordance in the 29 samples that could be assessed with both approaches). Nine species were identified, out of which four (crab-eating fox, ocelot, puma and jaguar) presented a sufficient number of samples to allow dietary analyses. The crab-eating fox was the most generalist (BA = 0.92); ocelots focused on small-to medium-sized prey; pumas fed mostly on medium-sized items; and jaguars mostly targeted large-sized prey. A considerable overlap was observed between ocelots and pumas in all estimations (O = 0.47-0.83). The presence of jaguars in the same region could be driving pumas to select medium-and small-sized prey. The results of this study highlight the importance of reliable predator identification and the need for in-depth ecological studies in areas where carnivore species are sympatric. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 07/01252-2 - Ecological responses of medium and large mammals to changes in landscape structure in the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
• Grantee: Fernanda Michalski
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral