Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), a small wild cat of South America, showed in the last years a decline in population abundance mainly related to both habitat destruction and hunting. The increasing human population densities and the consequent demand for food and natural resources will rapidly...

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Autores principales: Guidobono, J.S., Muñoz, J., Muschetto, E., Teta, P., Busch, M.
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Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03275477_v26_n1_p40_Guidobono
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spelling todo:paper_03275477_v26_n1_p40_Guidobono2023-10-03T15:24:52Z Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina Guidobono, J.S. Muñoz, J. Muschetto, E. Teta, P. Busch, M. Agricultural ecosystems Diet Mammal prey Small wild cats abundance agricultural ecosystem diet feeding behavior felid food consumption habitat fragmentation hunting persistence phenotypic plasticity population decline prey capture rodent wild population Argentina Buenos Aires [Argentina] Cavia aperea Caviidae Felis silvestris Mammalia Oncifelis geoffroyi Rodentia Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), a small wild cat of South America, showed in the last years a decline in population abundance mainly related to both habitat destruction and hunting. The increasing human population densities and the consequent demand for food and natural resources will rapidly erode and fragment its remaining habitats. In Argentina most studies about Geoffroy’s cat diet have been conducted in protected areas or in their surroundings, while there are no studies conducted in purely agricultural systems. We described the diet composition of Leopardus geoffroyi and its seasonal variations in an agricultural ecosystem to contribute knowledge of its ecology and natural history. The study was carried out from spring 2008 to spring 2011. A total of 494 scats were analyzed and at least 695 prey-items were identified. The diet included 81.58% of mammal prey, representing 93.32% of the potential biomass ingested. Within mammals, the principal prey were rodents, representing 79.57% of the total prey items and 59.39% of the total potential biomass consumed. Small rodents account for a great proportion of prey items, while larger species, as the caviid Cavia aperea, contributed more biomass. The diet plasticity may enhance the persistence of Geoffroy’s cat populations in variable and anthropized ecosystems. © 2016, Asociacion Argentina de Ecologia. All rights reserved. Fil:Guidobono, J.S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Fil:Muschetto, E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Fil:Busch, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03275477_v26_n1_p40_Guidobono
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Agricultural ecosystems
Diet
Mammal prey
Small wild cats
abundance
agricultural ecosystem
diet
feeding behavior
felid
food consumption
habitat fragmentation
hunting
persistence
phenotypic plasticity
population decline
prey capture
rodent
wild population
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Cavia aperea
Caviidae
Felis silvestris
Mammalia
Oncifelis geoffroyi
Rodentia
spellingShingle Agricultural ecosystems
Diet
Mammal prey
Small wild cats
abundance
agricultural ecosystem
diet
feeding behavior
felid
food consumption
habitat fragmentation
hunting
persistence
phenotypic plasticity
population decline
prey capture
rodent
wild population
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Cavia aperea
Caviidae
Felis silvestris
Mammalia
Oncifelis geoffroyi
Rodentia
Guidobono, J.S.
Muñoz, J.
Muschetto, E.
Teta, P.
Busch, M.
Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
topic_facet Agricultural ecosystems
Diet
Mammal prey
Small wild cats
abundance
agricultural ecosystem
diet
feeding behavior
felid
food consumption
habitat fragmentation
hunting
persistence
phenotypic plasticity
population decline
prey capture
rodent
wild population
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Cavia aperea
Caviidae
Felis silvestris
Mammalia
Oncifelis geoffroyi
Rodentia
description Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), a small wild cat of South America, showed in the last years a decline in population abundance mainly related to both habitat destruction and hunting. The increasing human population densities and the consequent demand for food and natural resources will rapidly erode and fragment its remaining habitats. In Argentina most studies about Geoffroy’s cat diet have been conducted in protected areas or in their surroundings, while there are no studies conducted in purely agricultural systems. We described the diet composition of Leopardus geoffroyi and its seasonal variations in an agricultural ecosystem to contribute knowledge of its ecology and natural history. The study was carried out from spring 2008 to spring 2011. A total of 494 scats were analyzed and at least 695 prey-items were identified. The diet included 81.58% of mammal prey, representing 93.32% of the potential biomass ingested. Within mammals, the principal prey were rodents, representing 79.57% of the total prey items and 59.39% of the total potential biomass consumed. Small rodents account for a great proportion of prey items, while larger species, as the caviid Cavia aperea, contributed more biomass. The diet plasticity may enhance the persistence of Geoffroy’s cat populations in variable and anthropized ecosystems. © 2016, Asociacion Argentina de Ecologia. All rights reserved.
format JOUR
author Guidobono, J.S.
Muñoz, J.
Muschetto, E.
Teta, P.
Busch, M.
author_facet Guidobono, J.S.
Muñoz, J.
Muschetto, E.
Teta, P.
Busch, M.
author_sort Guidobono, J.S.
title Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
title_short Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
title_full Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
title_fullStr Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Food habits of geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of Buenos Aires, Argentina
title_sort food habits of geoffroy’s cat (leopardus geoffroyi) in agroecosystem habitats of buenos aires, argentina
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03275477_v26_n1_p40_Guidobono
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