Abstract

GEISA, Melisa G; DOTTORI, Nilda  and  COSA, M. Teresa. Dieta de guanaco (Lama guanicoe) en el Chaco Árido de Córdoba, Argentina. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2018, vol.25, n.1, pp.59-80. ISSN 0327-9383.

In the North­west of Córdoba (Argentina) lives a small population of guanaco (Lama guanicoe Müller, 1776), of which only occasional records are available in the natural region of the Western Chaco District. We analyzed the diet composition of guanacos in the dry and wet seasons in the center of Arid Chaco Biogeographical Corridor of Córdoba, taking into account two natural environments of the region: Open Forest Plain and Perisaline Shrub. During the years 2009 and 2010, plant samples were taken in the town of Piedrita Blanca and surrounding areas, vegetation reference patterns were recorded and epidermal cells, presence and characteristics of stomata, hairs and salt glands of each species were described. Feces were collected from active dung piles and relative frequencies of plant species were determined by fecal micro-histological analysis. The diet diversity was ana­lyzed from the graph of diversity and relative abundance, complemented by Simpson's inverse index (Cinv). In the analyzed feces, 57 native plant species (that belong to 35 genera and 19 families) were observed. The diet diversity did not differ significantly between seasons or between environments. The main species consumed were grasses, followed by Geoffroea decorticans (Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart, Atriplex cordobensis Gand. & Stuck., and several species of the genus Prosopis. Woody plants, grasses and halophytes were the most abundant, in descending order. In both environments, herbaceous plants other than grasses were more consumed in wet season and cacti in the dry season.

Keywords : Biogeographical Corridor; Forest; Geoffroea decorticans; Micro histological analysis; Northwest of Córdoba.

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