Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)

Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)

The diet of mara (Dolichotis patagonum, Zimmeraman 1780) within the limits of Sierra de las Quijadas National Park (San Luis, Argentina) is described. Other studies regarding mara’s diet showed that mara, feeds on different species of grasses and shrubs. However, there is controversy regarding the p...

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Autores principales: SOMBRA,MOIRA S., MANGIONE,ANTONIO M.
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Sociedad de Biología de Chile 2005
Materias:
Dolichotis patagonum
diet
grasses
preference
Sierra de las Quijadas
Acceso en línea:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-078X2005000300004
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spelling oai:scielo:S0716-078X20050003000042005-10-28Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)SOMBRA,MOIRA S.MANGIONE,ANTONIO M. Dolichotis patagonum diet grasses preference Sierra de las Quijadas The diet of mara (Dolichotis patagonum, Zimmeraman 1780) within the limits of Sierra de las Quijadas National Park (San Luis, Argentina) is described. Other studies regarding mara’s diet showed that mara, feeds on different species of grasses and shrubs. However, there is controversy regarding the proportions of these items in the diet or whether this proportion varies seasonally. Considering mara’s body size, anatomical features and physiology, we suggest that mara feeds on grasses in a greater proportion than shrubs and forbs. Moreover, giving that in this region precipitation varies considerably between seasons; it is also expected to find a correlation between the diet of mara and seasons. Fecal pellets of mara were collected during four periods including two dry, and two wet seasons. Relative frequency of each item in scats was determined by microhistological analysis. Results support the hypothesis that mara shows preference for grasses, despite they are less available than shrubs and forbs and that this preference remains constant through seasons regardless of the precipitation regime. The characteristics of mara’s diet and the ecological implications of these findings are discussedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSociedad de Biología de ChileRevista chilena de historia natural v.78 n.3 20052005-09-01text/htmlhttp://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-078X2005000300004en10.4067/S0716-078X2005000300004
institution Scielo Chile
collection Scielo Chile
language English
topic Dolichotis patagonum
diet
grasses
preference
Sierra de las Quijadas
spellingShingle Dolichotis patagonum
diet
grasses
preference
Sierra de las Quijadas
SOMBRA,MOIRA S.
MANGIONE,ANTONIO M.
Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
description The diet of mara (Dolichotis patagonum, Zimmeraman 1780) within the limits of Sierra de las Quijadas National Park (San Luis, Argentina) is described. Other studies regarding mara’s diet showed that mara, feeds on different species of grasses and shrubs. However, there is controversy regarding the proportions of these items in the diet or whether this proportion varies seasonally. Considering mara’s body size, anatomical features and physiology, we suggest that mara feeds on grasses in a greater proportion than shrubs and forbs. Moreover, giving that in this region precipitation varies considerably between seasons; it is also expected to find a correlation between the diet of mara and seasons. Fecal pellets of mara were collected during four periods including two dry, and two wet seasons. Relative frequency of each item in scats was determined by microhistological analysis. Results support the hypothesis that mara shows preference for grasses, despite they are less available than shrubs and forbs and that this preference remains constant through seasons regardless of the precipitation regime. The characteristics of mara’s diet and the ecological implications of these findings are discussed
author SOMBRA,MOIRA S.
MANGIONE,ANTONIO M.
author_facet SOMBRA,MOIRA S.
MANGIONE,ANTONIO M.
author_sort SOMBRA,MOIRA S.
title Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
title_short Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
title_full Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
title_fullStr Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
title_full_unstemmed Obsessed with grasses?: The case of mara Dolichotis patagonum(Caviidae: Rodentia)
title_sort obsessed with grasses?: the case of mara dolichotis patagonum(caviidae: rodentia)
publisher Sociedad de Biología de Chile
publishDate 2005
url http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0716-078X2005000300004
work_keys_str_mv AT sombramoiras obsessedwithgrassesthecaseofmaradolichotispatagonumcaviidaerodentia
AT mangioneantoniom obsessedwithgrassesthecaseofmaradolichotispatagonumcaviidaerodentia
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