Abstract

MARTINEZ-CECENAS, Yuriana; NARANJO, Eduardo J.; HENAUT, Yann  and  CARRILLO-REYES, Arturo. Foraging ecology of lowland paca (Cuniculus paca) in preserved and transformed areas of the Lacandon rainforest, Chiapas, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2018, vol.89, n.2, pp.507-515. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2018.2.2127.

Recognizing the effect of habitat fragmentation and anthropic disturbances is crucial to understand the processes of species adaptation and their persistence in ecosystems. One species adaptable to transformed environments is the paca, Cuniculus paca. We assessed the foraging activity, composition and variations in the paca diet in pristine and transformed sites in the Lacandon Forest, Chiapas, Mexico. Fifty-seven feeding sites ("feeders") were characterized and monitored through camera-trapping. Fruit consumption by pacas was confirmed in 31 of those sites. A significant difference in fruit condition and quantity and canopy cover, were found when comparing sites. The paca diet included fruits of 20 tree species, where Ceiba pentandra and Castilla elastica were new records for the species. A 40% similarity was found in the composition of tree species consumed between sites, so that the paca diversifies its diet by taking advantage of cultivated species fruits.

Keywords : Diet; Frugivorous; Fragmentation; Lowland paca.

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