Stable Isotope Evidence ofPuma concolor(Felidae) Feeding Patterns in Agricultural Landscapes in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract

We evaluated puma (Puma concolor) feeding patterns in southeastern Brazilian agricultural landscapes using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of hair collected from fecal samples (N = 64). We classified the samples into three groups: feeding patterns based on forest remnants, on the agricultural matrix or both. We observed a predominance of consumption of C 3 prey (~47% of individuals) in the area with the highest proportion of forest coverage. Conversely, C 4 prey were highly consumed (~40% of individuals) where the agricultural matrix was predominant. The d 13 C values for pumas in both areas indicated that their food resources come from both forest remnants and the agricultural matrix and that some individuals preferentially consumed C 4 prey, indicating that food resources from the agricultural matrix make up most of their diet (~46% of prey individuals). The wide range of puma's d 15 N values in both areas indicated a diet based on different types of prey. However, the C 4 group had higher values, indicating that both pumas and their prey feed on enriched resources from the agricultural matrix. The results confirm the high behavioral plasticity of pumas in using highly anthropogenic habitats. The stable isotope analyses conducted in this study yielded new information on large carnivore trophic ecology that might be useful in the development of new conservation strategies in disturbed areas.Abstract in Portuguese is available in the online version of this article.

The trophic niche of Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Testudines: Chelidae): evidence from stable isotopes

“…This is the case of crocodilians in the coastal region, which have access to marine and estuarine/freshwater environments Heithaus 2011, Hanson et al 2015) or felids in agricultural landscapes (forest remnants -C3 x monocultures of sugarcane -C4; Magioli et al 2014). Males and females of M. vanderhaegei in this study were captured in the same water bodies and have similar δ 13 C values, which suggests that both sexes have the same isotopic baseline.…”

Medium and large-sized mammals of an isolated Atlantic Forest remnant, southeast São Paulo State, Brazil

“…Considered opportunistic (Sunquist and Sunquist 2002), P. concolor preys on a wide variety of animals (Emmons 1987;Foster et al 2010), and can feed on resource originated from highly fragmented and agricultural areas (Magioli et al 2014). Compared to other areas, AIEMC showed high species diversity (H' 10 = 2.62).…”

Puma (Puma concolor) predation on tapir (Tapirus terrestris)

“…The large size of a tapir and the competition with jaguars seem to preclude puma predation on tapir. In most cases where the diet of pumas was recorded in fragmented areas, tapirs were no longer present in the landscapes and pumas utilized other available prey species (Magioli et al 2014). However, in our study site, tapirs were still common and therefore, a puma predation event on a juvenile tapir may be another proof of the great plasticity of this species to adapt to an altered landscape.…”

“…The dominant agricultural matrix may represent a greater availability of prey ) and the fragmentation process of native areas has also been altering the array of prey choices available to pumas. In such landscapes, greater predation rates upon capybaras, armadillos, snakes, birds and lizards has been reported, which seemed to be the more dominant prey species in such environments (Magioli et al 2014). In addition, in times of scarcity of more vulnerable small and medium prey species, large prey species may become more important in the composition of pumas diet (Branch et al 1996, Bank et al 2002, Azevedo 2008.…”