FOOD SELECTION AND USE OF SPACE BY Didelphis pernigra (DIDELPHIDAE: MAMMALIA) IN A SUBURBAN ANDEAN ENVIRONMENT
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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
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Universidad Nacional de Colombia
2020
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| author | Gina Patricia Suárez-Cáceres |
| author_facet | Gina Patricia Suárez-Cáceres |
| contents | FOOD SELECTION AND USE OF SPACE BY Didelphis pernigra (DIDELPHIDAE: MAMMALIA) IN A SUBURBAN ANDEAN ENVIRONMENT Gina Patricia Suárez-Cáceres Cristiano Adinolf Francisco Sánchez Biología Andes giving up density urban ecology predation risk Cities have grown throughout the Andes and we know little about the ecology of those species that tolerate them, limiting our options to do conservation. We applied optimal foraging theory to examine the behavior of the Andean White-eared Opossum (Didelphis pernigra), in a suburban area in Bogotá, Colombia. We used the giving-up density technique, which uses the amount of food left in a feeding patch, to evaluate whether the opossum’s foraging costs were affected by the height of food from the ground, and the quality and quantity of food. We also evaluated whether the spatial heterogeneity of the study site affected the opossum’s foraging. We used an artificial feeding patch to test these ideas. When food was either concentrated and, in less amount (concentrated food) or diluted and more amount (diluted food), the opossums preferred to forage at 2 m than at 0.5 m, and they showed a preference for concentrated food at 0.5 m, but not at 2 m. The opossums’ habitat use was affected by the spatial heterogeneity at the study site and animals preferred foraging along metal fences than on live fences made of trees. When a cable allowed connection between the metallic and live fences, the value of food patches at the live fence appeared to increase. Thus, although the opossums need resources associated with natural environments, our results suggest that there are human modifications that can benefit them, such as those that reduce the risk of predation and favor their mobility in suburban environments. 2020 artículo científico 0120-548X https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=319079759010 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=3190 Acta Biológica Colombiana application/pdf Universidad Nacional de Colombia Acta Biológica Colombiana (Colombia) Num.3 Vol.25 |
| format | Artículo científico |
| id | redalyc_319079759010 |
| institution | Redalyc |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Universidad Nacional de Colombia |
| spellingShingle | FOOD SELECTION AND USE OF SPACE BY Didelphis pernigra (DIDELPHIDAE: MAMMALIA) IN A SUBURBAN ANDEAN ENVIRONMENT Gina Patricia Suárez-Cáceres Biología Andes giving up density urban ecology predation risk FOOD SELECTION AND USE OF SPACE BY Didelphis pernigra (DIDELPHIDAE: MAMMALIA) IN A SUBURBAN ANDEAN ENVIRONMENT Gina Patricia Suárez-Cáceres Cristiano Adinolf Francisco Sánchez Biología Andes giving up density urban ecology predation risk Cities have grown throughout the Andes and we know little about the ecology of those species that tolerate them, limiting our options to do conservation. We applied optimal foraging theory to examine the behavior of the Andean White-eared Opossum (Didelphis pernigra), in a suburban area in Bogotá, Colombia. We used the giving-up density technique, which uses the amount of food left in a feeding patch, to evaluate whether the opossum’s foraging costs were affected by the height of food from the ground, and the quality and quantity of food. We also evaluated whether the spatial heterogeneity of the study site affected the opossum’s foraging. We used an artificial feeding patch to test these ideas. When food was either concentrated and, in less amount (concentrated food) or diluted and more amount (diluted food), the opossums preferred to forage at 2 m than at 0.5 m, and they showed a preference for concentrated food at 0.5 m, but not at 2 m. The opossums’ habitat use was affected by the spatial heterogeneity at the study site and animals preferred foraging along metal fences than on live fences made of trees. When a cable allowed connection between the metallic and live fences, the value of food patches at the live fence appeared to increase. Thus, although the opossums need resources associated with natural environments, our results suggest that there are human modifications that can benefit them, such as those that reduce the risk of predation and favor their mobility in suburban environments. 2020 artículo científico 0120-548X https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=319079759010 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=3190 Acta Biológica Colombiana application/pdf Universidad Nacional de Colombia Acta Biológica Colombiana (Colombia) Num.3 Vol.25 |
| title | FOOD SELECTION AND USE OF SPACE BY Didelphis pernigra (DIDELPHIDAE: MAMMALIA) IN A SUBURBAN ANDEAN ENVIRONMENT |
| topic | Biología Andes giving up density urban ecology predation risk |
| url | https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=319079759010 |