Abstract
Abstract: Microscopic hair identification is a non-invasive, simple, and economical method applied in scientific studies to identify mammal species. In ecology, this method is used mainly in mastofaunistic inventories and dietary studies. In the last decade, the number of dietary studies using the microscopic identification of hairs has grown substantially, but the application of this technique as a tool for the identification of both predators and prey species is still scant. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify predator and prey hairs in scat samples from the two largest species of carnivores in the Neotropical region, the jaguar (Panthera onca Linnaeus, 1758) and the puma (Puma concolor Linnaeus, 1771). We examined a total of 100 scat samples being 50 from the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul and 50 from the Atlantic Forest of Paraná. We used different identification categories that included the hair microscopic and macroscopic identification, as well as the use of hooves and nails present in the scats associated with tracks and kills found in the field. We identified 57 prey items in the Pantanal samples and 61 in the Atlantic Forest samples. Predator´s hairs were identified in 34% of Pantanal samples and in 46% of Atlantic Forest samples. The combination of hair microscopic and macroscopic characteristics was efficient in the identification of different taxonomic levels, with most identifications reaching the level of the species. However, the methodological protocol for microscopic hair identification was not fully effective in obtaining all the microstructural patterns of the studied mammals. Adjustments in the technique are necessary to differentiate microstructural characteristics of species belonging to the same family. We recommend macroscopic identification of scat content items (hairs, hooves or nails) of both prey and predators to be used to complete the microscopic hair identification technique in dietary ecological studies.
Highlights
Populations of carnivore species are vital in the dynamic of their communities, exerting a direct influence on prey density or indirect in the plant community (Terborgh 1992, Borer et al 2005)
The second site was a 50 km2 private area comprised of scattered fragments of Atlantic forest embedded in a matrix of agricultural land use interspersed with human habitats comprising on the northern region of Paraná State (23°35’ S e 52°20’ W)
For the Atlantic Forest samples, we found a total of 93 scat content items
Summary
Populations of carnivore species are vital in the dynamic of their communities, exerting a direct influence on prey density or indirect in the plant community (Terborgh 1992, Borer et al 2005). Knowledge about dietary habits contributes for the understanding of ecological processes necessary for the protection of biodiversity, such as reproductive and social behavior, distribution, population density and habitat use (Juarez & Marinho-Filho 2002, Bueno & Motta-Junior 2004, Azevedo 2008). For this purpose, fecal screening methods and hair microstructure analysis have been conducted in studies on dietary ecology of felines (Chakraborty & Chakraborty 1996, Martins et al 2008, Tortato 2009, Perilli et al 2016, Tirelli et al 2018). The analysis of internal hair morphology using optical microscopy is a simple and economical noninvasive method applied in several species’
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