Abstract
We aimed to describe the composition of Sus scrofa diet in three Brazilian ecoregions characterized by a mosaic of forests and grasslands: Pampa, Araucaria Forest and Pantanal. We evaluated the possible risks that the species may represent for agriculture and conservation of biodiversity by analyzing the stomach content of 118 boars. We examined dietary patterns in each ecoregion using PCA (principal component analysis) and verified how diet varies according to individual attributes through redundancy analysis. We visualized the composition of macronutrients in a multidimensional space by means of RMT (right–angled mixture triangle). The wild boars presented a diverse diet, influenced by season, time of day, and local availability of resources. Cultivated grains and herbs were the most commonly consumed items, leading to a high carbohydrate intake. Damage to agriculture is potentially high given the large consumption of cultivated grains. Population growth and expansion may be limited by the low availability of protein in the ecoregions.
Highlights
The introduction of organisms by humans in the last 200 years, either accidentally or intentionally, overcame the dispersion by natural forces in previous periods of Earth's history (Mack et al, 2000; Lockwood et al, 2013)
We transformed them into energy content, taking carbohydrates and proteins as Rarefaction curves indicated that the number of samples was sufficient to characterize the diet in the Pantanal and Pampa, but insufficient to characterize those in the Araucaria Forest
Herbs/leaves and roots were the items consumed in highest volume and frequency (33.3 to 65.5 % and 46.7 to 53.4 %) in all three ecoregions; cultivated grains were an important part of the diet in the two ecoregions characterized by agricultural matrix (Pampa and Araucaria Forest; above 40 % in frequency and volume); vertebrates, invertebrates and fruits were consumed in lower volume and frequency
Summary
The introduction of organisms by humans in the last 200 years, either accidentally or intentionally, overcame the dispersion by natural forces in previous periods of Earth's history (Mack et al, 2000; Lockwood et al, 2013). The wild boar Sus scrofa L. is one of worst invasive species at a global level (Lowe et al, 2000). Wild boar damage agricultural crops (Nunley, 1999; Schley and Roper, 2003; Deberdt and Scherer, 2007), attack domestic animals (Nunley, 1999; Deberdt and Scherer, 2007), serve as reservoirs of diseases (Nunley, 1999; Deberdt and Scherer, 2007), threaten native species by predation or competition (Wood and Roark, 1980), alter ecosystem processes (Wilcox and Van Vuren, 2009), and favor other exotic species. Wild boar of different lineages have been found in the wild in Brazil since they were accidentally introduced in the late nineteenth century. Populations expanded as they invaded over borders from nearby countries (Deberdt and Scherer, 2007; García et al, 2011; Pedrosa et al, 2015)
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