Disponibilidade de frutos, frugivoria e dispersão de sementes por lobo-guará (Chrysocyon brachyurus) no Parque Estadual do Rio Preto, MG

Abstract

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America, it is generalist and omnivorous, and it feeds mainly on fruit and small vertebrates. The purposes of this study were: to quantify the frequency of occurrence, relative frequency and importance in biomass of the fruits consumed by Chrysocyon brachyurus; to compare the consumption of fruits with its availability; and to test Chrysocyon brachyurus legitimacy in seed dispersal. To identify the species consumed by the maned wolf, quantify the frequencies and biomass consumed monthly, and to test seed viability, we collected 413 faeces from December of 2014 to November of 2015, at the Rio Preto State Park (PERP), Minas Gerais, Brazil. To evaluate the availability of fruits, we installed 30 20x20m plots in areas of cerrado stricto sensu. Monthly, inside the plots, we quantified all of the ripe fruits. We found 20 species consumed by the maned wolf - Solanum lycocarpum was the most frequently consumed specie and its biomass was also the largest - and 899 records of fruits. We did not find any differences between the seasons regarding the amount of biomass consumed. The diversity of the PERPs flora seems to offer conditions for the maned wolf to eat fruits during all the months of the year. We recorded an opportunistic behavior, more evident during the wet season, and an active search for some items, such as Solanum lycocarpum and Annona monticola, during the dry season. We also presented evidences to support the maned wolfs legitimacy in seed dispersal.