Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?

Autores
Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia; Puig, Silvia
Año de publicación
2010
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Optimal foraging theory states that individuals focus on the most profitable items when resources are abundant, and expand their diet when food availability decreases. In polygynous ungulates, territoriality and reproduction can strongly affect this foraging strategy. Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are an interesting model system to test these hypotheses, because they present a stable social structure with territorial and non-territorial animals, and survive in arid environments where plant cover and quality are low. We assessed food availability (point-quadrat method) and diet composition (faecal analysis) of vicuñas to analyze whether they are optimal foragers and whether territoriality and reproduction affect their foraging strategy during summer and winter in the Argentinean Puna. Differences in food availability and diet composition between seasons and groups were addressed by Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. The χ2 goodness-of-fit test and Bailey's index allowed detection of food selectivity. Vicuñas focused their summer diet on high-quality species and increased the number of species eaten in winter, as predicted by the optimal foraging theory. Seasonal patterns were more evident in the territory, where females compensate for high energy costs of reproduction, whereas the lower energy requirements of non-territorial vicuñas would explain the lower dietary proportions of nutritive species in their diet.
Fil: Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentina
Fil: Puig, Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentina
Materia
Arid Environments
Optimal Foraging Theory
Territoriality
Vicugna Vicugna
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/75590
Acceder
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network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?Mosca Torres, Maria EugeniaPuig, SilviaArid EnvironmentsOptimal Foraging TheoryTerritorialityVicugna Vicugnahttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Optimal foraging theory states that individuals focus on the most profitable items when resources are abundant, and expand their diet when food availability decreases. In polygynous ungulates, territoriality and reproduction can strongly affect this foraging strategy. Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are an interesting model system to test these hypotheses, because they present a stable social structure with territorial and non-territorial animals, and survive in arid environments where plant cover and quality are low. We assessed food availability (point-quadrat method) and diet composition (faecal analysis) of vicuñas to analyze whether they are optimal foragers and whether territoriality and reproduction affect their foraging strategy during summer and winter in the Argentinean Puna. Differences in food availability and diet composition between seasons and groups were addressed by Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. The χ2 goodness-of-fit test and Bailey's index allowed detection of food selectivity. Vicuñas focused their summer diet on high-quality species and increased the number of species eaten in winter, as predicted by the optimal foraging theory. Seasonal patterns were more evident in the territory, where females compensate for high energy costs of reproduction, whereas the lower energy requirements of non-territorial vicuñas would explain the lower dietary proportions of nutritive species in their diet.Fil: Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Puig, Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaAcademic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd2010-04info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/75590Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia; Puig, Silvia; Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?; Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd; Journal of Arid Environments; 74; 4; 4-2010; 450-4570140-1963CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.10.002info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196309003152info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-11-12T09:47:25Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/75590instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-11-12 09:47:26.029CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
title Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
spellingShingle Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia
Arid Environments
Optimal Foraging Theory
Territoriality
Vicugna Vicugna
title_short Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
title_full Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
title_fullStr Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
title_full_unstemmed Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
title_sort Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia
Puig, Silvia
author Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia
author_facet Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia
Puig, Silvia
author_role author
author2 Puig, Silvia
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Arid Environments
Optimal Foraging Theory
Territoriality
Vicugna Vicugna
topic Arid Environments
Optimal Foraging Theory
Territoriality
Vicugna Vicugna
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Optimal foraging theory states that individuals focus on the most profitable items when resources are abundant, and expand their diet when food availability decreases. In polygynous ungulates, territoriality and reproduction can strongly affect this foraging strategy. Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are an interesting model system to test these hypotheses, because they present a stable social structure with territorial and non-territorial animals, and survive in arid environments where plant cover and quality are low. We assessed food availability (point-quadrat method) and diet composition (faecal analysis) of vicuñas to analyze whether they are optimal foragers and whether territoriality and reproduction affect their foraging strategy during summer and winter in the Argentinean Puna. Differences in food availability and diet composition between seasons and groups were addressed by Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. The χ2 goodness-of-fit test and Bailey's index allowed detection of food selectivity. Vicuñas focused their summer diet on high-quality species and increased the number of species eaten in winter, as predicted by the optimal foraging theory. Seasonal patterns were more evident in the territory, where females compensate for high energy costs of reproduction, whereas the lower energy requirements of non-territorial vicuñas would explain the lower dietary proportions of nutritive species in their diet.
Fil: Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentina
Fil: Puig, Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentina
description Optimal foraging theory states that individuals focus on the most profitable items when resources are abundant, and expand their diet when food availability decreases. In polygynous ungulates, territoriality and reproduction can strongly affect this foraging strategy. Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are an interesting model system to test these hypotheses, because they present a stable social structure with territorial and non-territorial animals, and survive in arid environments where plant cover and quality are low. We assessed food availability (point-quadrat method) and diet composition (faecal analysis) of vicuñas to analyze whether they are optimal foragers and whether territoriality and reproduction affect their foraging strategy during summer and winter in the Argentinean Puna. Differences in food availability and diet composition between seasons and groups were addressed by Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. The χ2 goodness-of-fit test and Bailey's index allowed detection of food selectivity. Vicuñas focused their summer diet on high-quality species and increased the number of species eaten in winter, as predicted by the optimal foraging theory. Seasonal patterns were more evident in the territory, where females compensate for high energy costs of reproduction, whereas the lower energy requirements of non-territorial vicuñas would explain the lower dietary proportions of nutritive species in their diet.
publishDate 2010
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2010-04
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/75590
Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia; Puig, Silvia; Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?; Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd; Journal of Arid Environments; 74; 4; 4-2010; 450-457
0140-1963
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/75590
identifier_str_mv Mosca Torres, Maria Eugenia; Puig, Silvia; Seasonal diet of vicuñas in the Los Andes protected area (Salta, Argentina): Are they optimal foragers?; Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd; Journal of Arid Environments; 74; 4; 4-2010; 450-457
0140-1963
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.10.002
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140196309003152
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Academic Press Ltd - Elsevier Science Ltd
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.24909

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