Observações do comportamento alimentar dos dasyprocta leporina e d. prymnolopha no Parque Zoobotânico do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi

Abstract

Zoobotanical parks have a great diversity of flora and fauna, making it necessary to study the interrelationships between them in order to manage them correctly. During the first semester of 2000, a study of the feeding behavior of Dasyprocta leporina and D. prymnolopha (agoutis), which live, as free-ranging fauna, in the Zoobotanic Park of the Paraense Emílio Goeldi Museum (PZB/MPEG), was carried out. This work aims to observe the feeding behavior of these mammals, whether they are scavengers, predators, or dispersers, either by burying, ingesting and/or transporting seeds. The methodology used was four hours of daily observations of rodents, to verify the transport (radius of dispersal), the burying and scarification of seeds. After mapping the tree species that were fruiting, the individuals were captured, identified, and later some animals were quarantined for 48 hours to test seed preferences and to obtain seeds by ingestion. The expelled seeds were planted to verify % germination and dormancy breaking. As preliminary results we found that the agoutis have a dispersive and scarifying character for Astrocarium vulgare, besides the act of burying these seeds. Predator character for many species such as Brazil nut, Peru balsam and Andiroba. As for obtaining the seeds by ingestion we cannot yet say what % germinates and breaks dormancy. The preference test was analyzed by (c2=13.26, gl=5, p<0.05) determining that the agoutis have no preference in consuming all types of seeds. According to (Cant 1977; Eisenbeg et al. 1979), in forests the density of agoutis reaches 1 ind/ha, in the PZB the density found was 20 ind/ha, and may become a plague to some species of flora of the park, requiring management.