Use of the space by the opossum Didelphis aurita Wied-Newied (Mammalia, Marsupialia) in a mixed forest fragment of southern Brazil



Título del documento: Use of the space by the opossum Didelphis aurita Wied-Newied (Mammalia, Marsupialia) in a mixed forest fragment of southern Brazil
Revista: Revista brasileira de zoologia
Base de datos: PERIÓDICA
Número de sistema: 000281141
ISSN: 0101-8175
Autores: 1
Instituciones: 1Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Departamento de Biociencias, Aquidauana, Mato Grosso do Sul. Brasil
Año:
Periodo: Jun
Volumen: 20
Número: 2
Paginación: 315-322
País: Brasil
Idioma: Inglés
Tipo de documento: Artículo
Enfoque: Analítico, descriptivo
Resumen en inglés Use of the space by the opossum Didelphis aurita Wied-Newied, 1826 (Mammalia, Marsupialia) in a mixed forest fragment of southern Brazil. The space use of the marsupial Didelphis aurita was studied in a forest fragment of southern Brazil from February 1995 to January 1996. The method used was the 'distribution utilization' in which each trap was set in 38 x 38 m quadrats. Captures of each marked individual in each point give information on its habitat use. Food availability was searched and compared to the habitat utilization and to the food consumption of opossums. Distribution patterns of captures (aggregated to random) and spatial overlap between individuals were searched. Results showed aggregated distributions of individuals, particularly females, in the fragment. Females used exclusively the fragment during the drier season. Opossums tend to not choose the sites with highest food availability to establish home ranges. Spatial overlap was usually low between forest resident and neighbouring resident females, but much lower during the breeding season (only forest resident females) in an apparently pattern of territoriality. Hence, core areas of females decreased in size during the breeding season. Males probably searched primarily for mates during the breeding season being less opportunistic than females in feeding habits, yet their space use did not correlate to food consumption
Disciplinas: Biología
Palabras clave: Ecología,
Mamíferos,
Disponibilidad de alimento,
Fragmentación del hábitat,
Territorialidad,
Didelphis aurita,
Marsupialia
Keyword: Biology,
Ecology,
Mammals,
Food availability,
Habitat fragmentation,
Territoriality,
Didelphis aurita,
Marsupialia
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