Diet of the reintroduced guanaco (<em>Lama guanicoe</em>) population into the Quebrada del Condorito National Park, Argentina

Abstract

Ecología Austral 24:203-211 (2014)

Wild species reintroduction is a highly recommended tool when favors ecosystem functionality. It constitutes a long-term process and requires the evaluation of the different ecological aspects involved in the reintroduction process. In the case of large wild herbivores one important aspect that should be known is foraging habits. In the present study, diet at the species level was determined for the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population reintroduced in the Quebrada del Condorito National Park (Córdoba, Argentina). Fresh faeces samples were collected within the territory occupied by reproductive groups in the Park, between February and August 2009. Diet botanic composition was determined by microhistological analysis. The diet of reintroduced guanacos was composed mainly by short grasses and sedges, characteristic plants of grazing lawns. Despite the high plant diversity in the study area, only five species represented 71% (for the cold and dry months) to 93% (for the warm and wet months) of the diet consumed during the study period in the Park: Sorghastrum pellitum, Chascolytrum subaristatum, Carex fuscula, Eleocharis pseudoalbibracteata y Lachemilla pinnata. The former four species were consumed in a proportion significantly higher than their abundance in the field, which is indicating that the reintroduced guanacos are behaving as selective consumers. Additionally, a small but consistent seasonal difference was detected in plant species consumption, with higher consumption of the tussock grasses D. hieronymi and P. stuckertii, dominant in tussock grasslands, and of woody plants, during the dry and cold season. Probably this was caused by the productivity decrease during cold and dry season months in the study area.