1. Dietary Overlap Between Black Caimans and Spectacled Caimans in the Peruvian Amazon
- Author
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Theresa M. Laverty and Andrew P. Dobson
- Subjects
biology ,Amazon rainforest ,Ecology ,Range (biology) ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Niche differentiation ,biology.organism_classification ,Competition (biology) ,Predation ,Population decline ,Habitat destruction ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,media_common ,Melanosuchus niger - Abstract
The Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) experienced a dramatic population decline in the mid-20th century, becoming extinct or locally rare over most of its range due to habitat destruction and the commercial value of its hide. As the success and re-establishment of the species is now dependent on conservation efforts throughout the Amazon basin, Black Caimans require continuous monitoring despite extensive current legal protection. Although such efforts have mitigated the threat of human harvesting, a key issue facing the species today is ecological competition from sympatric Spectacled Caimans (Caiman crocodilus). In this study, we investigated this inferred competition by detailing the dietary overlap between Black Caimans and Spectacled Caimans in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in 2009. Using an adaptation of the hose-Heimlich technique, we collected and then compared the stomach contents of several individuals of each species. We found that although the proportions of prey items in their...
- Published
- 2013
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