Influence of environmental variables and human activities on the seasonal habitat use by guanacos in Southern Andean Precordillera (Argentina)

PUIG, S.; VIDELA, F.; ROSI, M.I.; SEITZ, V.P.

STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2020 vol. 54 p. 191 - 205

0165-0521

Food availability, predation risk, climatic adversity, and human disturbance are usually consideredrelevant factors influencing the distribution of wild ungulates. Poaching and habitat degradationare threats to the guanaco, a native herbivore of South America characterized by ecological andbehavioral adaptations to arid environments. Guanaco presence was seasonally surveyed inmountain environments of Andean Precordillera, corresponding to a protected area and itssurroundings. Field surveys and satellite images processing estimated environmental variablesascribed to four predictions: resources availability, habitat complexity, weather conditions, andhuman activities. Generalized Linear Models estimated the probability of guanaco presence basedon each prediction, whose variables with important effect were included in combined models.The main natural influence on the presence of guanaco was plant cover. Conservation activitiesimproved this natural influence, whereas disturbing activities restricted it. The trade-off betweenhigh resources availability and low predation risk, as well as the effect of extreme weatherconditions were not evident, at least in the study?s spatial scale. The model validation withnew seasonal surveys confirmed a consistency over time of those environmental variables thatexplain the probability of guanaco presence in the Southern Andean Precordillera.