Relationships between photosynthetic plant types in the diet of herbivore mammals and in the environment in the lower Paraná river basin, Argentina.

MADANES, NORA; QUINTANA, RUBEN DARIO; BIONDINI, MARIELA; LOPONTE, DANIEL

REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL

SOC BIOLGIA CHILE

Lugar: Santiago de Chile; Año: 2010 vol. 83 p. 309 - 319

0716-078X

In the present study we evaluate the contribution of C3, C4 and intermediate C3-C4 species to the diet of herbivore species, both native (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Rhea americana and Logostomus maximus) and domestic (cattle), and analyze the abundance of plants of these photosynthetic types in different environments in the lower section of the Del Plata Basin, Argentina, with a similar climate but with different hydrological regimes. The annual dietary analysis conducted in terms of photosynthetic types showed that the feeding patterns of wild and domestic herbivores varied both spatially and temporally. At each site, the analysis of vegetation and the diet of herbivores in spring indicated that the feeding patterns may depend not only on vegetation availability, but also on the preferences of herbivores and inter-specific interactions. These attributes should be considered when interpreting the diet of fossil herbivores from isotopic information. Data of current vegetation and the diet were compiled from the literature.  Studies on photosynthetic groups using the stable isotope method contribute to the interpretation of the relationship between paleodiets and paleoenvironments.