PERSONAL DE APOYO
SAENZ SAMANIEGO Ricardo Andres
artículos
Título:
Trophic ecology of a top predator colonizing the southern extreme of South America: Feeding habits of invasive American mink (Neovison vison) in Tierra del Fuego
Autor/es:
ALEJANDRO E.J. VALENZUELA; ANDREA RAYA REY; LAURA FASOLA; RICARDO SÁENZ SAMANIEGO; ADRIAN SCHIAVINI
Revista:
MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY
Editorial:
ELSEVIER GMBH
Referencias:
Año: 2013 p. 104 - 110
ISSN:
1616-5047
Resumen:
The American mink (Neovison vison) is a semi-aquatic, generalist carnivore released onto Tierra del Fuego
(TDF) Island in the 1940s, subsequently spreading to adjacent islands in the archipelago with potential
effects on native prey populations. Knowledge of this new predator?s trophic ecology is essential to
identify threats, plan control strategies and conserve native fauna. We studied seasonal mink diet in
TDF in different habitats. We identified undigested remains from 493 scats collected between May 2005
and March 2009 along marine coasts and freshwater shores (rivers and lakes). Small mammals and fish
were the main mink prey in TDF (over 65% of diet items). Seasonal variations were not detected, but
diet did vary significantly between marine and freshwater habitats, where more terrestrial items were
consumed. Among mammals, mink consumed more small native rodents than exotic species. Native fish
consumption was also important with greater representation of species from the families Nototheniidae
and Galaxiidae in marine and freshwater habitats respectively. Birds were the third item in importance,
but did not constitute a particularly large part of the mink?s diet on TDF. Overall, differences found in mink
diet between habitats reflected their generalist/opportunistic feeding behaviour and did not differ greatly
from observations in its native range or in other areas where it has been introduced. Our results establish
the interactions between this novel predator and its prey and also illustrate the need to continue research
on native prey populations to quantify mink impact on them and understand the ecological context of
this biotic assemblage.