Guanaco Predation by Pumas and Its Relationship to Patagonian Food Webs

DONADIO, EMILIANO; ZANÓN, JUAN; ALARCÓN, PABLO A E; FRANKLIN, WILLIAM

Guanacos and People in Patagonia

Springer

Año: 2022; p. 1 - 256

Interactions involving ungulates and their predators are widely thought to shapeecological patterns and processes. Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) and pumas(Puma concolor) have coexisted in South America for at least one millionyears. Within Patagonian arid-land ecosystems, guanaco predation by pumascan account for high levels of mortality, but the potential for this interaction toaffect other trophic levels remains unknown. Here, we review and synthesizedata on guanaco–puma interactions, as well as other key aspects of guanacoecology. We frame this information within food web theory to evaluatewhether guanaco predation by pumas could directly and indirectly influencevegetation, scavengers, and nutrient dynamics. We then outline a proposedtest of our hypotheses about the influence of the guanaco–puma interaction oncommunities and ecosystems. Conducting the test would shed light on a barelyknown interaction and inform current attempts for sustainable utilization ofguanacos. Ultimately, critical ecological mechanisms, such as predator–preyinteractions involving large ungulate prey and their predators, will be conservedonly if these mechanisms are explicitly recognized and understood.