Prey quality in Península Valdés, Patagonia Argentina.

HERNÁNDEZ, MARÍA A.; MUSMECI, LUCIANA R.

Vancouver

Simposio; 4th Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting; 2011

During their migratory journeys, shorebirds need to accumulate large amount of reserves in each stopover sites in order to successfully carry out its next stage of flight. In peninsula Valdes, Patagonia Argentina, shorebirds feed mainly on clams Darina solenoides, prey on which focused this study to estimate its prey quality. For this we used the parameter Q, who ponders the energetic density, assimilation efficiency and the relationship between mass ingerible and not ingerible of the prey. The work was performed in the period February/April of migratory seasons for the years 2002 to 2004.The estimator Q presented a minimum in February/04 of 3.2 kJ g-1 and a maximum in April/04 of 3.9 kJ g-1. Whereas the values of density and biomass of the sizes selected by the knots, concludes that both the clam and the area qualify as one of the best places in refuelling stopover.