Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)

To determine the feeding habits of the Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis in some Central Amazonian rivers and lakes, we compared plant epidermis found in the stomach contents and/or faeces of animals with a reference collection of plants present in the studied areas. Twenty five samples from dig...

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Main Authors: Ioni G. Colares, Elton P. Colares
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto de Tecnologia do Paraná (Tecpar) 2002-03-01
Series:Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-89132002000100011
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spelling doaj-ab7125521b494ac3b686a59f4af9b4b22020-11-24T22:05:52ZengInstituto de Tecnologia do Paraná (Tecpar)Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology1516-89131678-43242002-03-01451677210.1590/S1516-89132002000100011Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)Ioni G. ColaresElton P. ColaresTo determine the feeding habits of the Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis in some Central Amazonian rivers and lakes, we compared plant epidermis found in the stomach contents and/or faeces of animals with a reference collection of plants present in the studied areas. Twenty five samples from digestive tracts of animals found dead and 25 faeces samples found floating were analyzed. From these samples, 24 aquatic macrophytes were identified. The Gramineae family was identified in 96% of the samples, Paspalum repens and Echinochloa polystachya being the most abundant in the samples. The second most frequent family was the Pontederiaceae primarily Eichhornia crassipes. During the high water period, the animals showed a more selective diet (eight identified species). In the low water period, when food was more scarce, the animals showed a larger diversity of species in their diet (21 species of plants). Differences in the diet among the two studied areas reflected the physiographics characteristics of the region. Amazonian manatees fed mostly on emergent plants.<br>Para determinar o hábito alimentar do peixe-boi da Amazonia em alguns rios e lagos da Amazonia Central, nós comparamos as epidermes de plantas encontradas nos conteúdos alimentares e/ou fezes de animais com uma coleção de referência de epidermes de plantas presentes nas áreas de estudo. Foram analisadas 25 amostras de trato digestivo de animais encontrados mortos e 25 amostras de fezes . A familia Gramineae foi encontrada em 96% das amostras, com maior ocorrência das espécies Paspalum repens e Echinochloa polystachya. A segunda familia mais freqüente foi Pontederiaceae sendo Eichhornia crassipes a espécie predominante. Durante o período de água cheia, os animais apresentaram uma dieta mais seletiva (oito espécies identificadas). Já na água baixa, com menor oferta de alimentos, os animais apresentam uma maior diversidade de espécies em sua dieta (21 espécies de plantas). Diferenças na dieta entre as duas áreas amostrais refletem as características fisiográficas das regiões. O peixe-boi alimenta-se principalmente de plantas emergentes.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-89132002000100011Amazonian manateetrichechusfoodplants eatenAmazon
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ioni G. Colares
Elton P. Colares
spellingShingle Ioni G. Colares
Elton P. Colares
Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
Amazonian manatee
trichechus
food
plants eaten
Amazon
author_facet Ioni G. Colares
Elton P. Colares
author_sort Ioni G. Colares
title Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
title_short Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
title_full Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
title_fullStr Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
title_full_unstemmed Food Plants Eaten by Amazonian Manatees (Trichechus inunguis, Mammalia : Sirenia)
title_sort food plants eaten by amazonian manatees (trichechus inunguis, mammalia : sirenia)
publisher Instituto de Tecnologia do Paraná (Tecpar)
series Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
issn 1516-8913
1678-4324
publishDate 2002-03-01
description To determine the feeding habits of the Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis in some Central Amazonian rivers and lakes, we compared plant epidermis found in the stomach contents and/or faeces of animals with a reference collection of plants present in the studied areas. Twenty five samples from digestive tracts of animals found dead and 25 faeces samples found floating were analyzed. From these samples, 24 aquatic macrophytes were identified. The Gramineae family was identified in 96% of the samples, Paspalum repens and Echinochloa polystachya being the most abundant in the samples. The second most frequent family was the Pontederiaceae primarily Eichhornia crassipes. During the high water period, the animals showed a more selective diet (eight identified species). In the low water period, when food was more scarce, the animals showed a larger diversity of species in their diet (21 species of plants). Differences in the diet among the two studied areas reflected the physiographics characteristics of the region. Amazonian manatees fed mostly on emergent plants.<br>Para determinar o hábito alimentar do peixe-boi da Amazonia em alguns rios e lagos da Amazonia Central, nós comparamos as epidermes de plantas encontradas nos conteúdos alimentares e/ou fezes de animais com uma coleção de referência de epidermes de plantas presentes nas áreas de estudo. Foram analisadas 25 amostras de trato digestivo de animais encontrados mortos e 25 amostras de fezes . A familia Gramineae foi encontrada em 96% das amostras, com maior ocorrência das espécies Paspalum repens e Echinochloa polystachya. A segunda familia mais freqüente foi Pontederiaceae sendo Eichhornia crassipes a espécie predominante. Durante o período de água cheia, os animais apresentaram uma dieta mais seletiva (oito espécies identificadas). Já na água baixa, com menor oferta de alimentos, os animais apresentam uma maior diversidade de espécies em sua dieta (21 espécies de plantas). Diferenças na dieta entre as duas áreas amostrais refletem as características fisiográficas das regiões. O peixe-boi alimenta-se principalmente de plantas emergentes.
topic Amazonian manatee
trichechus
food
plants eaten
Amazon
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-89132002000100011
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