PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 20: Invasive Species
Wednesday, August 10, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Linking landscape features to potential interaction between feral and wild ungulates: the case of feral hogs and peccaries in the brazilian Pantanal wetland.

Oliveira, Luiz Flamarion^*,1, Rico , Miguel¹, Cordeiro, José Luis², ¹ Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil² Centro de Ecologia, Laboratório de Geoprocessamento, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

ABSTRACT- Feral hogs and peccaries potentially interact as for the use of the resources; the interactive potential among the species are intensively discussed in literature. However, some evidences suggest that the relationships can vary as a consequence of the landscape structure and of the different ecological conditions. The heterogeneity of the landscape should constitute an important factor in the sense of minimizing interactions. This research aims to evaluate the effects of scale and mosaic complexity on the potential interactions between collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and feral hogs (Sus scrofa), and to identify factors in the scale of landscape and habitats that conditioned the distribution and the abundance of the species. The RPPN SESC/Pantanal area (Priority Area for Conservation of Biodiversity - MT, Brazil) comprises 106,558.35 ha recovered of pristine vegetation formed mainly by forests and savannas. Habitat classes were identified through Landsat TM satellite images. Field data were integrated by a Geographical Information System (IDRISI software). Tracks and rooting in line transect surveys were used to detect occurrence of the species. The relationships of the species with the relative importance of the habitat classes (estimated setting a buffer of 250 and 500m around the transects) were evaluated by multiple regression using the cover classes as independent variables. Trends were interpreted throughout ternary contour plots. Feral hogs are widespread in the studied region; in open mosaics they are associated to savannas with earthmounds avoiding open grasslands. Peccaries are associated to closed mosaics. White-lipped peccaries are more associated to forests where dense palm stands prevails. Collared peccaries prefer all forest types including areas with dense stands of bamboo, as well as open formations as earthmound savannas and grasslands. Although feral pigs are often regarded as having deleterious effects on the environment, there are no reliable estimates of the impact on the Pantanal ecosystem. But, as an exotic species the potential interaction and impact on native ungulates or other components of the fauna are a real concern.

Key words: Tayassuidae, Suidae, potential interaction, Pantanal