Dieta frugivora de Tapirus terrestris e deposição de fezes: contribuição para a dispersão de sementes e regeneração de florestas, Amazônia Central, AM

Abstract

Tapirus terrestris (tapir) is the biggest terrestrial Neotropical mammal. It is classified as frugivorous – grazer, it feeds on vegetables, and fruits correspond to 33% of its diet. It is capable of ingesting some seeds without harming them; consequently it promotes its dispersion. Tapirs are appreciated as a feeding source for the human populations in the Amazon and very little was studied about the species in the Central Amazon. The aim of this study was to determine the tapir’s frugivore diet during the dry season, and to analyze, through feces deposition, the contribution of these animals to the dispersion of seeds and regeneration of damaged forests. The study was carried out in an area free of poaching activities, aiming gathering data that may collaborate to the effective preservation and maintenance of the ecological process that this species promote. During the beginning of the dry season of 2005, from May to July, 113 samples of tapir feces were collected. Forty eight morphospecies of seeds were found, from which, 39 were identified at a precise taxonomic level. The family found in 100% of the samples was the Melastomataceae , because the species Bellucia sp1 was found in all the feces samples. The family Leg. Mimosoideae was the second family more abundant (40%), which the fruits were bean like, Passifloraceae (13%) was the third family, which has fruits with succulent drupes. From the 113 samples of tapir feces containing seeds, 56 were found in scrub areas. 30 were found below and 27 in plateau areas. The number of morphospecies found in each area was of 34, 28 and 23, respectively. The tapirs preferred to use open areas during the months where the fruits were scarce in the forest, therefore, they transported a great variety of species to these areas which contributed to the regeneration of the environments. The number of species per feces sample had little variation in all the areas, and the multivariate analysis showed that there was no deposition pattern in the morphospecies per environment, which reflects the great mobility of these animals inside and outside the forests.