Journal
JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY
Volume 24, Issue -, Pages 367-374Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0266467408005129
Keywords
agouti; Dasyprocta punctata; habitat use; home range; mammal density; predation risk; space use
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This study investigates the movements and home range of the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We captured and tracked 12 agoutis from January to December 2003. Home-range size (95% kernel) ranged from 1.56-2.45 ha (n = 6) for males and 1.34-1.97 ha (n = 5) for females. Agouti ranges overlapped and we estimated a density of approximately 1.00 agoutis km(-2). We compared agouti movement with the locations of refuges and food trees, and the results suggest that the agoutis are central-place foragers. Agoutis moved an average of 8 50 m d(-1) covering approximately 35% of their range daily. These movement data help us understand the potential impacts of agoutis as seed dispersers, predicting that D. punctata will encounter and hoard fallen fruit within 10-200 m (i.e. radius of home range) of its source, and move seeds towards refuges such as ground holes and dense vegetation around recent tree falls.
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