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Durham E-Theses the spatial ecology o the Guina (Oncifelis guigna) in Southern Chile Freer, Rachel A. How to cite: Freer, Rachel A. (2004) the spatial ecology o the Guina (Oncifelis guigna) in Southern Chile, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3050/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Tllne §pathnll lEcollogy of tllne Grudiillla ( 0TJ1Jcifeli§ guigll1la) illll Southern ChHe by A . copyrigllnt of tll:nis til..aJtesns • rests WBtll:n t~e Bllll!Unor. No (]!lll!otation fr~m nt sholll!Jd ll>e JPlLllll>Bis.hedl Wlth~lll!t !Inns prior wrnUellll COIIllsent Rachel A. Freer Bll!Rdl mformatiollll dlerivecll from nt sll:nolll!Bdlll>e acllrnowBedlged. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Durham, UK 2004 This thesis is submitted in candidature for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy A copyrngllnt of tllnns tihlesis rests with Une aunthor. No quotation fmm it sl!nounRdl lbe nnnlbllish.ed witllnoullt his prior wrRUellll collllsent amll imtformatimn <llernvedl from it sll:nounDdl be adrnowBedlged. Declaration The material contained in this thesis has not previously been submitted for a degree at the University of Durham or any other university. The field research presented within this thesis was conducted with the help of Raleigh Intemational volunteers, expeditions 1997H, 1998A, 1998H, 1999A, 19991, 2000A, 20001 and 2001A. All data collation was conducted by the author apm1 from expeditions 1997H and 1998A, which were overseen by Dr L. Durbin and Dr I. Wyllie, respectively. All analyses were conducted by the author. © The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author's written consent, and information derived from it should be acknowledged. II Cats no less liguid than their shadows Otter no angles to the wind The~ slip, diminished, neat through loopholes Less than themselves; will not be pinned A.S.J.Tessimond This thesis is dedicated to anyone who has ever attempted to track a cat in its element. ll1 1rlhle Spatial IEcology oJf tlhle GUi!Diffia (OitlldJfelli§ gu.ngltlla) ftrn §mdherltll Chnle. !PhD thesis submitted by Rachel A. 1Freer 2004 Alb§tract This thesis describes the diet, activity, home range and habitat utilisation of gtiifia (Oncifelis guigna) within two populations located inside regions of minimal anthropogenic disturbance in southern Chile. Fieldwork was comprised of several components: gliifia captured in live traps were fitted with radio collars and monitored on foot using standard radiotelemetry techniques; landcover maps were created for each study area from satellite data, aerial photography and ground truthing, and the relative abundance and diversity of potential small mammal prey were assessed by means of grid-based live-trapping studies and tree-mounted hair-traps. The behavioural data obtained from the radiotelemetry study were analysed usmg RANGES V to assess the area requirements of the gliifia and to determine how the home ranges and movements of individuals were distributed with respect to those of conspecifics. This data was also investigated with reference to the landcover maps generated for each site to identify habitat categories that were preferentially utilised or avoided by gliifia. The diet of this species was determined via faecal analysis. The composition of the gliifia diet within each site was then related to small mammal relative abundances detennined in the field. Small mammals, particularly rodents represented the major component of the gliifia diet, and no evidence of prey selection was determined. Trapping surveys indicated both sites had abundant prey resources in the form of relatively dense rodent populations. Radiocollared gtiifia were largely arrhythmic in their activity pattern and neighbouring individuals within both populations showed a high degree of spatial overlap, both within and between sexes. Core use areas also overlapped extensively, and no evidence was found to indicate that gtiifia actively avoid conspecifics. These cats exhibited a consistent preference for relatively dense, thicket-forest habitat over less complexly structured vegetation, including stands of Nothofagus forest, the habitat category previously assumed to be key for this species. The results of this study are discussed within the context of conservation management for the continued survival of this endangered felid. IV Acknowledgements Financial assistance for my studies was provided by the Marion Zunz Award and the Bank of Dad. This project also benefited from grants awarded by WWF UK, WWF US, the Darwin Initiative, the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust. I am eternally grateful to all who assisted me in completing this study, especially those who joined me in the field over the years. Particular thanks must go to all at Raleigh International Chile, to Nigel Dunstone, Sam Rose and Sergio Herrera for getting the ball rolling, and to Leon Durbin and Ian Wylie who supervised the collection of the radiotelemetry data in the first year. I am much obliged to the guardeparque stationed at both Parque Nacional Laguna San Rafael and Parque Nacional Queulat for their insight, tolerance, and general good humour. Graham and Carmen Gloria Homsey's invaluable logistics skills have not been forgotten, nor have the makers of Goretex® and Hunter wellies, lest we forget what 5,000 mm of rain a year feels like. Dennis Aldridge, Daniella Castro and Patricio Contreras at CONAF smoothed the way for obtaining the relevant research permits, and also generously provided landcover and topography data. Soraya Corales and Jaime Rau made available their high resolution photographs and feather key for the identification of avian remains and Soraya also braved our first small mammal trapping study. Fellow biologists Lucia Galvez, Linda Swankie, Dawn Scott, Rodolfo Figueroa and Olaf, our East German engineer and bridge-maker provided further entertainment and assistance in the field. I am indebted to Hannah Hodgson, Peter McCauley and Angela Rabley, who assisted with the monotonous and unglamorous task of faecal analysis, and to Russ Hoezel and Dan Engelhaupt for their preliminary analyses of the gilifia genotype. Chris Thomas introduced me to both compositional analysis and BioMapper, for which he has not yet been entirely forgiven, and Marcello Mazzolli gave me my first lesson in using RANGES V. v Nicholas Aebischer kindly provided advice regarding the calculation of compositional analyses the old fashioned way and Dr Mel Sunquist and Vittoria Elliot both helped me crystallise a few thoughts at the eleventh hour during writing up. Steve Oswald's help with proof reading earlier drafts went above and beyond the call of duty and was very much appreciated. Thanks are due also to my comrades and fellow caffeine dependents in Lab. 15, Manuel Weber, Damian Bubb, Ruth Cox and Andy Dean, and to my good friends Thomas Hase, Amanda Hunter, Paul Gordon, Simon Dimmock and Professor Tobes, for their moral support, distractions and chivvying in equal quantities. Finally I wish to thank my family for their tolerance and support, for lending me Gerald Durrell books in my formative years and for learning not to ask when I intend to complete my PhD. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................... ... ii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................... ... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................ .. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................... vii TABLE OF FIGURES ............................................................................... xi TABLE OFTABLES ............................................................................... xiii TABLE OF PLATES .............................................................................. XV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 1.2 The gtiifia, Oncifelis guigna ..................................................................... .4 1.2.1 Physical description .................................................................... .4 1.2.2. Taxonomy ............................................................................... 5 1.2.3 Ecology and behaviour. ................................................................. 6 1.2.4 Diet. ....................................................................................... 7 1.2.5 Distribution and habitat associations ................................................. 7 1.2.6 Population status and principal threats ...............................................