The trophic ecology of Andean camelids living in sympatry with introduced domestic species. Implications for the conservation of high-Andean pastoral ecosystems (CAMELSIMP)

Jordi Bartolomé Filella, Jorge Cassinello Roldan, Edgar Carlos Quispe Peña, José Luis Contreras Paco.

The pasturing of alpaca, llamas, guanacos and vicunas forms part of the functioning of high-Andean ecosystems. However the introduction of sheep, cows, horses and goats during the Spanish colonization, plus the poverty conditions now prevailing, have led to overpasturing of paramo and puna. The effects of overpasturing (erosion, loss of biodiversity, changes in plant structure, etc.) are directly related to the type of herbivores co-existing in a given region and the nature of their management.

The overall goal of this project is to apply our knowledge of the behavioral ecology of large autochthonous and allochthonous herbivores in order to mitigate overpasturing in the central Andes. A first, innovative hypothesis to be tested is that the diet choice of large herbivores varies according to whether pasturing takes place in sympatry (mixed herds) or allopatry (monospecific herds). Should such variations be found, the next hypothesis would be that the differences are greater when we have autochthonous (camelids) cohabiting with exotic species (primarily ovine and bovine).

Another novel aspect to be explored is whether the impact of herbivorism on vegetation varies with the livestock mix. The hypothesis here is that vegetation parameters such as structure, diversity, production and quality are influenced by the animal species grazing the land (autochthonous or allochthonous and mixed or monospecific herds). It will also provide first-time information in the central Andes setting on interactions between domestic and wild species, especially when the latter are, like the vicuna, deemed to be under threat. The goal here will be to establish whether domestic herds are displacing family groups of vicuna and whether the two compete for food resources. Although the diet of Andean camelids has been widely dealt with in the literature, this is the first study looking at trophic relations between herbivores differing at various levels (taxonomic, natural distribution, extent of earlier co-evolution and body size).