A new method to determine the diet of pygmy hippopotamus in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire
Abstract
Diet determination of endangered species is an essential element in defining successful conservation strategies and optimising captive breeding programmes. In this study, we developed a new diet identification system, derived from standard faecal analysis, to determine the diet of an elusive and endangered herbivore, the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). We collected faecal samples from 10 free-ranging individuals covering a combined home range area of about 50 km2 in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. In subsequent laboratory analyses, we extracted a large number of leaf epidermis fragments from spatially separated faecal samples and compared them with a reference plant database. Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) of epidermis fragments combined with direct visual inspection, we identified the most frequently consumed plant species, which revealed that pygmy hippopotami qualified as intermediate feeders. Their diet was based on at least seven species of monocotyledonae, dicotyledonae and fern groups, with a preference for a small number of other plant species. We evaluate the merit of our method and discuss our findings for developing effective conservation and captive breeding strategies in an endangered species with a wild population of less than 2500 adult individuals.
Citation
Hendier , A , Chatelain , C , Du Pasquier , P-E , Paris , M , Ouattara , K , Koné , I , Croll , D & Zuberbühler , K 2021 , ' A new method to determine the diet of pygmy hippopotamus in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire ' , African Journal of Ecology , vol. Early View . https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12888
Publication
African Journal of Ecology
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0141-6707Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12888
Description
This research was funded by “Fond des donations” of the University of Neuchâtel and the “Willy Müller Award” of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire.Collections
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