Mycophagous behavior by small mammals observed through camera traps in a riparian forest fragment in Southwestern São Paulo, Brazil

Juliano M. Baltazar; Thiago Ghiraldini Caetano; Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira

doi:10.30550/j.lil/2158

Authors

Juliano M. Baltazar Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic-UFSCar), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Rod. Lauri Simões de Barros, Km 12, Aracaçu, 18290-000 Buri, SP, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9914-5108
Thiago Ghiraldini Caetano Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic-UFSCar), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Rod. Lauri Simões de Barros, Km 12, Aracaçu, 18290-000 Buri, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7407-9848
Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic-UFSCar), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Rod. Lauri Simões de Barros, Km 12, Aracaçu, 18290-000 Buri, SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1276-2083

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30550/j.lil/2158

Keywords:

Agaricales, ecological interactions, mushrooms, mycophagy, small mammals

Abstract

Macrofungi play a crucial role in forest ecosystems by decomposing organic matter and influencing nutrient dynamics. They are characterized by the production of visible reproductive structures known as sporomes, commonly referred to as mushrooms, bracket fungi, among others. Macrofungi of various species are recognized as an important food resource for many animals. However, knowledge regarding the interactions between these fungi and native small mammals in the wild remains limited in Brazil. This study aimed to investigate the consumption of macrofungi by vertebrates in a riparian forest fragment along the Itapetininga River, in the southwestern region of São Paulo State, using camera traps. This study aimed to identify the vertebrate species that feed on macrofungi and to assess the efficacy of camera traps for this purpose. The images from the camera traps recorded the consumption of the coconut mushroom (Oudemansiella cubensis) by the white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) and the Brazilian squirrel (Guerlinguetus brasiliensis). For the first time, this mycophagous behavior is recorded for the white-eared opossum. This study also confirmed the effectiveness of camera traps as a non-invasive tool for monitoring fauna and their interactions in ethological research. Furthermore, the data generated contribute to a deeper understanding of the ecological dynamics between fauna and fungi in the Neotropics.

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