Plantas consumidas por Lagothrix lagotricha lagotricha Humboldt, 1812 en la Amazonía peruana

Abstract

Lagothrix lagotricha lagotricha is an important bioindicator species of the Peruvian Amazon. Its flesh comprises part of the diet of communities ranging from indigenous to rural and urban. L. l. lagotricha fulfills an important ecological function as a seed disperser. For this reason, it is imperative to know which items and plant species it consumes in this part of the Amazon. This study identified plant species and their corresponding parts consumed by L. l. lagotricha. The location of this study is in the Güeppí-Sekime National Park (PNGS) in primary rainforest on the eastern shore of the Lagartococha River, northeastern Peru. A group of 19 individuals were observed for 485 hours from June 2017 to September 2017. A total of 20 plant items were identified and they included 8 edible vegetative items: leaf, fruit, infructescence, flower, inflorescence, resin, root and stem. The most important food items were: mesocarp 26,28%, entire leaves 26,28%, endocarp 10,22% and seeds 9,49%. The most consumed out of a total of 98 plant species, grouped into 42 families, were: Arecaceae, Fabaceae y Araceae. This is the first study that contributes to the understanding of the diet and plant species consumed by L. l. lagotricha, which gives us an idea of the ecological role of the species in the complex structure of the Amazon forest. In addition, this research can be used as a basis for initiating other research, such as studies of seed dispersal and predation.