Temporal changes in the diet of two sympatric carnivorous mammals in a protected area of south–central Chile affected by a mixed–severity forest fire

espanolEl fuego es un importante agente perturbador en varios ecosistemas de todo el mundo que puede afectar a la disponibilidad de recursos en una zona determinada, regulando la interaccion entre especies competidoras. Estudiamos la dieta del zorro culpeo (Lycalopex culpaeus) y el puma (Puma concolor) por dos anos consecutivos en un zona protegida del centro y el sur de Chile que se vio afectada por un incendio forestal. Se observaron diferencias significativas en el regimen alimentario de ambas especies, lo que pone de manifiesto su segregacion trofica. En los dos anos del estudio, la presa predominante del puma fue una especie exotica: la liebre europea (Lepus europaeus), lo que sugiere una simplificacion de su espectro trofico respecto a lo reportado en otras latitudes. Se analizan las consecuencias ecologicas de este hecho. EnglishFire is a significant disruptive agent in various ecosystems around the world. It can affect the availability of resources in a given area, modulating the interaction between competing species. We studied the diet of the culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) and cougar (Puma concolor) for two consecutive years in a protected area of southern–central Chile which was affected by a wildfire. Significant differences were observed in the dietary pattern between the two species, showing their trophic segregation. In the two years of the study, the predominant prey for cougar was an exotic species, the European hare (Lepus europaeus), implying a simplification of its trophic spectrum with respect to that reported in other latitudes. The ecological consequences related to this scenario are discussed.