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1 December 2011 Abundancia y Preferencia de Hábitat de Bradypus variegatus y Choloepus hoffmanni Durante la Época Seca en dos Fragmentos de Bosque Seco en Arboletes, Antioquia, Colombia
Juan Fernando Acevedo-Quintero, Diana Sánchez Granada, Tinka Plese
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Abstract

To assess some of the habitat characteristics that are important for the survival of two- and three-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni and Bradypus variegatus), a floristic characterization was done in two fragments of the tropical dry forest in Arboletes, Antioquia, Colombia. The study was performed during the dry season of February – March 2007 in an area intervened by cattle farming activity An index of population abundance of each species was calculated using a method of simple transects. The study about habitat use and preference took into account the following parameters: height, diameter at chest height, exposition of the canopy to the sun, abundance of lianas, and proportions of use and availability of the used plant species. Both species of sloths were more abundant in the forest fragment called El Refugio (1.66 and 0.83 individuals/km, respectively) than in the forest fragment La Quebrada (0.62 and 0.2 individuals/km, respectively). Both species of sloths showed preference for Brownea ariza exceeding its proportional availability in both assessed fragments. This arboreal species does not lose leaves in the dry season and offers food supply, refuge, and protection. The architecture of the tree facilitates displacement. All these characteristics make this floristic resource important for the abundance of sloths in the study area and study period.

Juan Fernando Acevedo-Quintero, Diana Sánchez Granada, and Tinka Plese "Abundancia y Preferencia de Hábitat de Bradypus variegatus y Choloepus hoffmanni Durante la Época Seca en dos Fragmentos de Bosque Seco en Arboletes, Antioquia, Colombia," Edentata 12(1), 36-44, (1 December 2011). https://doi.org/10.5537/020.012.0106
Received: 15 August 2011; Accepted: 20 December 2011; Published: 1 December 2011
KEYWORDS
Brownea ariza
caracterización florística
floristic characterization
Habitat preferences
habitat use
perezosos
preferencia de hábitat
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