Abstract

SILVA ARANO, Tomas de Jesús et al. Contribution of the floristic diversity of different successional conditions of tropical forest in the diet of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; Artiodactyla: Cervidae). Acta univ [online]. 2024, vol.34, e4113.  Epub Mar 07, 2025. ISSN 2007-9621.  https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2024.4113.

The objective was to know the contribution of the floristic diversity of the low flooded (SBI) and medium semievergreen (SMS) forests, in the botanical composition of the diet of the white-tailed deer. The importance value indices (IVI) of the species, the Margalef index (Dmg), and the Shannon index (H'), as well as the botanical composition of the diet, were calculated. The greatest diversity was found in the SMS (H' = 3.96-3.99; Dmg = 12.11-12.17), in contrast to SBI (H' = 3.80; Dmg = 10.51), and 75 species consumed by deer were identified. The diet of the deer is related to a higher IVI of the species. The main species in the diet were Cladium mariscus subsp. jamaicense, Thevetia ahouai, Byrsonima bucidifolia, Machaerium cirrhiferum, and Dalbergia glabra. It is concluded that the high species diversity of tropical forests provides a high food supply to white-tailed deer, with the consumption of species from the Fabaceae, Cyperacea, Rubiaceae, and Malvaceae families predominating.

Keywords : Species richness; edible plants; ungulate; food; tropic.

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