Abstract
Nutria (Myocastor coypus) diets and food preferences in selected freshwater forested wetlands of Louisiana were determined by microhistological examination of fecal pellets and stomach contents.Lemna minor andSpirodela polyrrhiza (duckweeds) dominated the diet (yearly mean 55.5%) during all seasons on 4 of 6 sites sampled. Nutria also ate substantial amounts of Pontederiaceae (Eichhornia crassipes andPontederia cordata) (9.9%),Alternanthera philoxeroides (8.3%), Poaceae (mostlyPanicum gymnocarpon) (5.1%), and woody tissue (6.8%). Nutria diets varied among seasons, with spring diets containing more Poaceae (P<0.01) and less Pontederiaceae (P<0.01) than during other seasons. Nutria showed seasonal preference forL. minor andS. polyrrhiza (spring and summer), Poaceae (spring),A. philoxeroides (summer and winter), and Cyperaceae (summer and fall). SinceL. minor andS. polyrrhiza dominated nutria diets even when they had relative cover values as low as 16.8%, nutria habitat quality should improve if freshwater forested wetland understories are converted (through natural or anthropogenic forces) to communities dominated by these plant species.
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Wilsey, B.J., Chabreck, R.H. & Linscombe, R.G. Variation in nutria diets in selected freshwater forested wetlands of Louisiana. Wetlands 11, 263–278 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160853
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03160853