Abstract
A rocky habitat, in its broadest sense, may be described as any locality that contains boulders, rocks, scree, pebbles, outcrops, cliffs, or caves. In these habitats, mammals find shelter sites that they use as nesting sites or dens to raise their young in a stable microclimate that is relatively secure from predators. The aim of this study was to characterize and evaluate the microhabitat selection by the southern mountain cavy (Microcavia australis Geoffroy and d’Orbigny) in a rocky habitat. This rodent selected the highest and deepest crevices, which provided them with a more stable microenvironment than outside. The present study is the first to report a southern mountain cavy population associated with a rocky habitat, suggesting a strong plasticity to inhabit a variety of habitats, as indicated by its wide distribution.
Dedicated to: This article is dedicated to the memory of our deceased colleague Verónica Lahoz.
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to the staff from the “Termas de La Laja” for providing all the necessary facilities during field work. Andino N. received a research grant from the National Council for Science and Technology (CONICET), S.M. Giannoni and Borghi C.E are CONICET researchers. We acknowledge and are grateful for the help received from all the members of INTERBIODES and for the data base provided by INTA San Juan. Jorgelina Brasca assisted us with the English editing. This work is dedicated to the memory of Verónica Lahoz, our recently deceased colleague. We want to sincerely thank her for her participation in the data collection and for her comments and suggestions on a first draft of our manuscript.
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