Salt lick characterization and their relation with visiting fauna in Amazonia

Abstract

Salt licks are key areas the forests, where a great diversity of mammals and birds frequently visit them to consume clay. Some hypotheses have been proposed to explain this geophagic behaviour, mineral supply and detoxify are the two more studied. However, the principal reasons that explain soil consumption at salt licks remains unclear. The aim of this study is the physic - chemical characterization of salt licks with different levels of intervention and to asses, their relation with fauna visits. During dry season, from October 24 to December 8 in 2019, 13 salt licks was select at Yasuní National Park. Na, K, Ca and Mg concentration was determined, by ion chromatography with a high-capacity cation-exchange column (HPLC). Visits of fauna for each salt lick was also recorded using camera traps with a total sample effort of 256 trap/nights (with a mean of 25 trap/nights per salt lick). A total of 13 mammals and 10 birds species associated to salt licks was recorded. Na concentrations were typically higher at all salt licks samples in contrast with control sites. Using guidance models a great influence was observed from number of predation events and disturbance level on the frequency of animals visit to salt licks. High Na concentrations appears to be more associated to ungulates visits as Tapirus terrestris and Tayassu pecari, both with Mazama americana and Ara macao were frequently recorded species (with visit rates higher than 11%). Although high Na concentration at salt licks, soil chemical composition is not the only factor that determine visit frequency, therefore it is necessary to link multidisciplinary research that includes ecological and geochemical approaches. These results are relevant to understand the role of salt licks and the influence of environment on the species that visit them, being important information for conservation programs at landscape level or areas of high conservation priority such as Yasuní National Park.