Resumen:
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.
