Preliminary study of habitat preferences of red brocket deer (Mazama temama) in a mountainous region of central Mexico

Abstract

The red brocket deer (Mazama temama) is a cervid distributed throughout Mexico and Central America. There is limited availability of information regarding this species, especially in the mountainous ranges typical of its geographical distribution. In this scientific note we present preliminary results of the habitat preferences of the red brocket deer in the highlands of the Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. We evaluated the habitat use-availability of the red brocket in relation to four habitat variables (vegetation type, vegetation cover, plant species richness and slope). We considered the presence of signs (tracks, scats or direct sightings) as an indicator of use, while availability was evaluated with points every 500 m. We used chi-squared tests in combination with Bonferroni confidence intervals to determine whether the red brocket preferred or avoided the selected habitat variables. Results showed that the red brocket selected croplands (coffee agroecosystems) and avoided areas covered by secondary growth vegetation. We observed that the species selects sites with high vegetation cover and intermediate plant species richness. It has been reported that the red brocket is commonly found in areas with little human influence; our results suggest that this species can also use sites with low-level disturbance, such as coffee agroecosystems. However, the use of these sites is associated with the proximity of patches of vegetation in good condition (Bodmer 1989; Lira-Torres and Naranjo 2003). The results of our study contribute to understanding how this species responds to the habitat characteristics of its environment. This information will help to develop appropriate conservation and management plans to maintain healthy populations of the species.