@article{fdi:010044038,
  title = {{D}istribution patterns, population status and conservation of {M}elanosuchus niger and {C}aiman yacare ({C}rocodylia, {A}lligatoridae) in oxbow lakes of the {I}chilo river floodplain, {B}olivia},
  author = {{A}guilera, {X}. and {C}oronel, {J}. {S}. and {O}berdorff, {T}hierry and {V}an {D}amme, {P}. {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{C}aiman yacare (lagarto) and {M}elanosuchus niger (black caiman), sympatric species in the {B}olivian {A}mazon basin, have been severely overexploited in the past. {W}e present the results of a standardized survey of {C}. yacare and {M}. niger populations in order to evaluate their actual population status in twelve oxbow lakes of the {I}chilo {R}iver floodplain. {A}dditionally we explored the effect of environmental and anthropogenic variables on caiman distribution patterns. {T}he average density of {C}. yacare and {M} niger in the shoreline of floodplain lakes was of 6 and 1 ind/km, respectively. {F}or both species, the population was composed mainly of juvenile individuals. {W}e used regression tree analysis ({RTA}) to assess patterns of {M} niger and {C}. yacare densities with eight environmental and two anthropogenic variables. {T}he {RTA} analysis showed that the variation in the densities of both {C}. yacare (52.4 %) and {M} niger (36.8 %) was related to water conductivity. {F}or {C}. yacare, higher densities occurred at higher values of water conductivity, while {M} niger densities followed an opposite trend, resulting in relatively well spatially segregated populations of the two species. {A}fter excluding conductivity, {L}ake-{R}iver {D}istance ({LRD}) was shown to be the main splitting variable in the {RTA} analysis. {T}he observed distribution patterns may be the result of the historical post-hunting situation, in combination with differences in habitat selection by the two species, and competitive exclusion processes between the two species. {M} niger a species reported to be recovering slowly from previous low population levels, appears relatively well protected in the {I}chilo river floodplain.},
  keywords = {{B}olivian amazon ; {C}aiman yacare ; {F}loodplain lakes ; {M}elanosuchus niger},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{R}evista de {B}iologia {T}ropical},
  volume = {56},
  numero = {2},
  pages = {909--929},
  ISSN = {0034-7744},
  year = {2008},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010044038},
}