Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
The act of consuming any part of fungi is termed mycophagy. Certain basidiomes contain highly nutritious elements, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which can be extremely valuable in the animal diet. Mycophagous behavior in animals is well-documented in ethological studies; however, due to...
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Fundación Miguel Lillo
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.lillo.org.ar/journals/index.php/lilloa/article/view/2073 |
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| author | Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira Emily dos Santos Silva Carolina Starling-Manne Juliano M. Baltazar |
| author_facet | Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira Emily dos Santos Silva Carolina Starling-Manne Juliano M. Baltazar |
| author_sort | Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The act of consuming any part of fungi is termed mycophagy. Certain basidiomes contain highly nutritious elements, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which can be extremely valuable in the animal diet. Mycophagous behavior in animals is well-documented in ethological studies; however, due to the scarcity of macrofungi experts in Brazil, the fungal species consumed are often not identified. The Tijuca National Park (TNP) is a fragment of the Atlantic Forest located in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), covering an area of 3,953 hectares. The Refauna Association works within TNP to restore ecological interactions in the area through the reintroduction of vertebrate species previously present in the region. One of the reintroduced species is the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus), a terrestrial chelonian. Several studies have documented the mycophagous behavior of chelonians; however, it is important to emphasize the lack of studies dedicated to identifying the fungal species comprising their diet. In November 2021, cafeteria-style feeding trials were conducted with Refauna’s yellow-footed tortoises, in which they were offered the macrofungi collected from TNP were offered to the animals. A total of 21 basidiomycete specimens representing 13 taxa, were collected and offered. The morphology of the offered macrofungi was highly diverse, including agaricoid mushrooms, jelly fungi, gasteroid fungi (earthstar and sequestrate form), and coralloid fungi. The macrofungi were offered to seven individual tortoises, and only one rejected the offered mushrooms. Basidiomes from ten species were consumed by the tortoises, while three were either rejected or only partially accepted.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1ff21b46ddd64c94a92d19a1de31a654 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2346-9641 |
| language | Spanish |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Fundación Miguel Lillo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Lilloa |
| spelling | doaj-art-1ff21b46ddd64c94a92d19a1de31a6542025-08-20T03:29:22ZspaFundación Miguel LilloLilloa2346-96412025-07-0161s210.30550/j.lil/2073Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira0Emily dos Santos Silva1Carolina Starling-Manne2Juliano M. Baltazar3Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Campus Lagoa do Sino, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Buri, SP, Brazil.Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Campus Lagoa do Sino, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Buri, SP, Brazil.Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Populações (LECP), Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Refauna. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Laboratório de Estudos Micológicos (LEMic), Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Campus Lagoa do Sino, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Buri, SP, Brazil.The act of consuming any part of fungi is termed mycophagy. Certain basidiomes contain highly nutritious elements, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which can be extremely valuable in the animal diet. Mycophagous behavior in animals is well-documented in ethological studies; however, due to the scarcity of macrofungi experts in Brazil, the fungal species consumed are often not identified. The Tijuca National Park (TNP) is a fragment of the Atlantic Forest located in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), covering an area of 3,953 hectares. The Refauna Association works within TNP to restore ecological interactions in the area through the reintroduction of vertebrate species previously present in the region. One of the reintroduced species is the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus), a terrestrial chelonian. Several studies have documented the mycophagous behavior of chelonians; however, it is important to emphasize the lack of studies dedicated to identifying the fungal species comprising their diet. In November 2021, cafeteria-style feeding trials were conducted with Refauna’s yellow-footed tortoises, in which they were offered the macrofungi collected from TNP were offered to the animals. A total of 21 basidiomycete specimens representing 13 taxa, were collected and offered. The morphology of the offered macrofungi was highly diverse, including agaricoid mushrooms, jelly fungi, gasteroid fungi (earthstar and sequestrate form), and coralloid fungi. The macrofungi were offered to seven individual tortoises, and only one rejected the offered mushrooms. Basidiomes from ten species were consumed by the tortoises, while three were either rejected or only partially accepted. https://www.lillo.org.ar/journals/index.php/lilloa/article/view/2073Animal dietchelonianfauna reintroductionfungifungivory |
| spellingShingle | Larissa Trierveiler-Pereira Emily dos Santos Silva Carolina Starling-Manne Juliano M. Baltazar Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Lilloa Animal diet chelonian fauna reintroduction fungi fungivory |
| title | Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) |
| title_full | Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) |
| title_fullStr | Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) |
| title_short | Mycophagy in the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulatus): feeding trial experiments at Tijuca National Park (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) |
| title_sort | mycophagy in the yellow footed tortoise chelonoidis denticulatus feeding trial experiments at tijuca national park rio de janeiro brazil |
| topic | Animal diet chelonian fauna reintroduction fungi fungivory |
| url | https://www.lillo.org.ar/journals/index.php/lilloa/article/view/2073 |
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