ALTERNATIVE MODEL USED TO DETERMINE COEXISTENCE AND TROPHIC SEGREGATION OF TWO SYMPATRIC FELINES: Puma concolor L. AND Panthera onca L.

Abstract

A search was carried out, in databases, about feeding habits of Puma concolor and Panthera onca,
considering the list of prey (mammals-birds) most often consumed, with the objective of applying the Game Theory (GT) and Nash Equilibrium in Pure Strategies (NEPS) as predictive models regarding the strategies of success and failure that allow establishing patterns of trophic coexistence-segregation between both sympatric felines, looking to generate recommendations for habitat management to
maintain viable populations of their prey and of both predators. Both models were run with data from Estrada (2008) on relative biomass consumed in kg species^-1 for those species. The GT evidenced four Rational Dominant Predatory Strategies based on the consumption of C. paca (Tepe; 87.66, 12.53), N. narica (whitenosed coati; 46.01, 85.74), Pecari tajacu (wild boar; 6.02, 21.06), birds (39.27, 26.79). The
NEPS pointed to a Rational Predatory Strategy resulting through the consumption of N. Narica
(white-nosed coati; 46.01, 85.74), respectively. It is concluded that the GT and NEPS turn out to be useful to identify patterns of trophic coexistence and segregation between these competitors, and the suggestion is to design habitat management-improvement which could allow viability, in this case, of N. narica (white-nosed coati) to maintain trophically stable populations of both predators.