Resumen
Las quebradas urbanas de Quito, Ecuador, albergan la última vegetación remanente de la ciudad, pero enfrentan una presión creciente por la urbanización y depredadores introducidos. En este estudio analizamos los patrones de actividad diaria del conejo andino (Sylvilagus andinus) en una quebrada del río Chiche (Puembo, Quito) mediante cámaras trampa entre febrero y septiembre del 2025, después de 304 trampas/noche. Se obtuvieron 176 registros de conejos andinos, especie que demostró tener una actividad principalmente nocturna, con un pico general de actividad entre las 02:00 y 03:00, y mostraron un cambio estacional significativo: su actividad se concentró en las primeras horas de la noche (18:30-19:30) durante la temporada lluviosa y se extendió hacia horas tardías en la noche (02:00-04:00) durante la temporada seca. El solapamiento temporal con depredadores introducidos como perros y gatos fue moderado, pero probablemente no representativo al estar basado en pocos eventos captados (n=5). Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que S. andinus varía su actividad temporal principal en respuesta a factores estacionales y posiblemente antropogénicos en estas quebradas urbanas. Este estudio establece una línea base para futuras investigaciones sobre mamíferos nativos en lugares con procesos de urbanización en ciudades andinas como Quito.
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Derechos de autor 2025 Elias Viteri-Basso, Rebecca Zug
