Cullenia exarillata – a potentially important resource for Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni during a period of fruit scarcity in the Western Ghats

Abstract

Spatio-temporal variation in resource availability influences the diet preferences of mammals. This rapid survey assessed the food preference of the frugivorous Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni during a period of fruit scarcity in the Kakachi area of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India. A systematic survey was carried out for the scats of Brown Palm Civet. We analysed 73 scats collected from two habitats: mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen forest and abandoned cardamom plantations. The flower of the Western Ghats endemic tree Cullenia exarillata constituted the major component of the civet diet (72.6%) during the survey. This suggests the possibility of an important ecological relationship between the tree species Cullenia exarillata and Brown Palm Civet during periods of resource scarcity in the Kakachi area of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.