| Little is known about spatial induced processes regulating population dynamics in capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a social rodent from the lowlands of South America, an aspect that may explain the causative mechanism involved in a spatial density-dependent process like mortality and dispersal. We investigated and compared the spatial pattern of herds in a capybara population in the eastern savannas of Colombia. Herd locations were mapped during two contrasting periods of the year and changes in herd spatial distribution were measured using scale-dependent point pattern analyses, pair correlation function g(r) and the normalize K-function, (L(r)). Our results show that 1) herd size increases during the dry season; 2) herd spatial distribution followed... |
