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Lima IAD, Bicca-Marques JC. Opportunistic meat-eating by urban folivorous-frugivorous monkeys. Primates 2024; 65:25-32. [PMID: 37861866 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01098-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of vertebrate tissues and eggs (hereinafter "meat") is relatively common among some primates that are highly frugivorous or eclectic omnivores, but rare or absent in those that are highly folivorous. The Neotropical howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) belong in the latter group. Here we report the consumption of meat by free-ranging urban black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) and discuss the potential role of the consumed meat as a source of energy, protein, or micronutrients. We studied three groups of howler monkeys (comprising four to seven individuals), living in city squares (0.6, 1.5, and 1.9 ha) in south Brazil, from July 2022 to May 2023 (65 days; 797 h of observations). All of the study groups were spontaneously supplemented daily by people with variable amounts and types of food provided. Meat was only offered in the two larger squares. The groups' diets included leaves (42-49% scan sampling feeding records), fruit (3-20%), and flowers (2-5%) from 13 to 20 plant species, and considerable amounts of supplemented food (27-50%). We recorded 33 individual events of ingestion of supplemented cooked meat, three individual events of dove egg predation, and three bird nest inspections without egg consumption. All members of the two groups in the larger squares, except an infant male, ingested meat at least once. Meat accounted for 1% of total scan feeding records of both groups with access to this supplement. We conclude that whereas the opportunistic consumption of meat probably contributed only minor amounts of energy and protein to the study subjects, it may have benefitted them with micronutrients that are scarce in plant foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isadora Alves de Lima
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 401.02, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12C, Sala 401.02, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.
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2
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García de la Chica A, Oklander LI, Kowalewski MM, Fernandez-Duque E. Human and Non-Human Primate Coexistence in Argentina: Conflicts and Solutions. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3331. [PMID: 37958086 PMCID: PMC10648367 DOI: 10.3390/ani13213331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
There are five different primate species inhabiting widely distinct ecoregions in Argentina. Each of them faces various threats in terms of conservation and conflicts that hamper their ability to coexist with human populations. We present here some of the drivers known to be the causes of conflicts between humans and primates in the southernmost area of distribution of Latin American primates. We focus our synthesis on two of the biggest sources of conflict: the effects of different anthropogenic disturbances, and human misconceptions concerning the role of primates in the ecosystem. In each section, we briefly characterize the conflicts worldwide and then provide specific cases and examples from Argentina. In the last part of the manuscript, we further describe some ongoing national and regional educational, research, and conservation approaches to mitigate those effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba García de la Chica
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
- Owl Monkey Project—Fundación ECO, Formosa 3600, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
| | - Luciana I. Oklander
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical (IBS), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNAM), Posadas 3300, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú 3370, Argentina
| | - Martin M. Kowalewski
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú 3370, Argentina
- Estación Biológica Corrientes—Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL-CONICET-UNNE), Corrientes 3400, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Owl Monkey Project—Fundación ECO, Formosa 3600, Argentina
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa 3600, Argentina
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3
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Bicca-Marques JC. Little things, big consequences. Primates 2023; 64:463-468. [PMID: 37644239 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01089-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 12D, Sala 401.02, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil.
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Chaves ÓM, Júnior JCS, Buss G, Hirano ZMB, Jardim MMA, Amaral ELS, Godoy JC, Peruchi AR, Michel T, Bicca-Marques JC. Wildlife is imperiled in peri-urban landscapes: threats to arboreal mammals. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 821:152883. [PMID: 35038525 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization and deforestation impose severe challenges to wildlife, particularly for forest-living vertebrates. Understanding how the peri-urban matrix impacts their survival is critical for designing strategies to promote their conservation. We investigated the threats faced by brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) in peri-urban regions of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and Santa Catarina (SC) states, southern Brazil, by compiling negative interaction events (hereafter NIE) reported over more than two decades. We assessed the major NIEs, their distribution among age-sex classes, and the predictors of NIE-related mortality. After 20+ years of monitoring, we compiled 540 NIEs (RS = 248 and SC = 292). Electrocution by power lines was the most frequent cause of death or injury (37%), followed by dog attack (34%), vehicle collision (17%), and human mistreatment (12%). The occurrence of lethal injuries ranged from 5% to 69% depending on the type of NIE and on which state it occurred in. The overall post-NIE mortality was 56%. Adults of both sexes were the most affected individuals in both study regions. The minimal adequate GLM model explained 83% of the variation in NIE-related mortality. State, NIE type, and age-sex class were the main predictors of mortality. Overall, mortality was lower in SC and higher among adult females than in the other classes. We found that the survival of brown howler monkeys in the forest-urban interface is constrained by both the urban infrastructure and the growing interactions with humans and domestic and stray dogs (Canis familiaris). We propose the placement of aerial bridges, road signs and speed bumps in areas of frequent animal crossing, the sterilization of stray dogs, and the sensitization of local inhabitants on the importance of respecting and protecting wildlife to reduce their NIEs with humans and domestic animals in the forest-urban interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ó M Chaves
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, 2060 San José, Costa Rica; Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
| | - J C Souza Júnior
- Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial, Indaial, Santa Catarina, Brazil; Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau-FURB, Blumenau, Brazil
| | - G Buss
- Centro de Pesquisa e Conservação de Primatas Brasileiros (CPB), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), João Pessoa, Brazil; Programa Macacos Urbanos (PMU), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil
| | - Z M B Hirano
- Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial, Indaial, Santa Catarina, Brazil; Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau-FURB, Blumenau, Brazil
| | - M M A Jardim
- Programa Macacos Urbanos (PMU), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil; Museu de Ciências Naturais, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura (MCN/SEMA-RS), Brazil
| | - E L S Amaral
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - J C Godoy
- Programa Macacos Urbanos (PMU), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil
| | - A R Peruchi
- Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau-FURB, Blumenau, Brazil
| | - T Michel
- Museu de Ciências Naturais, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura (MCN/SEMA-RS), Brazil
| | - J C Bicca-Marques
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Cuesta Hermira AA, Michalski F. Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13185. [PMID: 35356474 PMCID: PMC8958972 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Crop farming contributes to one of the most extensive land use activities in the world, and cropland areas continue to rise. Many vertebrate species feed on crops, which has caused an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in croplands. Crop-feeding damages the economy of local communities and causes retaliation against the responsible vertebrates in several forms, including lethal practices such as hunting and poisoning. Lethal control may cause the local extirpation of some species, affecting ecological processes and patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to find non-lethal alternatives that can protect both local economies and wildlife. Research has been conducted in Africa and Asia, focusing on elephants and primates, and the effectiveness of some non-lethal alternatives, such as chili-based repellents and beehives, is being investigated. However, there has been very little research on this topic in Central and South America. The goal of this review is to assess the current knowledge on crop damage by vertebrates in Central and South America and indicate future research directions. Survey methodology We reviewed the available scientific literature reporting crop damage by vertebrates in Central and South America, and the Caribbean, published between 1980 and 2020, through systematic searches on Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We analyzed the temporal and geographical distributions of the studies, the crops and vertebrate species these studies considered, the crop protection techniques used, and their effectiveness. Results We retrieved only 113 studies on crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America, but there was an increasing trend in the number of studies published over time. Most of the studies were conducted in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Four orders of mammals (Rodentia, Carnivora, Artiodactyla, and Primates) and four orders of birds (Passeriformes, Columbiformes, Psittaciformes, and Anseriformes) were the most common groups of crop-feeding vertebrates. The most prominent crop was corn, which was featured in 49% of the studies. Other notable crops include rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. The most reported method for protecting crops was lethal control through hunting or poisoning. Non-lethal techniques were found to be less prevalent. Less than half of the studies that mentioned the use of protection techniques indicated their effectiveness, and only 10 studies evaluated it by performing scientific experiments and reporting their results. Conclusions Central and South America is still underrepresented in research on vertebrate crop-feeding. There is a need for experimentation-based robust research to find crop protection techniques that minimize harm to vertebrates while effectively reducing damage to crops. While this is being studied, habitat loss and fragmentation need to be halted to prevent the native vertebrates from turning to crops for food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Alejandro Cuesta Hermira
- Ecology Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil,Ecology and Conservation of Amazonian Vertebrates Research Group, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil,Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Michalski
- Ecology and Conservation of Amazonian Vertebrates Research Group, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil,Postgraduate Programme in Tropical Biodiversity, Federal University of Amapá, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil,Pro-Carnivores Institute, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
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6
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Attitudes towards urban howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Paraguay. Primates 2022; 63:161-171. [PMID: 35142940 PMCID: PMC8898239 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00975-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Increasing urbanisation is encroaching into natural habitats and sometimes forcing wildlife into urban centres. Whether or not wildlife can thrive in an urban environment is dependent on many factors, one of which is how the species is perceived by local people. This study focuses on the city of Pilar in south-west Paraguay, which is home to a population of urban-dwelling black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya). Using semi-structured interviews, we assessed peoples’ attitudes towards the presence of howlers, whether they perceived the monkeys to cause problems in the city, what they believed were the biggest threats to the monkeys, and whether they felt that the presence of monkeys in the city was compatible with their way of life in the long term. Overall, we found that the majority of interviewees had positive attitudes towards the monkeys, believing that they brought benefits to the city and that they should be protected from potential risks in the urban environment. Our results provide the basis for collaborative, community-based development of management strategies for the long-term survival of these urban monkeys.
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Lopes S, Calegaro-Marques C, Klain V, Chaves ÓM, Bicca-Marques JC. Necropsies disclose a low helminth parasite diversity in periurban howler monkeys. Am J Primatol 2021; 84:e23346. [PMID: 34783067 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Primate-parasite interactions are often investigated via coprological studies given ethical and conservation restrictions of collecting primate hosts. Yet, these studies are inadequate to recover adult helminths for taxonomic identification and to accurately assess their prevalence, intensity, abundance, and site of infection. Fresh carcasses found in anthropogenic landscapes come as informative and reliable alternatives. In this study, we identified the helminths of brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) and their sites of infection, and measured their prevalence, intensity, and abundance of infection. We necropsied 18 adult males, 11 adult females, and 7 juvenile males that died in conflicts with the anthropogenic environment (domestic dog attacks, n = 11; electrocutions and road-kills, n = 10 each; unknown, n = 5) in periurban landscapes of southern Brazil between 2013 and 2019. We found three nematodes (Trypanoxyuris minutus, Dipetalonema gracile, and Parabronema bonnei) and one cestode (Bertiella cf. studeri), a diversity estimated to account for a sampling completeness of 99%. Prevalence ranged from 3% for P. bonnei to 100% for T. minutus. Mean abundance ranged from 2 (D. gracile and B. cf. studeri) to 55,116 (T. minutus) and mean intensity of infection ranged from 4 (B. cf. studeri) to 55,116 (T. minutus). Trypanoxyuris minutus sex ratio was strongly male-biased. The intensity of infection with T. minutus was higher in juvenile males and adult females than in adult males. The low parasite diversity and the helminths' mode of transmission are compatible with howlers' arboreality and folivorous-frugivorous diet. The howlers were not infected with soil-transmitted helminth parasites of humans and domestic animals on the ground and probably did not eat invertebrates to complement the diet. Given the lack of evidence of howler health problems, we suggest that the causes of death of the necropsied howlers are the major threats to the long-term conservation of the species at the study periurban landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lopes
- Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Helmintologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Calegaro-Marques
- Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Helmintologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Klain
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Laboratório de Primatologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Óscar M Chaves
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Laboratório de Primatologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Laboratório de Primatologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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8
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Loría LI, Gallina S, Serio Silva JC, Riley EP. Farmers’ Perceptions of White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus imitator) and Human–Primate Coexistence in Rural Communities of Renacimiento District, Chiriquí Province, Panama. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00244-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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9
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Groom Q, Adriaens T, Bertolino S, Phelps K, Poelen JH, Reeder DM, Richardson DM, Simmons NB, Upham N. Holistic understanding of contemporary ecosystems requires integration of data on domesticated, captive and cultivated organisms. Biodivers Data J 2021; 9:e65371. [PMID: 34168517 PMCID: PMC8219659 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.9.e65371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Domestic and captive animals and cultivated plants should be recognised as integral components in contemporary ecosystems. They interact with wild organisms through such mechanisms as hybridization, predation, herbivory, competition and disease transmission and, in many cases, define ecosystem properties. Nevertheless, it is widespread practice for data on domestic, captive and cultivated organisms to be excluded from biodiversity repositories, such as natural history collections. Furthermore, there is a lack of integration of data collected about biodiversity in disciplines, such as agriculture, veterinary science, epidemiology and invasion science. Discipline-specific data are often intentionally excluded from integrative databases in order to maintain the “purity” of data on natural processes. Rather than being beneficial, we argue that this practise of data exclusivity greatly limits the utility of discipline-specific data for applications ranging from agricultural pest management to invasion biology, infectious disease prevention and community ecology. This problem can be resolved by data providers using standards to indicate whether the observed organism is of wild or domestic origin and by integrating their data with other biodiversity data (e.g. in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility). Doing so will enable efforts to integrate the full panorama of biodiversity knowledge across related disciplines to tackle pressing societal questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Groom
- Meise Botanic Garden, Meise, Belgium Meise Botanic Garden Meise Belgium.,Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Tim Adriaens
- Research Inst. for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium Research Inst. for Nature and Forest (INBO) Brussels Belgium
| | - Sandro Bertolino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin Torino Italy
| | - Kendra Phelps
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, United States of America EcoHealth Alliance New York United States of America
| | - Jorrit H Poelen
- Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Montclair, United States of America Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship Montclair United States of America
| | - DeeAnn Marie Reeder
- Bucknell University, Lewisburg, United States of America Bucknell University Lewisburg United States of America
| | - David M Richardson
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States of America Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History New York United States of America
| | - Nathan Upham
- Arizona State University, Tempe, United States of America Arizona State University Tempe United States of America
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Tsuji Y, Ilham K. Studies on Primate Crop Feeding in Asian Regions: A Review. MAMMAL STUDY 2021. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2020-0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yamato Tsuji
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Kurnia Ilham
- Museum of Zoology, Department of Biology, Andalas University, Padang, Indonesia
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11
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McLennan MR, Lorenti GA, Sabiiti T, Bardi M. Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast-changing anthropogenic landscapes. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23090. [PMID: 31944360 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility, including an ability to modify feeding behavior, is a key trait enabling primates to survive in forest fragments. In human-dominated landscapes, unprotected forest fragments can become progressively degraded, and may be cleared entirely, challenging the capacity of primates to adjust to the changes. We examined responses of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) to major habitat change: that is, clearance of forest fragments for agriculture. Over 7 years, fragments in Bulindi, Uganda, were reduced in size by 80%. We compared the chimpanzees' diet at the start and end of this period of rapid deforestation, using data derived mainly from fecal analysis. Similar to other long-term study populations, chimpanzees in Bulindi have a diverse diet comprising over 169 plant foods. However, extensive deforestation seemed to impact their feeding ecology. Dietary changes after fragment clearance included reduced overall frugivory, reduced intake of figs (Ficus spp.; formerly a dietary "staple" for these chimpanzees), and reduced variety of fruits in fecal samples. Nevertheless, the magnitude of most changes was remarkably minor given the extent of forest loss. Agricultural fruits increased in dietary importance, with crops accounting for a greater proportion of fruits in fecal samples after deforestation. In particular, cultivated jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) became a "staple" food for the chimpanzees but was scarcely eaten before fragment clearance. Crops offer some nutritional benefits for primates, being high in carbohydrate energy and low in hard-to-digest fiber. Thus, crop feeding may have offset foraging costs associated with loss of wild foods and reduced overall frugivory for the chimpanzees. The adaptability of many primates offers hope for their conservation in fragmented, rural landscapes. However, long-term data are needed to establish whether potential benefits (i.e. energetic, reproductive) of foraging in agricultural matrix habitats outweigh fitness costs from anthropogenic mortality risk for chimpanzees and other adaptable primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R McLennan
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.,Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project, Hoima, Uganda.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK
| | - Georgia A Lorenti
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.,Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project, Hoima, Uganda
| | - Tom Sabiiti
- Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project, Hoima, Uganda
| | - Massimo Bardi
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Tennessee
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12
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Bicca-Marques JC, Chaves ÓM, Hass GP. Howler monkey tolerance to habitat shrinking: Lifetime warranty or death sentence? Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23089. [PMID: 31912561 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Revised: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to the conservation of nonhuman primates. Given that species differ in their responses to fragmented landscapes, identifying the factors that enable them to cope with altered environments or that cause their extirpation is critical to design conservation management strategies. Howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) are good models for studying the strategies of tolerant arboreal taxa and how they cope with spatial restriction, because they live in habitats ranging from vast pristine forests to small disturbed fragments and orchards. While some aspects of their ecology and behavior are conserved, others vary in predictable ways in response to habitat shrinking and decreasing resource availability. We argue that the ability of individual howler monkeys to inhabit low-quality environments does not guarantee the long-term persistence of the small populations that live under these conditions. Their local extirpation explains why few forest fragments below a given area threshold are frequently inhabited in landscapes where recolonization and gene flow are compromised by long isolation distances or less permeable matrices. In sum, howlers' ability to cope with habitat restriction at the individual level in the short-term may mask the inevitable fate of isolated populations, thereby compromising the persistence of the species at a regional scale in the long-term if howlers' need for protection in large forests is undervalued.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Óscar M Chaves
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Costa Rica
| | - Gabriela Pacheco Hass
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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13
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Bekele A, Stenseth NC. Use of cultivated foods and matrix habitat by Bale monkeys in forest fragments: Assessing local human attitudes and perceptions. Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23074. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Addisu Mekonnen
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program California State University Fullerton Fullerton California
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis University of Oslo Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Chaves ÓM, Fernandes FA, Oliveira GT, Bicca-Marques JC. Assessing the influence of biotic, abiotic, and social factors on the physiological stress of a large Neotropical primate in Atlantic forest fragments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 690:705-716. [PMID: 31301510 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife physiological responses to environmental and human-related stressors provide useful clues on animal welfare. Non-invasive biomarkers, such as fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM), allow researchers to assess whether variations in habitat quality, behavior, and climate influence the animals' physiological stress. We examined the role of fragment size, ambient temperature, ripe fruit availability and consumption, percentage of records moving, sex, female reproductive state, and group composition as predictors of the level of fGCM in adult brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) inhabiting three small (<10 ha) and three large (>90 ha) Atlantic Forest fragments in southern Brazil. We collected bimonthly behavioral data and fecal samples from adult individuals over three years, and used a multimodel inference framework to identify the main predictors of fGCM. We found that the mean (±SD) fGCM in the study groups ranged from 57 ± 49 ng/g to 93 ± 58 ng/g, which were within the known range for howler monkeys. We found 10 best models including five of the 17 tested variables. Sex and reproductive state were the only variables included in all these models. We found that fGCM was higher in nursing females (mean ± SD = 104 ± 73 ng/g) than in non-nursing females (64 ± 55 ng/g) and males (53 ± 40 ng/g, P < 0.05) and that it decreased with increasing ripe fruit consumption and minimum temperature. However, fragment size did not predict fGCM concentration (groups in small fragments = 71 ± 58 ng/g vs. groups in large fragments = 63 ± 54 ng/g, P > 0.05). We conclude that factors related to the energetic balance of individuals play major roles in modulating the physiological stress of brown howler monkeys. Future studies should investigate the consequences of higher levels of stress hormones on howler monkey health and demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Óscar M Chaves
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 2060 San Pedro de Montes de Oca, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Felipe Amorim Fernandes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia da Conservação, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Laboratório de Piscicultura, Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Campus São Vicente do Sul, São Vicente do Sul, Brazil
| | - Guendalina Turcato Oliveira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia da Conservação, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
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Back JP, Bicca-Marques JC. Supplemented howler monkeys eat less wild fruits, but do not change their activity budgets. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e23051. [PMID: 31520447 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Research on the influence of food supplementation on primate behavior has focused on terrestrial and semiterrestrial species. Its effects on highly arboreal species are poorly known. We assessed the influence of food supplementation on the feeding behavior and activity budget of four adult female and two adult male brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) belonging to two groups (JA and RO) that inhabited periurban forest fragments in southern Brazil. We used the "focal-animal" method during 6-8 full days per month from March to August 2017 (916 h of observation) to record the behavior of the study subjects. The feeding events of the focal individual were recorded using the "all occurrences" method. The supplementation was unevenly distributed during the day and accounted for 5-6% of all feeding events of male and female howlers, respectively. JA always received fruit in a platform, whereas RO had access to fruits and processed foods on roofs and directly from humans. The mean biomass of wild foods ingested by each adult per day was >300% higher than the ingested biomass of supplemented foods (females: 395 vs. 109 g/day; males: 377 vs. 120 g/day), but the ingestion rate of supplemented foods was ca. 400% higher than that of wild foods (females: 17 vs. 4 g/min; males: 19 vs. 5 g/min). The activity budgets of females and males were dominated by resting (66-72%) followed by feeding (18-14%), moving (12-11%), and socializing (2%). We found that food supplementation reduced the ingestion of wild fruits, but it did not affect the howlers' need to ingest a given amount of leaves per day and the time spent resting, feeding, moving, and socializing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janaína Paula Back
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
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Corrêa FM, Chaves ÓM, Printes RC, Romanowski HP. Surviving in the urban-rural interface: Feeding and ranging behavior of brown howlers (Alouatta guariba clamitans) in an urban fragment in southern Brazil. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22865. [PMID: 29722034 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Wild primates that live in urban areas face extreme threats that are less frequent in nonurban fragments, such as the presence of dangerous matrix elements (e.g., roads, power lines, buildings, and a high density of domestic dogs near food patches), that could influence their movements, feeding behavior, and survival. However, the scarcity of studies addressing this issue hinders our understanding of the behavioral adjustments that favor the survival of primates in urban areas. For 12 months, we studied a six-individual group of brown howlers (Alouatta guariba clamitans) in an urban fragment to determine (i) their diet richness and its relationships with food availability, (ii) their daily path length (DPL) and the matrix elements used during movement, and (iii) the main ecological drivers of the DPL. Sampling effort totaled 72 days, 787 hr, and 3,224 instantaneous scans. We found that the diet of brown howlers contained 35 plant species (including seven cultivated crops) belonging to 33 genera and 21 families. The consumption of fruits and young leaves was directly related to their temporal availability. The average DPL (446 m) was smaller than that reported for groups of howlers inhabiting large nonurban fragments. To move between food patches, animals used three main matrix elements: trees, power lines, and roofs. The number of plant species used during the day was the main driver of DPL. Our findings highlighted that the generalist-opportunistic diet of brown howlers and their ability to move across the anthropogenic matrix using artificial elements such as power lines, roofs, and wildlife crossings represent a remarkable part of their behavioral repertory in Lami. However, there are potential costs associated with these strategies, namely, electrocution and predation by domestic dogs. Thus, it is urgent to further investigate how these behaviors could affect the long-term survival of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana M Corrêa
- Instituto de Biociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Óscar M Chaves
- Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Organização Fauna Brasilis (OFB), Lami, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo C Printes
- Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), Pará, Brazil
| | - Helena P Romanowski
- Instituto de Biociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Sargis EJ, Venkataraman VV, Bekele A, Hernandez-Aguilar RA, Rueness EK, Stenseth NC. Flexibility in positional behavior, strata use, and substrate utilization among Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in response to habitat fragmentation and degradation. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22760. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Addisu Mekonnen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; Fullerton California
| | - Eric J. Sargis
- Department of Anthropology; Yale University; New Haven Connecticut
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology; Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; New Haven Connecticut
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Eli K. Rueness
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Chaves ÓM, Bicca-Marques JC, Chapman CA. Quantity and quality of seed dispersal by a large arboreal frugivore in small and large Atlantic forest fragments. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193660. [PMID: 29561869 PMCID: PMC5862440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seed dispersal is a key process driving the structure, composition, and regeneration of tropical forests. Larger frugivores play a crucial role in community structuring by dispersing large seeds not dispersed by smaller frugivores. We assessed the hypothesis that brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) provide seed dispersal services for a wide assemblage of plant species in both small and large Atlantic forest fragments. Although fruit availability often decreases in small fragments compared with large ones, we predicted that brown howlers are efficient seed dispersers in quantitative and qualitative terms in both forest types given their high dietary flexibility. After a 36-month study period and 2,962 sampling hours, we found that howlers swallowed and defecated intact the vast majority of seeds (96%-100%) they handled in all study sites. Overall, they defecated ca. 315,600 seeds belonging to 98 species distributed in eight growth forms. We estimated that each individual howler dispersed an average of 143 (SD = 49) seeds >2 mm per day or 52,052 (SD = 17,782) seeds per year. They dispersed seeds of 58% to 93% of the local assemblages of fleshy-fruit trees. In most cases, the richness and abundance of seed species dispersed was similar between small and large fragments. However, groups inhabiting small fragments tended to disperse a higher diversity of seeds from rarely consumed fruits than those living in large fragments. We conclude that brown howlers are legitimate seed dispersers for most fleshy-fruit species of the angiosperm assemblages of their habitats, and that they might favor the regeneration of Atlantic forest fragments with the plentiful amount of intact seeds that they disperse each year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Óscar M. Chaves
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Escola de Ciências, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Organização Fauna Brasilis, Rua Manuel Vieira da Rosa No. 108, Lami, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Escola de Ciências, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Colin A. Chapman
- McGill School of Environment and Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Lewis MC, O’Riain MJ. Foraging Profile, Activity Budget and Spatial Ecology of Exclusively Natural-Foraging Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus) on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9978-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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The Implications of Primate Behavioral Flexibility for Sustainable Human–Primate Coexistence in Anthropogenic Habitats. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9962-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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