Anthropogenic edges impact howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) feeding behaviour in a Costa Rican rainforest.
Primates
; 62(4): 647-657, 2021 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33792807
Anthropogenic forest fragmentation impacts many aspects of animal behaviour, including feeding ecology. With forests increasingly fragmented in tropical regions due to human development, the proportion of forest edge (≤ 100 m from clear-cut regions) is higher relative to forest interior. Forest edges differ in vegetation from interior, making it important to better understand how anthropogenic edges impact the feeding behaviour of primates such as mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We predicted that howler monkeys would feed on higher-quality plant resources, from a larger number of tree families, and from larger trees in forest interior compared to anthropogenic forest edge. We surveyed howler monkey feeding behaviour across forest zones in a fragmented rainforest in Costa Rica, La Suerte Biological Research Station. We observed individual monkeys for 30-minute periods, collecting data on their feeding behaviour and tree use at 2-minute intervals. We measured feeding trees and recorded the plant parts and taxonomy of resources consumed. Monkeys consumed more leaves and fewer stems and fed from a smaller number of tree families in the forest interior, while they consumed fewer leaves and more stems and fed from a larger number of tree families in the forest edge. Monkeys also fed from larger, taller trees in the forest interior than the edge. The differences in howler monkey feeding behaviour between forest zones attest to the impact of human disturbance on howler monkey feeding ecology.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Alouatta
/
Comportamento Alimentar
/
Floresta Úmida
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
America central
/
Costa rica
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Primates
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá
País de publicação:
Japão