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Within the last decade the study of phenology has taken on new importance because of its contribution to climate-change research. However, phenology data sets spanning many years are rare in the tropics, making it difficult to evaluate possible responses of tropical communities to climate change. Here we use two data sets (1970-1983 and 1990-2002) to describe the fruiting patterns of the tropical tree community in Kibale National Park, Uganda. To address variation in spatial patterns, we describe fruiting over 2-3 y among four sites each separated by 12-15 km. Presently, the Kibale region is receiving c. 300 mm more rain than it did at the start of the century, droughts are less frequent, the onset of the rainy season is earlier, and the average maximum monthly temperature is 3.5 • C hotter than it was 25 y ago. The 1990-2002 phenology data illustrated high temporal variability in the proportion of the populations fruiting. Interannual variation in community-wide fruit availability was also high; however, the proportion of trees that fruited has increased over the past 12+ y. At the species level a variety of patterns were exhibited; however, a number of the most common species currently rarely fruit, and when they do, typically < 4% of the individuals take part in fruiting events. Combining the data set from 1990 to 2002 with that from 1970 to 1983 for specific species again reveals an increase in the proportion of trees fruiting between 1990 and 2002; however, the proportion of the populations fruiting decreased during the earlier period. When one examines particular species over this whole period a variety of patterns are evident. For example, Pouteria altissima exhibited a relatively regular pattern of fruiting during the 1970s; however, it rarely fruited in the 1990s. Contrasting phenological patterns at four sites revealed that at the community level the fruiting patterns of only one of the six pair-wise site combinations were correlated. Relationships between rainfall and fruiting were variable among sites. Contrasting changes in fruiting patterns over the 30 y with differences among the four sites varying in rainfall, suggests that the changes observed in fruiting may be due to climate change. Responses to this climate change are likely complex and will vary among species. However, for some species, current conditions appear unsuitable for fruiting.

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If logging is to be compatible with primate conservation, primate populations must be expected to recover from the disturbance and eventually return to their former densities. Surveys conducted over 28 years were used to quantify the long-term effects of both low-and high-intensity selective logging on the density of the five common primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The most dramatic exception to the expectation that primate populations will recover following logging was that group densities of Cercopithecus mitis and C. ascanius in the heavily logged area continued to decline decades after logging. Procolobus tephrosceles populations were recovering in the heavily logged areas, but the rate of increase appeared to be slow (0.005 groups/km 2 per year). Colobus guereza appeared to do well in some disturbed habitats and were found at higher group densities in the logged areas than in the unlogged area. There was no evidence of an increase in Lophocebus albigena group density in the heavily logged area since the time of logging, and there was a tendency for its population to be lower in heavily logged areas than in lightly logged areas. In contrast to the findings from the heavily logged area, none of the species were found at a lower group density in the lightly logged area than in the unlogged area, and group densities in this area were not changing at a statistically significant rate. The results of our study suggest that, in this region, low-intensity selective logging could be one component of conservation plans for primates; high-intensity logging, however, which is typical of most logging operations throughout Africa, is incompatible with primate conservation.Efectos de Largo Plaza de la Tala en Comunidades de Primates Africanos: Una Comparación de 28 Años en el Parque Nacional Kibale, Uganda Resumen: Si se espera que la tala sea compatible con la conservación de primates, se deberá esperar que las poblaciones de primates se recuperen de las perturbaciones y que eventualmente retornen a sus densidades previas. Utilizamos estimaciones llevadas a cabo a lo largo de 28 años para cuantificar los efectos a largo plazo de la tala selectiva tanto de baja como de alta intensidad en la densidad de los cinco primates comunes presentes en el Parque Nacional Kibale, Uganda. La mas dramática excepción a las expectativas de que las poblaciones de primates se recuperarían posteriormente a la tala fue el hecho de que las densidades de grupos de Cercopithecus mitis y C. ascanius en un área fuertemente talada continúan disminuyendo aún décadas después fuertemente taladas; sin embargo, la tasa de incremento parece ser lenta (0.005 grupos/km 2 por año). Colobus guereza aparenta estar bien en ciertos hábitats perturbados y fuéron encontrados en mas altas years to (1) compare primate group densities between unlogged, lightly logged, and heavily logged areas and (2) evaluate the recovery of primate populations following logging. Most logging regimes call for some sort of rotation: the area is logged, left to recover for a s...

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Aspects of the ecology of vervet monkeys (Ceropithecus aethiops) are described on the basis of a 21 month field study in East Africa. Analysis of home range utilization demonstrated differences between 4 groups. The smallest group distributed its time over a greater area than did the other groups. For 3 of the groups there appeared to be a strong relationship between group size and the amount of optimal habitat defended. The smallest group defended more optimal habitat than expected. However, this same group spent only 60% of its time in this habitat, whereas the other groups all spent more than 95% of their time in it. The smallest group may have avoided the optimal habitat of its territory as an area of frequent intergroup aggression, and as a result utilized a larger and less productive area. Sleeping—tree preferences of groups and individuals are described and discussed. The minimal distance traveled each day by vervet groups varied from 148 to 2,797 yd. In comparing the mean daily distance covered by 2 groups of equal size it was found that one moved significantly further than the other. More trips were made to permanent water holes between 1300 and 1500 hr and during the dry season than at other times. The frequency of group progressions was greatest at 0700 to 1000 and 1600 to 1900 hr. Study of food habits shows that they were opportunistic omnivores. Elephants were the greatest food competitors of the vervets. The monkeys had at least 16 potential predators. Outside of parks and reserves the greatest predator was the European commercial trapper. Ecological characteristics of vervets and their niche separation from baboons are discussed.

Abstract. Understanding the causes of population declines often involves comprehending a complex set of interactions linking environmental and biotic changes, which in combination overwhelm a population's ability to persist. To understand these relationships, especially for long-lived large mammals, long-term data are required, but rarely available. Here we use 26-36 years of population and habitat data to determine the potential causes of group density changes for five species of primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda, in areas that were disturbed to varying intensities in the late 1960s. We calculated group density from line transect data and quantified changes in habitat structure (cumulative diameter at breast height [dbh] and food availability [cumulative dbh of food trees]) for each primate species, and for one species, we evaluated change in food nutritional quality. We found that mangabeys and black-and-white colobus group density increased, blue monkeys declined, and redtails and red colobus were stable in all areas. For blue monkeys and mangabeys, there were no significant changes in food availability over time, yet their group density changed. For redtails, neither group density measures nor food availability changed over time. For black-and-white colobus, a decrease in food availability over time in the unlogged forest surprisingly coincided with an increase in group density. Finally, while red colobus food availability and quality increased over time in the heavily logged area, their group density was stable in all areas. We suggest that these populations are in nonequilibrium states. If such states occur frequently, it suggests that large protected areas will be required to protect species so that declines in some areas can be compensated for by increases in adjacent areas with different histories.