Activity Levels and Ranging Behaviour of the Two Amazonian Tortoises, Geochelone carbonaria and Geochelone denticulata, in North-Western Brazil

Moskovits, Debra K.; Kiester, A. Ross

doi:10.2307/2389422

Cited by 54 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Although the study period had been relatively drier than previous years, the overall fruiting pattern recorded resembles that previously described (Mendes Pontes, 2000;Moskovits, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…are prevalent (Milliken and Ratter, 1998). Overall, fruiting pattern is spatially synchronous across the eastern part of the island showing two distinct annual fruiting peaks (Moskovits, 1985). As in other tropical forests, the study site regularly experiences periods of absolute scarcity of fruits (Mendes Pontes, 2000), when insufficient fruit may be available to fulfill the metabolic needs of frugivores (Sherman and Eason, 1998;Terborgh, 1986).…”

Section: Study Site and Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 85%

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Response of frugivorous primates to changes in fruit supply in a northern Amazonian forest

Mourthé¹

2014

Braz. J. Biol.

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Few attempts have been made to understand how spatiotemporal changes in fruit supply influence frugivores in tropical forests. The marked spatiotemporal variation in fruit supply can affect frugivore abundance and distribution, but studies addressing the effects of this variation on primates are scarce. The present study aimed to investigate how the spatiotemporal distribution of fruits influences the local distribution of three frugivorous primates in the eastern part of the Maracá Ecological Station, a highly seasonal Amazonian rainforest. Specifically, it was hypothesised that primate distribution will track changes in fruit supply, resulting that sites with high fruit availability should be heavily used by primates. During a 1-year study, fruit supply (ground fruit surveys) and primate density (line-transects) were monitored in twelve 2 km-long transects at monthly intervals. Fruit supply varied seasonally, being low during the dry season. The density of Ateles belzebuth was positively related to fruit supply during fruit shortage, but Cebus olivaceus and Alouatta macconnelli did not follow the same pattern. The supply of Sapotaceae fruit was an important component determining local distribution of A. belzebuth during the overall fruit shortage. Highly frugivorous primates such as A. belzebuth respond to seasonal decline in fruit supply by congregating at places with high fruit supply in this forest, particularly, those with many individuals of species of Sapotaceae. This study underscores the importance of small-scale spatiotemporal changes of fruit supply as a key component of frugivorous primate ecology in highly seasonal environments.Keywords: Amazonia, Maracá Ecological Station, primate distribution, seasonal fruit availability, fruit shortage. Resposta dos primatas frugívoros à variação na oferta de frutos em uma floresta do norte da Amazônia ResumoPoucas tentativas foram realizadas para entender como a variação espaço-temporal na oferta de frutos influencia os frugívoros nas florestas tropicais. A variação espaço-temporal dos frutos pode afetar a abundância e distribuição dos frugívoros, mas estudos abordando os efeitos desta variação nos primatas são escassos. Neste estudo, investigou-se como a oferta dos frutos afeta a distribuição local de três espécies de primatas frugívoros na parte leste da Estação Ecológica de Maracá, uma floresta sazonal na Amazônia. Especificamente, testou-se a hipótese de que a distribuição dos primatas acompanharia a variação na oferta de frutos, resultando em uma utilização mais frequente pelos primatas dos locais com maior disponibilidade deste recurso. A disponibilidade de frutos e a densidade dos primatas foram registradas mensalmente ao longo de um ano, em 12 transecções com 2 km de extensão. A oferta de frutos variou sazonalmente, sendo baixa durante a estação seca. A densidade de Ateles belzebuth se relacionou com a oferta dos frutos durante o período de escassez deste recurso, mas Alouatta macconnelli e Cebus olivaceus não seguiram o mesmo padrão. A oferta d...

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“…Although the study period had been relatively drier than previous years, the overall fruiting pattern recorded resembles that previously described (Mendes Pontes, 2000;Moskovits, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Study Site and Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Response of frugivorous primates to changes in fruit supply in a northern Amazonian forest

Mourthé¹

2014

Braz. J. Biol.

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“…We also know that in experimental situations animals will demonstrate a preference for one fruit over others. However, in the wild, many frugivores have a mixed diet (Guzmán and Stevenson 2008;Moskovits and Bjorndal 1990) and it is difficult to find a correlation between fruit eaten and fruit preferences reported in experiments (Carlo and Morales 2008). This could be because frugivores respond to their nutritional needs (Murphy and King 1987), tending to balance their nutrient intake (McCaughey and Tordoff 2002).…”

Section: Impact Of Memory On Service To Each Of Two Competing Plants mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moskovits and Kiester 1987). The latter would be more likely to find new food sources and increase the probability that seeds would be transported and deposited in new areas, but leading to unpredictable seed shadows (Boyer and López-Corona 2009) with wider spatial spread.…”

Section: Seed Dispersal Depends On Motivation To Move To Other Resourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plant fruiting cycles are usually predictable in time, either according to fixed calendar intervals or following specific seasonal events such as a rainy season (Momose 2004;Moskovits and Bjorndal 1990). We hypothesise that being able to learn about when plants are likely to bear fruit will be as adaptive for a longlived frugivore as retaining spatial information about a food source, as it would allow them to forage more efficiently.…”

Section: Other Aspects Of Memory For Considerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant ecology meets animal cognition: impacts of animal memory on seed dispersal

et al. 2016

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We propose that an understanding of animal learning and memory is critical to predicting the impacts of animals on plant populations through processes such as seed dispersal, pollination and herbivory. Focussing on endozoochory, we review the evidence that animal memory plays a role in seed dispersal, and present a model which allows us to explore the fundamental consequences of memory for this process. We demonstrate that decision-making by animals based on their previous experiences has the potential to determine which plants are visited, which fruits are selected to be eaten from the plant and where seeds are subsequently deposited, as well as being an important determinant of animal survival. Collectively, these results suggest that the impact of animal learning and memory on seed dispersal is likely to be extremely important, although to date our understanding of these processes suffers from a conspicuous lack of empirical support. This is partly because of the difficulty of conducting appropriate experiments but is also the result of limited interaction between plant ecologists and those who work on animal cognition.We believe that an improved understanding of the effects of animal memory in endozoochorous interactions will allow better prediction of the impacts of ecosystem changes such as habitat fragmentation, introductions of novel species of plants and animals and reintroductions of animal populations to areas from which they have been extirpated, and hope that the ideas we put forward here provide an impetus for further work in this area.

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Are tortoises important seed dispersers in Amazonian forests?

2009

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According to most studies on seed dispersal in tropical forests, mammals and birds are considered the main dispersal agents and the role played by other animal groups remains poorly explored. We investigate qualitative and quantitative components of the role played by the tortoise Chelonoidis denticulata in seed dispersal in southeastern Amazon, and the influence of seasonal variation in tortoise movement patterns on resulting seed shadows. Seed shadows produced by this tortoise were estimated by combining information on seed passage times through their digestive tract, which varied from 3 to 17 days, with a robust dataset on movements obtained from 18 adult C. denticulata monitored with radio transmitters and spoon-and-line tracking devices. A total of 4,206 seeds were found in 94 collected feces, belonging to 50 seed morphotypes of, at least, 25 plant genera. Very low rates of damage to the external structure of the ingested seeds were observed. Additionally, results of germination trials suggested that passage of seeds through C. denticulata's digestive tract does not seem to negatively affect seed germination. The estimated seed shadows are likely to contribute significantly to the dispersal of seeds away from parent plants. During the dry season seeds were dispersed, on average, 174.1 m away from the location of fruit ingestion; during the rainy season, this mean dispersal distance increased to 276.7 m. Our results suggest that C. denticulata plays an important role in seed dispersal in Amazonian forests and highlight the influence of seasonal changes in movements on the resulting seed shadows.

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Activity Levels and Ranging Behaviour of the Two Amazonian Tortoises, Geochelone carbonaria and Geochelone denticulata, in North-Western Brazil

Cited by 54 publications

References 16 publications

Response of frugivorous primates to changes in fruit supply in a northern Amazonian forest

Response of frugivorous primates to changes in fruit supply in a northern Amazonian forest

Plant ecology meets animal cognition: impacts of animal memory on seed dispersal

Are tortoises important seed dispersers in Amazonian forests?

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