Ecological and Behavioural Flexibility of Mantled Howlers (Alouatta palliata) in Response to Anthropogenic Habitat Disturbance

McKinney, Tracie

doi:10.1159/000499825

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…Faced with rapid habitat change, wild chimpanzees in Bulindi adjusted their behavior and ecology to new environmental conditions. Our study, therefore, adds to our expanding knowledge of the behavioral flexibility and ecological resilience of great apes and other primates in response to human disturbances, including deforestation and fragmentation (Hill, 2017; Hockings et al, 2015; Kalbitzer & Chapman, 2018; McKinney, 2019; McLennan, Spagnoletti et al, 2017; Mekonnen et al, 2018; Nowak & Lee, 2013; Spehar et al, 2018). Although this adaptability offers some hope for primate conservation in changing landscapes (McLennan, Spagnoletti et al, 2017), data suggest that human‐caused mortality risk (e.g., from persecution, vehicle collisions, electrocutions, and domestic dogs) impacts primate survival in matrix habitats (Hetman, Kubicka, Sparks, & Tryjanowski, 2019; Katsis et al, 2018; Kibaja, 2014; Lindshield, 2016; Moore et al, 2010; Paterson, 2005; Waters, El Harrad, Chetuan, Bell, & Setchell, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

McLennan

Lorenti

Sabiiti

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

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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. K E Y W O R D S behavioral flexibility, crop feeding, deforestation, foraging adaptations, fragmentation, unprotected habitats

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

McLennan

Lorenti

Sabiiti

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

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“…Primates were the order that interacted with the second-highest number of crop genera (43), with corn being the top crop interaction followed by sugarcane and bananas. Primates feeding on crops were often perceived as tolerable by farmers, and they rarely used lethal control measures against them ( Chaves & Bicca-Marques, 2017 ; Lins & Ferreira, 2019 ; McKinney, 2019 ; Rocha & Fortes, 2015 ; Spagnoletti et al, 2017 ). This might be due to them often targeting crops that are not used commercially, which could favor a peaceful coexistence between humans and non-human primate crop-feeders ( Chaves & Bicca-Marques, 2017 ; Rocha & Fortes, 2015 ; Spagnoletti et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The order with the most threatened species was Primates. Thus, it is a good prospect for their conservation that farmers in Latin America tend to tolerate crop-feeding by primates and seldom use lethal control against them ( Chaves & Bicca-Marques, 2017 ; Lins & Ferreira, 2019 ; McKinney, 2019 ). Most of the species that are not considered of least concern are infrequent in the literature, with the most frequent being the Andean bear ( Tremarctos ornatus ) and white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari ), which appeared in four and three studies, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The expansion of human activities and the intensification of land use encroachment on pristine areas via alteration of their extent and distribution causes habitat loss and fragmentation, which may change the distribution and abundance of vertebrate species ( Ramesh & Downs, 2015 ; Said et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2017 ). The reduction in food sources due to habitat loss and degradation encourages wild animals to feed on crops, increasing their interactions with human communities, and human-wildlife conflicts ( Jorgenson & Sandoval, 2005 ; McKinney, 2019 ; Mekonnen et al, 2018 ). Crop-feeding compromises the food security of local communities and damages economies relying on agriculture ( Barirega et al, 2010 ; Gontse, Mbaiwa & Thakadu, 2018 ; Hill, 2000 ; Raphela & Pillay, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions

Hermira

Michalski

2022

PeerJ

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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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“…Thus, we consider it highly unlikely, though not impossible, that howler monkeys are acting as seed predators for the plant species used for fruitfeeding in our study site. We also identified those tree species present at the study site that have been reported to be used as fruit sources by Alouatta in the Neotropics (Estrada & Coates-Estrada 1984, Wenny 1999, Dias & Rangel-Negrín 2015, Arroyo-Rodríguez et al 2015, McKinney 2019. We think it is probable that those tree species are also being consumed (and their seeds dispersed) by howlers in our study site.…”

Section: Potential Seed-dispersal Servicesmentioning

confidence: 94%

Long-term assessment of the translocation of an endangered primate into an agroforestry system

Franquesa‐Soler

Aristizabal

Burgo³

et al. 2022

Endang. Species. Res.

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Translocation is increasingly being used as a conservation tool in wildlife management, but long-term assessments of the animals’ establishment in the new habitat are rarely done. In addition, finding protected areas for translocations can often be a limitation, but habitat patches managed for productive purposes could potentially be used for translocations. Here, we present a translocation case study of the Endangered Mexican howler monkey Alouatta palliata mexicana into a forest fragment managed as an agroforest in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (Mexico). We compared the behavior of the translocated focal group 6 yr after translocation with that observed 1 yr after translocation (Year 1 vs. Year 6), and with reference parameters for conserved forest. We also examined the 14 yr trajectory of the translocated population through published data. We found that in Year 6, monkeys spent less time on locomotion and more time consuming fruit than in Year 1. The focal group in Year 6 had doubled its activity area compared to Year 1. All behavioral parameters during Year 6 were similar to those reported for the species in conserved forest. During the first 14 yr, the translocated population increased at a rate of 1.29 ind. yr-1. We conclude that this translocation succeeded in establishing a thriving population and that certain agroforestry systems may be adequate habitat for primate translocations. We also discuss how the translocation of howler monkeys into defaunated habitats might help restore ecological functions associated with these primates, such as the dispersal of large-seeded plants. Long-term information on successful primate translocations has high practical value for designing adequate conservation strategies in anthropogenic landscapes.

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Ecological and Behavioural Flexibility of Mantled Howlers (Alouatta palliata) in Response to Anthropogenic Habitat Disturbance

Cited by 8 publications

References 45 publications

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

Crop damage by vertebrates in Latin America: current knowledge and potential future management directions

Long-term assessment of the translocation of an endangered primate into an agroforestry system

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