Effects of Selective Logging on the Behavioral Ecology of West Malaysian Primates

Abstract

This study documents changes within a community of one nocturnal and five diurnal primate species in response to selective logging of their tropical rain-forest habitat. Groups of two diurnal primate species, Hylobates lar and Presbytis melalophos, were observed in the wild for 14 mo before and 12 mo after the onset oflogging. Both species showed alterations in activity budgets following logging, spending more time resting and less time feeding and travelling. These changes may be attributable to the reduction in the availability of their preferred, more nutritious foods. Both H. lar and P. melalophos were territorial in primary forest in the study area, and there was remarkably little change in their home ranges following logging. Changes that were apparent were generally to conform to changes in habitat topography. The extent of range overlap between P. melalophos groups appeared to increase in older logged forest, however, as food resources changed from an even to a clumped distribution.The overall response of the studied primate community to selective logging appeared to be a reaction to reduced food availability and to fragmentation or other alterations of the habitat. An ability to adjust foraging strategies to cope with variation in habitat and food supply probably accounts for the continued survival of these primate populations in logged forest.

Understanding long‐term primate community dynamics: implications of forest change

“…Since the effect of logging can be variable and site specific (Johns 1987(Johns , 1988(Johns , 1992, to evaluate spatial and temporal variation in the system, we first examined variation in primate group density across forest compartments and through time. Second, we quantified the habitat characteristics that might be associated with the documented changes, including forest tree structure and the availability of food for each primate species.…”

Distribution Patterns of Five Mammals in the Jomon Period, Middle Edo Period, and the Present, in the Japanese Archipelago

“…Impacts of timber harvest on bear distribution, density, and food supply are unknown. Several types of silvicultural systems are in use throughout sun bear habitat and the impacts of each system on resident wildlife depend on the food habits and resource use strategies of each species (Johns 1985(Johns , 1986. The lack of knowledge of sun bear ecology makes understanding the effects of forest harvest on habitat use, food habits, and behavior impossible at this time.…”

Life after logging: reconciling wildlife conservation and production forestry in Indonesian Borneo

“…Two species studied in detail by Johns (1986a), the Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) and the Banded Leaf Monkey (Presbytis femoralis) both showed decreased activity levels following logging, spending less time foraging and travelling, and more time resting. An increase in resting time was necessary to digest the higher proportion of leaf material in the diet.…”

“…An increase in resting time was necessary to digest the higher proportion of leaf material in the diet. During the fi rst six months after completion of logging, the percentage of feeding time spent ingesting leaves increased from 23% to 40% in gibbons, and from 40% to 58% in leaf monkeys (Johns 1986a). In unlogged forest gibbons incorporated a high proportion of fruits rich in free sugars into their diet.…”

“…In the case of the Banded Leaf Monkeys (P. femoralis) studied by Johns (1986a), smaller and more evenly dispersed food sources led to leaf monkey groups splitting into smaller foraging subunits. Leaf monkeys also abandoned territoriality and adopted mutual avoidance as the most effi cient means of reducing inter-group competition.…”