Flexibility in Diet and Activity Patterns of Macaca tonkeana in Response to Anthropogenic Habitat Alteration

Abstract

I examined how Sulawesi Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) respond in terms of their diet and activity patterns to anthropogenic habitat alteration in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Anthropogenic habitat alteration comprised clearing of forest for agriculture and small-scale forest product collection. I quantified the diet and activity of 2 groups (CH and Anca), occupying habitats with different levels of alteration, via scan sampling. Tree abundance, key food specific density, and fruit production were greater in the minimally altered habitat (CH), substantiating the characterization of the group's habitat as higher quality. For the group in the heavily altered habitat (Anca), alternative foods, e.g., insects, fungus, young and mature leaves, shoots, and stems, accounted for a significantly greater proportion of the diet. Dietary diversity is significantly lower in the Anca group, with 52% of their diet being palm fruits from Arenga pinnata. The activity patterns of the Anca group-more time foraging, less time moving, and more time resting than the CH group-reflect the lower resource availability in their habitat and their reliance on more alternative food items, coupled with their extremely small group size (6-9 individuals). The group may be at the optimal size in which foraging efficiency is maximized for the habitat, a response, in conjunction with dietary and behavioral flexibility, to alteration of their habitat. The results are contextualized with respect to the conservation value of human-modified landscapes.

Land use in semi-free ranging Tonkean macaques Macaca tonkeana depends on environmental conditions: A geographical information system approach

“…At the time of the study (November 2005-March 2006, the group consisted of ten individuals: one adult male (>5 yr), five adult females (>4 yr) and four juveniles (1-3 yr), which is comparable to the composition of wild groups (Pombo et al, 2004;Riley, 2005Riley, , 2007Supriatna et al, 1992). Wild Tonkean macaques are typically found in the primary and secondary rainforests of Sulawesi (Indonesia) and are mainly frugivorous (Pombo et al, 2004;Supriatna et al, 1992).…”

“…Animals are known to selectively use their habitat and change their activity patterns according to the type and strength of ecological pressure in order to maximize their fitness (Boinski and Garber, 2000;Hill, 2006). Apes, for example, choose bed or nesting sites where their preferred food is available (Ancrez et al, 2004;Riley, 2007). Chacma baboons Papio hamadryas ursinus and savannah chimpanzees Pan troglodytes verus are known to use caves on a thermoregulatory basis, including sleeping in caves because they are more comfortable than sleeping outside (Barrett et al, 2003;Pruetz, 2007).…”

“…Chacma baboons Papio hamadryas ursinus and savannah chimpanzees Pan troglodytes verus are known to use caves on a thermoregulatory basis, including sleeping in caves because they are more comfortable than sleeping outside (Barrett et al, 2003;Pruetz, 2007). Riley (2007) found that a wild group of Tonkean macaques Macaca tonkeana in a more disturbed area (altered by human activity) spent more time foraging and resting, and less time moving, than a group in a less disturbed area. Therefore, wild animals display behaviors adapted to their environmental constraints.…”

Short-term group fission processes in macaques: a social networking approach

“…At the time of the study (May 2006 to August 2006) it consisted of 22 individuals: two adult males (17 and 8 years old), 11 adult females (16,14,12,11,11,11,8,7,7,7 and 6 years old), two sub-adult females (both 4 years old) and seven infants (<1 year old). The composition of the two groups was comparable to several wild groups (Makwana, 1978;Pombo et al, 2004;Riley, 2007). We did not analyse infant behaviours, as it was not always possible to distinguish these individuals within the group.…”

Nutritional Composition of Fruits Selected by Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia

“…In this study, the nutrient contents of these five tree species the highest in fibre, as shown in Table 1. In addition, in the study by Hambali et al (2014), M. fascicularis in Kuala Selangor were found to prefer fig fruits as a staple food, and a study by Riley (2007) (MacKinnon et al 1996). In this study, the fig species included F. microcarpa and F. tinctoria ssp.…”