Patterns of Sleeping Site and Sleeping Tree Selection by Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Northern Argentina

Brividoro, Melina Victoria; Kowalewski, Miguel Martin; Scarry, Clara J; Oklander, Luciana Inés

doi:10.1007/s10764-019-00094-x

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Studies that have compared trees within a nesting site, as we did for the Tree Level analysis, reported that sleeping trees are significantly higher than potential sleeping trees in bonobos (Fruth and Hohmann 1993;Fruth 1995) and gibbons (Fan and Jiang 2008;Phoonjampa et al 2010). When the height of chimpanzee sleeping trees has been compared to the overall height of trees in the habitat, in most study sites nesting trees were generally higher (reviewed in Hernandez-Aguilar et al 2013), as is the case for Bornean orangutans in disturbed forests where there is a scarcity of suitable nesting sites (Ancrenaz et al 2004) and for other primates (e.g., gold-and-black howler monkeys: Brividoro et al (2019). We used BIC weights (which are proportional to exp − BIC 2 À Á ) to summarize the support for a model chosen by BIC.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is more likely than not that lowest branch height had an effect on the probability that a site was selected for nesting. Lowest branch height has been suggested to influence the selection of trees for sleeping in chimpanzees (Goodall 1962(Goodall , 1965Hernandez-Aguilar et al 2013), bonobos (Fruth 1995), and in other primate species (e.g., gold-and-black howler monkeys: Brividoro et al 2019). It may be more difficult and time consuming for a cat to climb a nesting tree with high lowest branches, allowing more time for primates to detect its presence and flee or defend themselves (Hernandez-Aguilar et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most important function of a primate sleeping place is thought to be its safety from potential predators (Anderson 1984(Anderson , 1998. Primates select sleeping places that help to decrease predation risk, such as high trees, trees with dense foliage, steep cliffs, concealed nests, inaccessible trees, or tree holes (Anderson 1984(Anderson , 1998Brividoro et al 2019;Fruth et al 2018;Hamilton 1982;Kappeler 1998;Phoonjampa et al 2010). For example, golden-brown mouse lemurs (Microcebus ravelobensis) construct leaf nests more often during infant rearing when predator risk is higher than at other times (Thoren et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Comfort and the avoidance of disease and parasitic vectors are other important factors in the selection of sleeping places by primates (Anderson 1984). Selection of trees with large trunks and branches that allow for body stability and consequently more comfortable sleep has been reported in Bornean white-bearded gibbons (Hylobates albibarbis: Cheyne et al 2012) and black-and-gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya: Brividoro et al 2019). Supporting an antivector function for primate sleeping places, a study of sympatric lemurs (Avahi occidentalis and Lepilemur adwardsi) found that sleeping in tree holes protect lemurs from flying insects but promote ectoparasite infestation, while sleeping on open branches serve to avoid ectoparasites but increase susceptibility to flying insects (Hokan et al 2017), supporting a previous finding that tree holes and tangles of vegetation protect against malaria infection in New World monkeys (Nunn and Heymann 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deciding Where to Sleep: Spatial Levels of Nesting Selection in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Living in Savanna at Issa, Tanzania

Hernández‐Aguilar

Reitan

2020

Int J Primatol

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To understand how animals select resources we need to analyze selection at different spatial levels or scales in the habitat. We investigated which physical characteristics of trees (dimensions and structure, e.g., height, trunk diameter, number of branches) determined nesting selection by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) on two different spatial scales: individual nesting trees and nesting sites. We also examined whether individual tree selection explained the landscape pattern of nesting site selection. We compared the physical characteristics of actual (N = 132) and potential (N = 242) nesting trees in nesting sites (in 15 plots of 25 m × 25 m) and of all trees in actual and potential nesting sites (N = 763 in 30 plots of 25 m × 25 m). We collected data in May and June 2003 in Issa, a dry and open savanna habitat in Tanzania. Chimpanzees selected both the site they used for nesting in the landscape and the trees they used to build nests within a nesting site, demonstrating two levels of spatial selection in nesting. Site selection was stronger than individual tree selection. Tree height was the most important variable for both nesting site and tree selection in our study, suggesting that chimpanzees selected both safe sites and secure trees for sleeping.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deciding Where to Sleep: Spatial Levels of Nesting Selection in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Living in Savanna at Issa, Tanzania

Hernández‐Aguilar

Reitan

2020

Int J Primatol

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“…obs.) to 12 m in EBCo (Brividoro, Kowalewski, Scarry, & Oklander, ), howlers use mostly the middle strata (11–18 m in Yacutinga and 8–10 m in the rest of the sites), and so, the height of our vertical structure measurements (up to 15 m) captured the biologically relevant vegetation structure. We chose to measure vertical structure instead of other classic methods such as “visibility” (Ey, ; Hedwig, Mundry, Robbins, & Boesch, ), because vertical structure provides a better characterization of the vegetation objects (leaves and branches) that can affect sound transmission at heights where arboreal primates move and vocalize.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Reduced geographic variation in roars in different habitats rejects the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in the black‐and‐gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya)

Holzmann

Areta

2019

Ethology

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Vocalizations used for long‐range communication must disperse without significant structural changes to be decoded by receivers. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) holds that, since acoustic signals are influenced by the habitat in which they disperse, sounds will possess specific structural characteristics to diminish sound degradation. Additionally, vocalizations can also be influenced by genetics, anatomy, and/or cultural aspects. Here, we tested the AAH through quantitative comparisons of roars in four allopatric populations of the black‐and‐gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) across an environmental gradient from open to closed, in northeastern Argentina. At each site, we obtained good‐quality recordings from three adult males, also between July and November 2013, conducted vegetation surveys (measuring tree density, canopy closure, and vertical structure), evaluated potential masking of roars by gathering environmental sound samples, and assessed sound attenuation of a synthetic tone at three different distances: 10 m (landmark reference distance), 50, and 100 m. We also tested the alternative hypothesis that acoustic properties of roars could be explained by population genetic divergence. Our results did not support the AAH. Although our four study sites were significantly different in vegetation structure, conforming to an open‐to‐closed gradient, roars of A. caraya were not different among populations. Likewise, although environmental sound differed between sites, we found no evidence of environmental sound affecting the acoustic properties of roars. The attenuation of the synthetic tone was only near significant at 100 m distance between both extreme sites from the environmental gradient. The four A. caraya study populations grouped into three genetically differentiated clusters. Since roar features were independent from population genetic clustering, we reject the genetic hypothesis too. The combination of high amplitude and low peak frequency of roars, coupled to small home range size and extensive overlap between neighboring groups, allows roars to keep their communication value across habitats without need of specific environmental tuning.

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Linking howler monkey ranging and defecation patterns to primary and secondary seed dispersal

Fuzessy

Sobral

Culot

2021

American J Primatol

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To define the chances of a dispersed seed to produce a new recruit, it is essential to consider all stages of the dispersal process. Howler monkeys are recognized to have positive impacts on forest regeneration, acting as primary dispersers. Furthermore, dung beetles attracted to their feces protect the seeds against predators, and provide a better microenvironment for germination due to the removal of fecal matter, to seed burial, and/or by reducing the spatial aggregation of seeds in fecal clumps.Despite the recognized positive effects of primary seed dispersal through defecation by howler monkeys for plant recruitment, there are some important aspects of their behavior, such as the habit of defecating in latrines, that remain to be explored.Here, we investigated the fate of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds defecated by brown howlers, Alouatta guariba clamitans, and the secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles, considering how this process is affected by the monkey's defecation patterns. We found that brown howler monkeys dispersed seeds from several species away from fruit-feeding trees, partly because defecation under the canopy of such trees was not very frequent. Instead, most defecations were associated with latrines under overnight sleeping trees. Despite a very similar dung beetle community attracted to howler feces in latrines and fruit-feeding sites, seeds were more likely to be buried when deposited in latrines. In addition, C. xanthocarpa seeds showed higher germination and establishment success in latrines, but this positive effect was not due to the presence of fecal matter surrounding seeds. Our results highlight that A. guariba clamitans acts as a legitimate seed disperser of C. xanthocarpa seeds in a preserved context of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that defecations in latrines increase the dispersal effectiveness.

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Patterns of Sleeping Site and Sleeping Tree Selection by Black-and-Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Northern Argentina

Cited by 16 publications

References 60 publications

Deciding Where to Sleep: Spatial Levels of Nesting Selection in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Living in Savanna at Issa, Tanzania

Deciding Where to Sleep: Spatial Levels of Nesting Selection in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Living in Savanna at Issa, Tanzania

Reduced geographic variation in roars in different habitats rejects the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in the black‐and‐gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya)

Linking howler monkey ranging and defecation patterns to primary and secondary seed dispersal

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