River edge feeding: Howler monkey feeding ecology in a fragmented riparian forest

Bolt, Laura M.; Russell, Dorian G.; Schreier, Amy L.

doi:10.1163/14219980-20210901

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…Differences in diet likely explain our findings. For example, howlers’ more flexible frugivore-folivore diet enables them to persist in fragmented and anthropogenic landscapes [ 39 , 40 ], although they likely still require tall enough trees to meet this nutrient demand through high quality young leaves and fruit [ 41 , 42 ]. Capuchin monkeys can likely persist in relatively young and human-modified landscapes due to their diet characterized as highly omnivorous and opportunistic [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate richness and abundance is driven by both forest structure and conservation scenario in Costa Rica

Johnson,

Tafoya,

Beck

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Variation in tropical forest management directly affects biodiversity and provisioning of ecosystem services on a global scale, thus it is necessary to compare forests under different conservation approaches such as protected areas, payments for ecosystem services programs (PES), and ecotourism, as well as forests lacking any formal conservation plan. To examine the effectiveness of specific conservation approaches, we examined differences in forest structure and tree recruitment, including canopy cover; canopy height; seedling, sapling, and adult tree density; and average and total diameter at breast height (DBH) across 78 plots in 18 forests across Costa Rica representing protected areas, private forests utilizing PES and/or ecotourism, and private forests not utilizing these economic incentives. The effectiveness of conservation approaches in providing suitable primate habitat was assessed by conducting broad primate census surveys across a subset of eight forests to determine species richness and group encounter rate of three primate species: mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), Central American spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), and the white-faced capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator). Only canopy height was significantly different across the three approaches, with protected areas conserving the tallest and likely oldest forests. Canopy height was also significantly associated with the group encounter rate for both mantled howler and spider monkeys, but not for capuchins. Total group encounter rate for all three monkey species combined was higher in incentivized forests than in protected areas, with capuchin and howler monkey group encounter rates driving the trend. Group encounter rate for spider monkeys was higher in protected areas than in incentivized forests. Incentivized conservation (PES and ecotourism) and protected areas are paragons of land management practices that can lead to variation in forest structure across a landscape, which not only protect primate communities, but support the dietary ecologies of sympatric primate species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Primate richness and abundance is driven by both forest structure and conservation scenario in Costa Rica

Johnson,

Tafoya,

Beck

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Student research collaboration as conservation education: A case study from the primate field school at Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Bolt

Schreier

2022

American J Primatol

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Maderas Rainforest Conservancy (MRC) is a conservation-focused non-profit organization that is devoted to protecting the tropical forests they manage in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and to providing conservation education for international university students through biological field schools. The MRC Primate Behavior and Ecology course is their most frequent course offering and is aimed at developing students to be independent field researchers. This course involves classroom lectures, training in primate identification and field methods, and the execution of independent research projects that students design, collect data for, and write up as scientific papers. Student development as conservationists is facilitated through the research experience provided by this field course as well as through co-and extracurricular research opportunities available to students at the sites that MRC manages: La Suerte Biological Research Station in Costa Rica, and Ometepe Biological Research Station in Nicaragua. In tandem with their participation in the MRC primate field course, we (Laura M. Bolt and Amy L. Schreier) consistently offer students research opportunities in our ongoing project examining the impact of forest fragmentation on primate behavioral ecology. MRC student course evaluations indicate that this co-and extracurricular research participation substantially contributes to student academic development and conservation awareness. Student research collaboration, therefore, greatly benefits students as well as furthers MRC's conservation goals as a non-profit organization. In future MRC primate field school sessions, we will continue to offer research collaboration opportunities to students and will also endeavor to improve conservation education at MRC by involving more local community members in MRC's academic programs.

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Edge effects and social behavior in three platyrrhines

Bolt,

Owens,

Grant

et al. 2024

American J Primatol

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Social behavior is a key adaptation for group‐living primates. It is important to assess changes to social behavior in human‐impacted landscape zones to better understand the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on primate species. We investigated social behavior rate and type in three species of platyrrhines across 100 m anthropogenic edge and interior zones of a fragmented forest in Costa Rica, La Suerte Biological Research Station (LSBRS). Following results from other sites, we predicted that spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) and howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) would show lower rates and fewer types of social behavior in forest edge compared to interior. We collected 1341 h of instantaneous focal data from 2017 to 2023 across the three monkey species. We found mixed support for our predictions, with spider and capuchin monkeys modifying some but not all aspects of social behavior across forest zones at LSBRS. Spider monkeys had lower rates of social behavior and capuchin monkeys performed different types of social behaviors in forest edge compared to interior at LSBRS. In contrast, howler monkeys did not modify social behavior. Two out of three platyrrhine species altered their social behavior when in anthropogenic edges, indicating behavioral adjustment when in human‐altered habitat areas at LSBRS.

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River edge feeding: Howler monkey feeding ecology in a fragmented riparian forest

Cited by 5 publications

References 38 publications

Primate richness and abundance is driven by both forest structure and conservation scenario in Costa Rica

Primate richness and abundance is driven by both forest structure and conservation scenario in Costa Rica

Student research collaboration as conservation education: A case study from the primate field school at Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Edge effects and social behavior in three platyrrhines

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