Socioecology, predation, and cognition in a community of West African monkeys

Abstract

The Ivory Coast's Taï Forest is home to a diverse primate fauna, including eight monkey species that interact daily with the environment, each other, and a web of predators. These interactions have led to an array of adaptations, some of which conform to theoretical expectations, and others are at odds with current behavioral ecology models. In this paper, we draw on fifteen years of observations to examine two central issues. First, how do broad trends in diet and resource distribution influence group size and levels of sociality? Second, what mechanisms are used to counter pressures exerted by the predator community? The general picture that emerges is that while the pressure exerted by predators at Taï has led to a host of behavioral and cognitive adaptations, it is food preferences and foraging habits, not predation pressure, that are the main determinants, not only of group size, but also its direct consequences ‐ mating systems and sociality levels.

Anti-predator strategies of free-ranging Campbell's monkeys

“…The study area has been used extensively for a range of other behavioural studies of the Taï Monkey Project (McGraw et al, 2007;McGraw & Zuberbühler, 2008). Data for this study were collected between March 2006 and September 2007 from two habituated and five semihabituated groups of Campbell's monkeys.…”

Stable isotope canopy effects for sympatric monkeys at Taï Forest, Côte d'Ivoire

“…O ap values, respectively [6,8]. Procolobus verus feeds primarily on young leaves in the lower canopy, so d C ap values observed in cercopithecines (guenons and mangabey) reflect their more omnivorous habits relative to colobines, while similarity to P. badius is explained by its feeding higher in the forest canopy.…”

“…To examine isotopic stratification in canopy use in consumer tissue, we analyse d [4], and these biogeochemical tools provide an independent means of characterizing primate diet and local ecology [5]. We test the hypothesis that the stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of primate species that feed at different average heights within the Taï forest [6] will reflect the isotopic canopy effect. Seven sympatric species were sampled, including three colobines (king colobus (Colobus polykomos), olive colobus (Procolobus verus), western red colobus (Procolobus badius)); three guenons (diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), Campbell's monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), lesser spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista)); and one papionin (sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys)).…”

“…Seven sympatric species were sampled, including three colobines (king colobus (Colobus polykomos), olive colobus (Procolobus verus), western red colobus (Procolobus badius)); three guenons (diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana), Campbell's monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli), lesser spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista)); and one papionin (sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys)). Diet varies among species with respect to degree of frugivory, folivory and entomophagy ( [6]; electronic supplementary material, table S1) and preferred feeding locations within the canopy [8] (figure 2).…”

How surviving baboons behaved after leopard predation: a case report

“…Predation risk has been a factor in the morphological evolution of prey primates because escape from predators is favoured by the ability to run faster and/or the possession of larger bodies (Hurov, 1987;Cheney and Wrangham, 1987). Predation risk has also affected the behavioral evolution of prey primates (Wright, 1989;Zuberbühler, 2007;McGraw and Zuberbühler, 2008).…”