Using Parasitic Load to Measure the Effect of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Vervet Monkeys

Thatcher, Harriet R.; Downs, Colleen T.; Koyama, Nicola F.

doi:10.1007/s10393-018-1349-y

Cited by 16 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Vervet monkeys are commonly found in urban settings of KwaZulu-Natal (Thatcher, Downs, & Koyama, 2018) and therefore provided a candidate model to assess behavioral flexibility under anthropogenic changes (Chapman et al, 2016;Saj et al, 1999). The estate contained seven groups of vervet monkeys (Simbithi eco-estate, 2017, pers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic influences on the time budgets of urban vervet monkeys

Thatcher

Downs

Koyama

2019

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Continuing urban developments are ecologically changing many landscapes. A greater understanding of how wildlife adapt behaviorally to these changes is necessary to inform management decisions. Time is a valuable resource to wildlife and a reflection of ecological pressures on the behavioral repertoire of an animal. Data on urban vervet monkey, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, time budgets are generally limited and dated. We aimed to investigate the effect of anthropogenic influences, both human food consumption (positive) and human-monkey conflict (negative) on the time budgets of vervet monkeys in an urban landscape. We collected 20 min. focal animal observations and used generalized linear mixed models to assess the variation in time budget between five urban vervet monkey groups differing in anthropogenic contact over one year. We recorded anthropogenic interactions ad lib. as positive and negative. Our results showed seasonal influences across all behaviors. Furthermore, anthropogenic disturbance influenced all aspects of time budget to some degree. We found a positive interaction effect between positive and negative human incidents on foraging, and a negative interaction effect on movement and social behavior. Overall, vervet monkeys exhibited behavioral flexibility in the urban landscape. We suggest a complex association of costs and benefits to urban living.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic influences on the time budgets of urban vervet monkeys

Thatcher

Downs

Koyama

2019

Landscape and Urban Planning

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“…Some species have been found to have a higher prevalence of plasmodium hosting as a result of forest fragmentation, including disturbed forest areas and forest edges (Moyes et al 2016), and habitat fragmentation increases the prevalence of Oesophagostomum and Trichuris helminth eggs in suburban areas in Japan (Arizono et al 2012). Other primates associated with LUC and parasites are vervet and proboscis monkeys Chlorocebus pygerythrus and Nasalis larvatus (Klaus et al 2017, Thatcher et al 2018). Viruses spreading in response to LUC were not associated with a particular group of primates, and only dengue fever was specifically covered in the studies (Twiddy et al 2003, Rey et al 2010).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging zoonotic diseases originating in mammals: a systematic review of effects of anthropogenic land‐use change

2020

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1. Zoonotic pathogens and parasites that are transmitted from vertebrates to humans are a major public health risk with high associated global economic costs. The spread of these pathogens and risk of transmission accelerate with recent anthropogenic land-use changes (LUC) such as deforestation, urbanisation, and agricultural intensification, factors that are expected to increase in the future due to human population expansion and increasing demand for resources. 2. We systematically review the literature on anthropogenic LUC and zoonotic diseases, highlighting the most prominent mammalian reservoirs and pathogens, and identifying avenues for future research. 3. The majority of studies were global reviews that did not focus on specific taxa. South America and Asia were the most-studied regions, while the moststudied LUC was urbanisation. Livestock were studied more within the context of agricultural intensification, carnivores with urbanisation and helminths, bats with deforestation and viruses, and primates with habitat fragmentation and protozoa. 4. Research into specific animal reservoirs has improved our understanding of how the spread of zoonotic diseases is affected by LUC. The behaviour of hosts can be altered when their habitats are changed, impacting the pathogens they carry and the probability of disease spreading to humans. Understanding this has enabled the identification of factors that alter the risk of emergence (such as virulence, pathogen diversity, and ease of transmission). Yet, many pathogens and impacts of LUC other than urbanisation have been understudied. 5. Predicting how zoonotic diseases emerge and spread in response to anthropogenic LUC requires more empirical and data synthesis studies that link host ecology and responses with pathogen ecology and disease spread. The link between anthropogenic impacts on the natural environment and the recent COVID-19 pandemic highlights the urgent need to understand how anthropogenic LUC affects the risk of spillover to humans and spread of zoonotic diseases originating in mammals.

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“…Research on primate behavioural flexibility in anthropogenic habitats has increased markedly since the 2000s; however, this only includes 17% of currently recognised species (McLennan, Spagnoletti, & Hockings, ). Therefore, while vervet monkeys are shown to persist in urban areas (Chapman & Fedigan, ; Horrocks & Baulu, ; McLennan et al, ; Patterson, Kalle, & Downs, , ,; Shimada & Shotake, ; Thatcher, Downs, & Koyama, , ; Wolfheim, ), the absence of urban spatial data has greatly curtailed the efficacy of vervet monkey management efforts in transformed landscapes like KZN. To date, most management decisions have been based on previous practices, public opinion and the suggestions of researchers both with and without relevant experience and knowledge of the local vervet monkey population (Simbithi Environmental Group, 2016 pers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living in the suburbs: Space use by vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in an eco‐estate, South Africa

2019

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We examined vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) space use using GPS/UHF telemetry data from 10 vervet monkeys across six troops over 9 months within a 420 ha suburban eco‐estate. We documented a mean home range of 0.99 km2 (95% MCP) and 1.07 km2 (95% KDE) for females (n = 6), 1 km2 (95% MCP) and 1.50 km2 (95% KDE) for males (n = 4) and 0.87 km2 (95% MCP) and 1.12 km2 (95% KDE) for troops (n = 6), respectively, indicating that males and larger troops had larger home ranges. These relatively small home ranges included shared territorial boundaries and high home range overlap. Vervet monkey movements indicated higher morning activity levels, and habitat selection indicated significantly more use of golf course, urban residential and forest, thicket and woodland areas, and avoidance of wetland, grassland and shrub, and urban built‐up areas. Our results suggest that modified habitat use by vervet monkeys is a consequence of behavioural facilitation to access highly available food resources, thereby facilitating their persistence in green spaces in urban areas of South Africa. Conflict management is dependent on the conservation of sufficient natural habitats and food resources, to minimise their dependence on anthropogenic supplementary food resources and consequently reduce human–monkey conflict.

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Using Parasitic Load to Measure the Effect of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Vervet Monkeys

Cited by 16 publications

References 37 publications

Anthropogenic influences on the time budgets of urban vervet monkeys

Anthropogenic influences on the time budgets of urban vervet monkeys

Emerging zoonotic diseases originating in mammals: a systematic review of effects of anthropogenic land‐use change

Living in the suburbs: Space use by vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in an eco‐estate, South Africa

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