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Bolt LM, Owens JL, Grant MT, Coggeshall EMC, Russell DG, Merrigan-Johnson C, Jacobson ZS, Schmidt ZT, Kaser FVE, Schreier AL. Edge effects and social behavior in three platyrrhines. Am J Primatol 2024:e23610. [PMID: 38402143 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Bolt
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Jenna L Owens
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Madison Taylor Grant
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - Elizabeth M C Coggeshall
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Dorian G Russell
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Carrie Merrigan-Johnson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Zachary S Jacobson
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Zachary T Schmidt
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Amy L Schreier
- Maderas Rainforest Conservancy, Miami, Florida, USA
- Department of Biology, Regis University, Denver, Colorado, USA
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DePasquale AN, Poirier AC, Mah MA, Villalobos Suarez C, Guadamuz A, Cheves Hernandez S, Lopez Navarro R, Hogan JD, Rothman JM, Nevo O, Melin AD. Picking pithy plants: Pith selectivity by wild white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus imitator. Am J Primatol 2023:e23549. [PMID: 37690098 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding diet selectivity is a longstanding goal in primate ecology. Deciphering when and why primates consume different resources can provide insights into their nutritional ecology as well as adaptations to food scarcity. Plant pith, the spongy interior of plant stems, is occasionally eaten by primates, but the context is poorly understood. We examine the ecological, mechanical, chemical, and nutritional basis of plant pith selection by a wild, frugivorous-omnivorous primate (Cebus imitator). We test the hypothesis that pith is a fallback food, that is, consumed when fruit is less abundant, and test for differences between plant species from which pith is eaten versus avoided. We collected 3.5 years of capuchin pith consumption data to document dietary species and analyzed "pith patch visits" in relation to fruit availability, visits to fruit patches, and climatic seasonality. We analyzed dietary and non-dietary species for relative pith quantity, mechanical hardness, odor composition, and macronutrient concentrations. Capuchins ate pith from 11 of ~300 plant species common in the dry forest, most commonly Bursera simaruba. We find that pith consumption is not directly related to fruit availability or fruit foraging but occurs most frequently (84% of patch visits) during the months of seasonal transition. Relative to common non-dietary species, dietary pith species have relatively higher pith quantity, have softer outer branches and pith, and contain more terpenoids, a class of bioactive compounds notable for their widespread medicinal properties. Our results suggest that greater pith quantity, lower hardness, and a more complex, terpenoid-rich odor profile contribute to species selectivity; further, as pith is likely to be consistently available throughout the year, the seasonality of pith foraging may point to zoopharmacognosy, as seasonal transitions typically introduce new parasites or pathogens. Our study furthers our understanding of how climatic seasonality impacts primate behavior and sheds new light on food choice by an omnivorous primate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allegra N DePasquale
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alice C Poirier
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Megan A Mah
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Omer Nevo
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Kulick NK, Cheves S, Chaves-Cordero C, Lopez R, Morales SR, Fedigan LM, Jack KM. Female-committed infanticide followed by juvenile-enacted cannibalism in wild white-faced capuchins. Primates 2021; 62:1037-1043. [PMID: 34626294 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00949-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
On 5 February 2021, we observed the first instance of female-committed infanticide followed by cannibalism in a long-studied (> 35 years) population of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) in the Santa Rosa Sector of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The events leading up to and including the infanticide and cannibalism were observed and documented ad libitum, with segments digitally recorded, and a post-mortem necropsy performed. Here we detail our observations and evaluate the events within the framework of leading adaptive explanations. The infanticide may have been proximately motivated by resource competition or group instability. The circumstances of the observed infanticide provided support for the resource competition, adoption avoidance, and social status hypotheses of infanticide, but not for the exploitation hypothesis, as neither the perpetrator nor her kin consumed the deceased infant. The subsequent cannibalism was performed by juveniles who observed the infanticide and may have been stimulated by social facilitation and their prior experience of meat consumption as omnivores. To our knowledge, cannibalism has been documented only once before in C. imitator, in an adjacent study group, with the two cases sharing key similarities in the context of occurrence and manner of consumption. These observations add to our growing knowledge of the evolutionary significance of infanticide and its importance as a reproductive strategy in nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelle K Kulick
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Saul Cheves
- Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | - Catalina Chaves-Cordero
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Ronald Lopez
- Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | | | - Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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Niehaus C, Spínola M, Su C, Rojas N, Rico-Chávez O, Ibarra-Cerdeña CN, Foley J, Suzán G, Gutiérrez-Espeleta GA, Chaves A. Environmental factors associated With Toxoplasma gondii Exposure in Neotropical Primates of Costa Rica. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:583032. [PMID: 33195604 PMCID: PMC7642457 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.583032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has been found in more than 350 species of homoeothermic vertebrates in diverse climates and geographic areas. In most animals, T. gondii produces mild or asymptomatic infection. However, acute and hyperacute toxoplasmosis is associated with high mortality rates observed in Neotropical primates (NP) in captivity. These primates are distributed in 20 countries across the Americas, and although infection has been reported in certain countries and species, toxoplasmosis in the wild and its impact on NP population survival is unknown. Differences among species in exposure rates and disease susceptibility may be due in part to differences in host behavior and ecology. Four species of NP are found in Costa Rica, i.e., howler (Alouatta palliata), spider (Ateles geoffroyi), capuchin (Cebus imitator), and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedii). This study reports NP exposure to T. gondii using the modified agglutination test in 245 serum samples of NP (198 wild and 47 from captivity) from Costa Rica. Associations of serostatus with environmental (forest cover, annual mean temperature), anthropogenic (human population density), and biological (sex) variables in howler and capuchin monkeys were evaluated. The seroprevalence among wild NP was 11.6% (95% CI = 7.7–17.34), compared with 60% in captive monkeys (95% CI = 44.27–73.63), with significant differences between species (X2 = 20.072; df = 3, p = 0.000164), suggesting an effect of behavior and ecology. In general, antibody titers were low for wild NP (<1:128) and high for captive NP (>1:8192), suggesting higher exposure due to management factors and increased life span in captivity. Seropositivity in howler monkeys was positively related to forest cover and inversely related to annual rainfall. For capuchins, annual rainfall was inversely related to seropositivity. Surveillance of T. gondii exposure in NP in captivity and in the wild is required to understand drivers of the infection and develop novel strategies to protect them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Niehaus
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.,Posgrado Regional en Ciencias Veterinarias Tropicales, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Manuel Spínola
- Instituto Internacional de Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Chunlei Su
- Department of Microbiology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Norman Rojas
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Oscar Rico-Chávez
- Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Carlos N Ibarra-Cerdeña
- Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigaciones y de Estudios de Avanzados del IPN (Cinvestav), Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Mexico
| | - Janet Foley
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Andrea Chaves
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.,Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Tinsley Johnson E, Benítez ME, Fuentes A, McLean CR, Norford AB, Ordoñez JC, Beehner JC, Bergman TJ. High density of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) and habitat quality in the Taboga Forest of Costa Rica. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23096. [PMID: 31976575 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Across the globe, primates are threatened by human activities. This is especially true for species found in tropical dry forests, which remain largely unprotected. Our ability to predict primate abundance in the face of human activity depends on different species' sensitivities as well as on the characteristics of the forest itself. We studied plant and primate distribution and abundance in the Taboga Forest, a 516-ha tropical dry forest surrounded by agricultural fields in northwestern Costa Rica. We found that the density of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) at Taboga is 2-6 times higher than reported for other long-term white-faced capuchin sites. Using plant transects, we also found relatively high species richness, diversity, and equitability compared with other tropical dry forests. Edge transects (i.e., within 100 m from the forest boundary) differed from interior transects in two ways: (a) tree species associated with dry forest succession were well-established in the edge and (b) canopy cover in the edge was maintained year-round, while the interior forest was deciduous. Sighting rates for capuchins were higher near water sources but did not vary between the edge and interior forest. For comparison, we also found the same to be true for the only other primate in the Taboga Forest, mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). Year-round access to water might explain why some primate species can flourish even alongside anthropogenic disturbance. Forest fragments like Taboga may support high densities of some species because they provide a mosaic of habitats and key resources that buffer adverse ecological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Tinsley Johnson
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.,Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Marcela E Benítez
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.,Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Decatur, Georgia
| | - Alexander Fuentes
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | - Celia R McLean
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | - Ariek B Norford
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Juan Carlos Ordoñez
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
| | - Jacinta C Beehner
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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