Dataset Information

Site fidelity in space use by spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Animal home ranges may vary little in their size and location in the short term but nevertheless show more variability in the long term. We evaluated the degree of site fidelity of two groups of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) over a 10- and 13-year period, respectively, in the northeastern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. We used the Local Convex Hull method to estimate yearly home ranges and core areas (defined as the 60% probability contour) for the two groups. Home ranges varied from 7.7 to 49.6 ha and core areas varied from 3.1 to 9.2 ha. We evaluated the degree of site fidelity by quantifying the number of years in which different areas were used as either home ranges or core areas. Large tracts were used only as home ranges and only for a few years, whereas small areas were used as either core area or home range for the duration of the study. The sum of the yearly core areas coincided partially with the yearly home ranges, indicating that home ranges contain areas used intermittently. Home ranges, and especially core areas, contained a higher proportion of mature forest than the larger study site as a whole. Across years and only in one group, the size of core areas was positively correlated with the proportion of adult males in the group, while the size of home ranges was positively correlated with both the proportion of males and the number of tree species included in the diet. Our findings suggest that spider monkey home ranges are the result of a combination of long-term site fidelity and year-to-year use variation to enable exploration of new resources.

SUBMITTER: Ramos-Fernandez G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3652831 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Site fidelity in space use by spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.

Ramos-Fernandez Gabriel G Smith Aguilar Sandra E SE Schaffner Colleen M CM Vick Laura G LG Aureli Filippo F

PloS one 20130513 5

Animal home ranges may vary little in their size and location in the short term but nevertheless show more variability in the long term. We evaluated the degree of site fidelity of two groups of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) over a 10- and 13-year period, respectively, in the northeastern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. We used the Local Convex Hull method to estimate yearly home ranges and core areas (defined as the 60% probability contour) for the two groups. Home ranges varied from 7.7 to 49.6 ...[more]

PMID: 23675427

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Project description:A substantial fraction of the freshwater available in the Neotropical forests is enclosed within the rosettes of bromeliads that form small aquatic islands within a terrestrial landscape. These aquatic oases provide shelter, water, nutrients and resting of aggregation sites for several aquatic organisms, among them crustaceans. However, in comparison with the multitude of studies on open aquatic systems, our knowledge on crustaceans inhabiting semi-terrestrial habitats and phytotelmata is limited and their presence in such environments is poorly understood. The present study was carried out in two natural protected areas of the Yucatán Peninsula aiming to understand the diversity and dispersal strategies of crustaceans living in bromeliads. Sediment and water contained in four species of bromeliads have been collected in order to understand the diversity and dispersal strategies of crustaceans living in such habitats. From a total of 238 bromeliads surveyed, 55% were colonized by crustaceans. Sixteen copepod, three ostracod and one branchiopod species were recorded during this study, however only seven species are considered as true bromeliad inhabitants. Different degrees of association between crustaceans and bromeliad species were assessed with an indicator species analysis, where significant associations were found for all crustaceans. We found significant differences between bromeliad species and reserves and their associated fauna. In order to analyze the genetic diversity of this fauna, we sequenced several individuals of each species with two genetic markers (18S rRNA and COI mtDNA). Bayesian analyses and the Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent method (GMYC), delimited 7 well supported species. A comparison of the dispersal strategies used by different species, including passive dispersal, phoretic behavior and active dispersal, is included. This study stresses the need of studying meiofauna of phytotelms, which could be used as an indicator of local diversity in Neotropical forests.

Dataset Information

Site fidelity in space use by spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.

Publications

Site fidelity in space use by spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico.

Similar Datasets

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