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

ACCESS DATA

Publications

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

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND: Subsistence hunting is a traditional practice providing food and many other goods for households in the Yucatan Peninsula, southeast Mexico. Economic, demographic, and cultural change in this region drive wildlife habitat loss and local extinctions. Improving our understanding about current practices of wildlife use may support better management strategies for conserving game species and their habitat. We aimed to evaluate if wildlife use remained relevant for the subsistence of rural residents of the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as if local hunting practices were related to environmental, geographical, and cultural factors. METHODS: Fieldwork was done between March 2010 and March 2011. Information was obtained through conversations, interviews, and participant observation. Record forms allowed recording animals hunted, biomass extracted, distance intervals to hunting sites, habitat types and seasonality of wildlife harvests. Data were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance, and Generalized Linear Models. RESULTS: Forty-six terrestrial vertebrate species were used for obtaining food, medicine, tools, adornments, pets, ritual objects, and for sale and mitigating damage. We recorded 968 animals taken in 664 successful hunting events. The Great Curassow, Ocellated Turkey, paca, white-tailed deer, and collared peccary were the top harvested species, providing 80.7% of biomass (10,190 kg). The numbers of animals hunted and biomass extracted declined as hunting distances increased from villages. Average per capita consumption was 4.65?±?2.7 kg/person/year. Hunting frequencies were similar in forested and agricultural areas. DISCUSSION: Wildlife use, hunting patterns, and technologies observed in our study sites were similar to those recorded in previous studies for rural Mayan and mestizo communities in the Yucatan Peninsula and other Neotropical sites. The most heavily hunted species were those providing more products and by-products for residents. Large birds such as the Great Curassow and the Ocellated Turkey were extremely important for local hunters, representing around 40% of total prey taken. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Our results suggest that hunting is frequent in our study areas. Low human densities allow low hunting pressure on most game species and favor conservation of the tropical forest. We suggest that co-management may help regulating hunting, prioritizing cultural practices of sustainable use and conservation for benefiting local users and animal populations.

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

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets