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Forest type affects prey foraging of saddleback tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons.

ABSTRACT: Callitrichids can persist in secondary forests where they may benefit from elevated prey abundance. However, how tamarins forage for prey in secondary forest compared to primary forest has not been examined. Using scan and focal sampling, we compared prey foraging and capture success of two groups of Saguinus nigrifrons in north-eastern Peru: one ranging in primary forest, the other with access to a 10-year-old anthropogenic secondary forest. There was a trend for more prey search in the secondary forest, but prey feeding, capture success and size were lower compared to the primary forest. Tamarins avoided the forest floor, used vertical supports less often and searched on a lower variety of substrates in the secondary forest. In the secondary forest, tamarins did not capture flushed prey, which make up a substantial part of the total prey captures biomass in primary forests. Reduced prey capture success is unlikely to reflect reduced prey availability, since more Orthoptera were found in secondary forest through ultrasonic surveys. Therefore, the prey search activity of S. nigrifrons in young secondary forests seemed rather opportunistic, presumably influenced by altered predation patterns, vegetation structure, as well as prey diversity.

SUBMITTER: Kupsch D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4082136 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Forest type affects prey foraging of saddleback tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons.

Kupsch Denis D Waltert Matthias M Heymann Eckhard W EW

Primates; journal of primatology 20140401 3

Callitrichids can persist in secondary forests where they may benefit from elevated prey abundance. However, how tamarins forage for prey in secondary forest compared to primary forest has not been examined. Using scan and focal sampling, we compared prey foraging and capture success of two groups of Saguinus nigrifrons in north-eastern Peru: one ranging in primary forest, the other with access to a 10-year-old anthropogenic secondary forest. There was a trend for more prey search in the seconda ...[more]

PMID: 24687729

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Project description:Simple Summary We investigated the social structure of two groups of cooperatively breeding cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) before and after the birth of infants. The two groups had different sizes and age compositions: one being smaller and only having two adults, the breeding pair, and the other being bigger and having several non-reproductive adults. We investigated the group structure by observing grooming relationships, and we studied infant care by observing the time that group members spent carrying infants. The results showed that the group with non-reproductive adults showed a stable structure after the birth of the infants, while the smaller group showed changes in their structure. We also found no evidence of a relationship between the time spent carrying infants and group position. In conclusion, the presence of non-reproductive adults could be a determinant factor in maintaining group stability, although group members do not seem to improve their social position through infant carrying. Abstract Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are characterized by a system of cooperative breeding where helpers, in addition to the reproductive pair, contribute to infant care. Grooming interactions between individuals play an important role in establishing social relationships, creating an interconnected social network in the group. We used social network analysis to investigate the social structure of two groups of cotton-top tamarins with different sizes and compositions and study whether they remain stable after the birth of new infants. We also investigated the possible correlation between the time spent carrying infants and an increase in the grooming centrality. We found that group A (n = 13) had a stable grooming network that showed consistent stability after the birth, although group B (n = 8 and no adult helpers) changed its grooming network and showed a lower density after the birth. Infant carrying was not correlated with increased grooming centrality after the birth. These findings highlight the usefulness of social network analysis in the study of group structure in cooperatively breeding primates and suggest that the birth of offspring has a greater impact on the stability of groups without adult helpers.

Dataset Information

Forest type affects prey foraging of saddleback tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons.

Publications

Forest type affects prey foraging of saddleback tamarins, Saguinus nigrifrons.

Similar Datasets

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