Primate Responses to Phenological Changes in an Amazonian Terra Firme Forest

Abstract

The responses of saddleback tamarins Saguinus fuscicollis avilapiresi, moustached tamarins S. mystax pileatus, brown capuchins Cebus apella and gray woolly monkeys Lagothrix lagotricha cana to seasonal changes in plant phenology were examined in undisturbed terra firme forest in the upper Urucu river, Brazilian Amazonia. Primate species fed largely on ripe fruit pulp for most of the year, but shifted to alternative plant resources during the dry season, when the density of fruiting trees and the abundance of ripe fruit reached their lowest levels. The main dry season plant resource used by the two tamarin species was nectar, while those of brown capuchins and woolly monkeys are immature seeds and young foliage, respectively. Exudates of Parkia seedpods were heavily used by all species. Nondietary seasonal adaptations to lean fruit supplies are described for these and other sympatric primate species mainly in terms of pronounced shifts in habitat use and ranging behavior. -from Author