Seed dispersal and defecation patterns of Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata: consequences for seed dispersal effectiveness

Primates are primary seed dispersers for many tropical tree species. Different species of primates vary considerably in ranging and feeding behaviour, seed processing, and in seed defecation patterns. Here we compare the role of two arboreal primate species, howlers (Alouatta palliata), and white-faced monkeys (Cebus capucinus) as seed dispersers in a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. We found that Cebus produce smaller defecations, spend shorter times feeding per tree, have longer seed dispersal distances, and produce a more scattered pattern of seed deposition in the forest than Alouatta. In addition, Cebus moved more frequently between trees, and consumed fruits of more species than Alouatta. We examined the consequences of the contrasting defecation patterns produced by Cebus and Alouatta on the early seed fate of Acacia collinsii. We found that quantity, but not the identity (Cebus vs. Alouatta) of faecal material affected post-dispersal activity. Seeds in scattered faeces, sufficiently apart from each other (the common defecation pattern of white-faced monkeys), had higher short-term survival than seeds in clumped patterns of faeces (the pattern associated with Alouatta).

Download Full-text

High density of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) and habitat quality in the Taboga Forest of Costa Rica

10.1101/692293 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth Tinsley Johnson ◽

Marcela E. Benítez ◽

Alexander Fuentes ◽

Celia R. McLean ◽

Ariek B. Norford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Anthropogenic Disturbance ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Cebus Capucinus ◽

High Density ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Primate Species ◽

Tropical Dry Forests ◽

Forest Fragments ◽

Key Resources

ABSTRACTAcross the globe, primate species and habitats are threatened by human activity. This is especially true for species found in tropical dry forests, which are widely distributed and comprise diverse habitats that remain largely unprotected. Evidence suggests that some primate species endemic to tropical dry forests may be more sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance than others, but our ability to predict primate abundance in the face of disturbance also depends on the specific variables for each site. Here, we consider the factors that explain the high density of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) found in the Taboga Forest, Costa Rica, a relatively small fragment of tropical dry forest surrounded by agricultural fields. Our analyses suggest that, for capuchins (and potentially for mantled howler monkeys, Alouatta palliata), the size and disturbance of a forest fragment may matter less than the composition and availability of key resources, like above-ground water. Group sightings for both species were higher near permanent water sources, but group sightings did not vary between edge and interior forest. These findings help explain why some primate species can flourish even alongside anthropogenic disturbance and thus carry important implications for conservation efforts. Smaller forest fragments, like Taboga, may be able to support high densities of some species because they provide a mosaic of habitats and key resources that buffer adverse ecological conditions. Future studies will assess the extent to which primates in the Taboga Forest rely on the canals versus the river and will consider how the high density of capuchins in Taboga influences ranging patterns, home range overlap, and the frequency and intensity of intergroup encounters.RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSHere we introduce a new white-faced capuchin study site in the Taboga Forest, Costa Rica, a fragmented tropical dry forest.Forest fragments like Taboga may support high primate densities because they provide a mosaic of habitats and key resources.

Download Full-text

Myiarchus flycatchers are the primary seed dispersers of Bursera longipes in a Mexican dry forest: An overlooked coevolutionary process?

10.7287/peerj.preprints.1507 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez ◽

Luis E. Eguiarte ◽

María del Coro Arizmendi ◽

Pablo Corcuera

Keyword(s):

Forest Succession ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Geographic Mosaic ◽

Frugivorous Birds ◽

Nurse Plants ◽

Adaptive Processes ◽

Mutualistic Relationship ◽

Seed Dispersers ◽

Study Sites

We evaluated the seed dispersal of Bursera longipes by birds along a successional gradient of tropical dry forest (TDF) in southwestern Mexico. B. longipes is an endemic tree to the TDF in the Balsas basin. The relative abundance of frugivorous birds, their frequency of visits to B. longipes and the number of removed fruits were recorded at three study sites with different stages of forest succession (early, intermediate and mature) characterized by distinct floristic and structural elements. Flycatchers of the Myiarchus and Tyrannus genera removed the majority of fruits at each site. Overall, visits to B. longipes were less frequent at the early successional site. Birds that function as legitimate dispersers by consuming whole seeds and regurgitating or defecating intact seeds in the process also remove the pseudoaril from seeds, thereby facilitating the germination process. The highest germination percentages were recorded for seeds that passed through the digestive tract of two migratory flycatchers: M. cinerascens and M. nutingii. Perch plants, mainly composed of legumes (e.g., Eysenhardtia polystachya, Acacia cochliacantha, Calliandra eryophylla, Mimosa polyantha), serve also as nurse plants since the number of young individuals recruited from B. longipes was higher under these than expected by chance. This study shows that Myiarchus flycatchers are the most efficient seed dispersers of B. longipes across all successional stages. This suggests a close mutualistic relationship derived from adaptive processes and local specializations throughout the distribution of both taxa, as supported by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution.

Download Full-text

Myiarchusflycatchers are the primary seed dispersers ofBursera longipesin a Mexican dry forest

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.2126 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e2126 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez ◽

Luis E. Eguiarte ◽

María del Coro Arizmendi ◽

Pablo Corcuera

Keyword(s):

Forest Succession ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Geographic Mosaic ◽

Frugivorous Birds ◽

Nurse Plants ◽

Adaptive Processes ◽

Mutualistic Relationship ◽

Seed Dispersers ◽

Study Sites

We evaluated the seed dispersal ofBursera longipesby birds along a successional gradient of tropical dry forest (TDF) in southwestern Mexico.B. longipesis an endemic tree to the TDF in the Balsas basin. The relative abundance of frugivorous birds, their frequency of visits toB. longipesand the number of removed fruits were recorded at three study sites with different stages of forest succession (early, intermediate and mature) characterized by distinct floristic and structural elements. Flycatchers of theMyiarchusandTyrannusgenera removed the majority of fruits at each site. Overall, visits toB. longipeswere less frequent at the early successional site. Birds that function as legitimate dispersers by consuming whole seeds and regurgitating or defecating intact seeds in the process also remove the pseudoaril from seeds, thereby facilitating the germination process. The highest germination percentages were recorded for seeds that passed through the digestive system of two migratory flycatchers:M. cinerascensandM. nutingii. Perch plants, mainly composed of legumes (e.g.,Eysenhardtia polystachya, Acacia cochliacantha, Calliandra eryophylla, Mimosa polyantha), serve also as nurse plants since the number of young individuals recruited fromB. longipeswas higher under these than expected by chance. This study shows thatMyiarchusflycatchers are the most efficient seed dispersers ofB. longipesacross all successional stages. This suggests a close mutualistic relationship derived from adaptive processes and local specializations throughout the distribution of both taxa, as supported by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution.

Download Full-text

The nutritional importance of invertebrates to female Cebus capucinus imitator in a highly seasonal tropical dry forest

American Journal of Physical Anthropology ◽

10.1002/ajpa.23913 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 170 (2) ◽

pp. 207-216 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mackenzie L. Bergstrom ◽

Jeremy D. Hogan ◽

Amanda D. Melin ◽

Linda M. Fedigan

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Cebus Capucinus ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Nutritional Importance

Download Full-text

Short-term post-dispersal fate of seeds defecated by two small primate species (Saguinus mystaxandSaguinus fuscicollis) in the Amazonian forest of Peru

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467409005860 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 229-238 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Laurence Culot ◽

Marie-Claude Huynen ◽

Paul Gérard ◽

Eckhard W. Heymann

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Dung Beetles ◽

Primate Species ◽

Seed Fate ◽

Short Term ◽

Amazonian Forest ◽

Saguinus Fuscicollis ◽

High Quality Seed ◽

Secondary Seed Dispersal

Abstract:Post-dispersal fate of seeds dispersed by large primates is well studied but little is known about this process in small frugivores like tamarins. This study in the Amazonian forest of Peru aimed at investigating if characteristics related to the defecation patterns of tamarins (Saguinus mystaxandSaguinus fuscicollis) affected short-term post-dispersal seed fate, through secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles and removal by seed predators. Data on dung beetle activity were based on direct observations of 49 defecations while seed fate was studied using semi-controlled experiments (N = 458 for secondary dispersal and N = 398 for predation). Tamarins produce small defecations with a low number of seeds. Thirty-five per cent of defecations were visited by an average of 1.5 dung beetles that usually transport the faeces as pellets. Twenty-four per cent of seeds were buried by beetles at a mean depth of 3.5 cm. With increasing quantities of faecal matter, the probability of secondary seed dispersal increased but not the depth of burial. Seed predation pressure was low (17.6%) after 4 d and higher in faeces ofS. mystaxthan in faeces ofS. fuscicollis. Despite their small size, tamarins could be considered as high-quality seed dispersers, with a potential role for forest regeneration.

Download Full-text

Consequences of habitat disturbance on seed fate of a Brazilian tropical dry forest treeCavanillesia arborea(Malvaceae)

Austral Ecology ◽

10.1111/aec.12241 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 40 (6) ◽

pp. 726-732 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Herbert Souza-Silva ◽

Larissa F. Machado ◽

Jhonathan O. Silva ◽

Mário M. Espírito-Santo

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Habitat Disturbance ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Seed Fate

Download Full-text

Quantifying seasonal fallback on invertebrates, pith, and bromeliad leaves by white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in a tropical dry forest

American Journal of Physical Anthropology ◽

10.1002/ajpa.22767 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 158 (1) ◽

pp. 67-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Krisztina N. Mosdossy ◽

Amanda D. Melin ◽

Linda M. Fedigan

Keyword(s):

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Cebus Capucinus ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Capuchin Monkeys

Download Full-text

Seasonal fruiting and seed dispersal by the brown lemur in a tropical dry forest, north-western Madagascar

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467413000011 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 61-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Hiroki Sato

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Feeding Activity ◽

Tropical Dry Forest ◽

Dry Season ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Eulemur Fulvus ◽

Faecal Analysis ◽

North Western ◽

Essential Food

Abstract:Community-wide seasonal fruiting and seed dispersal by the common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus fulvus) was investigated in a tropical dry forest, north-western Madagascar. The brown lemur is the sole disperser of large seeds > 10 mm in diameter. Considering the limited assemblage of dispersers, large-seeded plants should display distinctive fruiting patterns to acquire dispersers. To compare fruiting patterns and seed dispersal by the brown lemur between small-seeded and large-seeded plants, fruiting conditions for 432 trees on a transect, feeding activity over 1212 h of observation, and the composition of 1126 dung samples were recorded for 1 y. Seeds of a total of 52 species were identified through both observations and faecal analysis. As rainfall increased, larger numbers of species and individuals of small-seeded plants fruited. Among the 52 species, the brown lemur dispersed 29 and 13 species with small and large seeds, respectively, during the rainy season. High moisture levels probably favoured seed germination and seedling establishment in various species. During the dry season, although small-seeded species rarely fruited, a few large-seeded species, particularly Vitex beraviensis, formed a long-term fruiting peak and provided essential food resources for the brown lemur. Because seeds of these large-seeded plants were frequently dispersed by the brown lemur, dry-season fruiting seemed to be favourable to avoid competition for dispersers with other plant species.

Download Full-text