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Behavioral modifications in northern bearded saki monkeys (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes) in forest fragments of central Amazonia

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Abstract

We investigated behavioral differences among seven groups of northern bearded saki monkeys (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes) living in five forest fragments and two areas of continuous forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project study area, located approximately 80 km north of Manaus, Brazil. We collected data in six research cycles from July–August 2003 to January 2005–April 2006. When bearded saki monkeys were present in a study area, we followed the group from dawn until dusk for three consecutive days. Every 5 min, we conducted behavioral scans of all visible individuals. There was a positive relationship between forest size and group size, but animals in the small forest fragments lived at greater densities. Bearded saki monkeys in the smaller fragments spent more time resting, less time traveling, and less time vocalizing, but there was no relationship between forest size and the amount of time spent feeding. Our results indicate that the main behavioral differences among the groups are related to the amount of forest resources (e.g., fruit trees, space) available to the monkeys in the smaller fragments, as well as the resulting smaller group sizes. We stress the need to preserve large tracts of forest and provide connectivity between forest patches.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Brazil’s Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA), and Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA) for permission to conduct this research. The Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Arizona State University provided further logistical and financial support, and the Fulbright/Institute of International Education, Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, Providing Educational Opportunities (PEO), Primate Conservation, Inc., Organization for Tropical Studies, American Society of Primatologists provided additional funding. We thank A. M. dos Reis, O. F. da Silva, W. C. Lourenço, L. R. da Silva, and W. R. Spironello for assistance in Brazil, and E. W. Heymann, L. K. Marsh, and an anonymous reviewer for comments that improved the manuscript. This is publication number 534 in the BDFFP technical series.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Sarah Ann Boyle & Andrew T. Smith

  2. Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Av. André Araújo 1753 Petrópolis, Manaus, AM, 69011-970, Brazil

    Sarah Ann Boyle

  3. Biology Department, Rhodes College, 2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN, 38112, USA

    Sarah Ann Boyle

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  1. Sarah Ann Boyle
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Correspondence to Sarah Ann Boyle.

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Boyle, S.A., Smith, A.T. Behavioral modifications in northern bearded saki monkeys (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes) in forest fragments of central Amazonia. Primates 51, 43–51 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-009-0169-7

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