Abstract ID: 479

Forest Fragmentation Leads to Behavioral Changes in the Bearded Saki, Chiropotes satanas chiropotes

Deforestation has resulted in a mosaic of forest fragments throughout areas of once continuous forest in the Amazon. Here we present data on the behavioral responses of the bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes) to forest fragmentation at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) study site, located 80 km north of Manaus, Brazil. In July - August 2003 and January 2005 - April 2006, we surveyed nine forest fragments ranging in size from 1 ha to 100 ha, and two areas of continuous forest. When bearded sakis were present in a study area, we followed them for three consecutive days. Behavioral scan samples were taken at five-minute intervals during the follows, and the group’s location was noted using a handheld GPS receiver. Although the bearded sakis had a home range of 559 ha in the continuous forest, groups were also found in five forest fragments of 1 ha to 100 ha. Average group size (F3,3=43.80, P=0.0056) and daily travel distance (F(3,3)=155, P=0.0009) increased with fragment size, but bearded saki density was greatest in the smaller fragments (F3,3=35.75, P=0.0076). Overall, bearded sakis consumed 244 plant species, but there was little dietary overlap between groups, as 64 percent of the plant species were consumed by only one bearded saki group. In addition, bearded sakis neither entered nor left forest fragments that were completely isolated from the continuous forest. We conclude that forest fragmentation greatly affects the behavioral ecology of bearded sakis. Furthermore, the capacity of a non-forested matrix to act as a barrier to movements across the landscape by the bearded saki is important to consider when monitoring the species’ regional populations.

Session:  LCLUC and Human Dimensions - Causes and consequences of Amazon forest fragmentation.

Presentation Type:  Oral