Pithecia pithecia 's behavioral response to decreasing fruit abundance

Bibliographic Data

ID19386487
AuthorsElena P Cunningham (0000-0002-5529-921X, New York University, corresponding author), Charles H Janson (0000-0001-6839-4796, State University of New York)
Year2006
Volume68
Issue5
Pages491-497
Publication date2006-05-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Primatology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0275-2565 • E-ISSN: 1098-2345
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajp.20244
PMID16541444
OpenAlexW2006684962
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited8

In this article we describe the behavioral responses of a group of white‐faced sakis' ( Pithecia pithecia ) to fruit and water scarcity. Six sakis were observed on Round Island in Guri Lake, Venezuela, between March and May 1996. These months are considered the dry season and the beginning of the wet season. Sakis specialize in eating seeds. During the present study only one tree species, Licania discolor (Chrysobalanaceae), fruited in substantial numbers. Licania seeds accounted for 88% of the time the sakis spent eating fruit in March, 87% in April, and 80% in May. We estimate that the sakis' intake of Licania seeds dropped from 2,573 seeds in the 15‐day observation period in March to 956 seeds in the 16‐day observation period in May. The sakis not only spent less time eating Licania , they ate the seeds at a much slower rate. The drop in the sakis' feeding rate was probably due to increased local search and inspection times. In response to the scarcity of fruit, the sakis ate more young leaves, insects, and flowers. Feeding bouts became more frequent but shorter. Mean distances between feeding bouts fell significantly and the sakis revisited trees less often. Am. J. Primatol. 68:1–6, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Biology · Dry season · Amphibian and Reptile Biology · Avian ecology and behavior · Fish biology, ecology, and behavior · Ecology · Horticulture

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