Mycophagy and its influence on habitat use and ranging patterns in Callimico goeldii

Bibliographic Data

ID8320802
AuthorsLeila M Porter (0000-0003-4520-8617, Northern Illinois University, corresponding author), P A Garber (0000-0003-0053-8356, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
Year2010
Volume142
Issue3
Pages468-475
Publication date2010-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.21259
PMID20209492
OpenAlexW2044649433
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited33

Mycophagy has been documented in a number of species of marmosets and lion tamarins (Callitrichinae) but its effect on ranging behavior is not known. We present the results of 10 years of research on five groups of Goeldi's monkey ( Callimico goeldii ) at a field site in northwestern Bolivia. We studied the diet and ranging behavior of two of the groups. On average, groups contained 4.5 individuals (range 2.0–9.0), but they gradually decreased in size until only the breeding female remained in the home range. The annual diet was composed of fungi (31.1–34.9%), fruits (34.0–40.6%), prey (17.4–30.1%), and exudates (1.0–10.9%). They had large home ranges (114–150 ha) and over time individuals tended to shift their core areas of use. They used secondary and bamboo forest and forest with dense understories more than expected based on availability. We suggest that the large home ranges and shifting core areas used by C. goeldii are components of a foraging strategy to track patchy, low density, and ephemeral fungal fruiting bodies. Our results, along with data published on other callitrichines, indicate that groups of Leontopithecus , Callithrix , and Callimico that eat fungi have larger home ranges than those that do not. Mycophagy is one of the several factors that evidently affect home range size in callitrichines. Fungi are clearly an important food source for a number of populations, but additional studies are needed to determine why some eat fungi frequently while others do not. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Biology · Foraging · Habitat · Home range · Predation · Range (aeronautics) · Zoology · Animal Behavior and Reproduction · Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior · Ecology · Primate Behavior and Ecology