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Absence of Howlers (Alouatta palliata) Influences Tree Seedling Densities in Tropical Rain Forest Fragments in Southern Mexico

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Abstract

The disappearance of frugivorous primates in fragmented forests can potentially lower the rates of seed dispersal and recruitment of endozoochorous tree species, thus altering plant community structure. We quantified seedling density for 7 tree species that are common in the feces of mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) in 6 rain forest fragments in northern Chiapas, Mexico. Howlers were present in 3 of the fragments and absent in the other 3. We compared seedling density in primate sleeping sites in inhabited fragments with control sites, which were structurally similar to sleeping sites but where we did not find monkey feces, in both inhabited and uninhabited fragments. For each tree species, we determined the relationship between seedling density and the local density of seeds and adult trees. In fragments where howlers were present, seedling density for 4 of the focal tree species (Brosimum alicastrum, Dialium guianense, Manilkara zapota, and Nectandra ambigens) was greater in sleeping sites than in control sites found in the same fragments. Moreover, seedling density of Dialium guianense was greater in the control sites of fragments inhabited by howlers than in fragments where this primate is absent. Seedling density of these 4 species correlates positively with seed density on the forest floor; however, we observed no correlations between seedling density and the density of adult trees. Our results suggest that the diversity of the seedling community of tree species dispersed by howlers may decline in fragments where this seed disperser is absent. These findings, together with the fact that only 5% of the study region is currently covered by forest and 81% of the forest remnants are uninhabited by mantled howlers, suggest that the potential long-term recovery of associated populations of tropical tree species dispersed by this primate species is highly uncertain. Conservation and restoration efforts should be aimed at restoring or replacing the ecological role played by this important seed disperser in the region.

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Acknowledgments

A. Birke, L. Guillén, D. Garibay, A. Martínez-Ramírez, J. León, J. Benítez-Malvido, J.C. Serio-Silva, J. Laborde, L. Abdalá-Roberts, A. Castro-Luna, C. Gallardo, and B. Vera contributed valuable comments to earlier versions of the manuscript. We also thank 3 anonymous reviewers for their many useful suggestions. We thank R. Morales and M. Gil for field assistance. This study was financed by a Ph.D. scholarship to A. Anzures-Dadda provided by the Mexican Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (159285) through the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL), as well as by Sigma-Xi (Grants-in-Aid of Research) and Iberostal Hotels & Resorts. Logistic support was provided by the Ayuntamiento de Juarez, Chiapas, the Instituto de Historia Natural de Chiapas, Organic Export, Lom Lek Café, Aleph Construcciones, as well as by the Anzures-Dadda, Gil-Ramos, Guichard-Romero, and Escobar-Padilla families and the landowners of the field sites. A. Anzures-Dadda thanks M. Aluja and the Aluja-Guillén family for their support during the preparation of the manuscript. E. Andresen was on sabbatical leave during the time of manuscript preparation; she thanks DGAPA-UNAM for financial support through a sabbatical fellowship and the University of Washington for hosting her. This article is part of the Ph.D. dissertation of A. Anzures-Dadda directed by R. H. Manson. We thank L. Abdalá-Roberts for translation of the manuscript.

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  1. Alberto Anzures-Dadda

    Present address: Area de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana y Periférico Sur s/n, Barrio de María Auxiliadora, CP 29290, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Alberto Anzures-Dadda

  2. Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

    Ellen Andresen

  3. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    María Luisa Martínez & Robert H. Manson

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  1. Alberto Anzures-Dadda
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Anzures-Dadda, A., Andresen, E., Martínez, M.L. et al. Absence of Howlers (Alouatta palliata) Influences Tree Seedling Densities in Tropical Rain Forest Fragments in Southern Mexico. Int J Primatol 32, 634–651 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9492-0

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