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Ecological Biogeography of Primates in Guyana

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Primate Biogeography

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

One of the goals of ecological biogeography is to determine correlates to species diversity and abundance in biological communities. Although large-scale disturbances, such as deforestation, have been linked to declining mammal population sizes in tropical forests, the effects of less severe forms of natural disturbances (flooding, black water swamps) and anthropogenic disturbances (logging, hunting, and agriculture) are poorly understood. Moreover, interspecific associations may influence the presence or absence of primate species. We used data from 2108 km of primate surveys we conducted from 1994–1997 to determine the ecological correlates of biogeography in eight primate species in Guyana. Our data indicate the importance of riparian forests for understanding the biogeography of six of the eight primate species in Guyana. Edge-related variations in leaf quality may explain higher sighting rates for howler monkeys in agricultural areas. Insect abundance may relate to the higher sighting rates for golden-handed tamarins in swamp forests. Sighting rates for brown capuchins were positively correlated with flooding intensities, which may be the result of the abundance of palm species used as a keystone resource in seasonally inundated habitats. Although wedge-capped and brown capuchins are sympatric at some sites, analyses of species composition across all survey sites indicate that these monkeys have a negative pattern of interspecific association. Sighting rates of both species were lower at sites where they were found to be sympatric, but reduced sighting rates were particularly noticeable in wedge-capped capuchins. The combined effects of natural disturbances, anthropogenic disturbances, and interspecific associations strongly influence primate biogeography in Guyana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada

    S. M. Lehman

  2. Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130

    R. W. Sussman & J. Phillips-Conroy

  3. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, MO, 63110

    J. Phillips-Conroy

  4. Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development, Georgetown, Guyana South America

    W. Prince

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  1. S. M. Lehman
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  2. R. W. Sussman
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  3. J. Phillips-Conroy
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  4. W. Prince
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Lehman, S.M., Sussman, R.W., Phillips-Conroy, J., Prince, W. (2006). Ecological Biogeography of Primates in Guyana. In: Primate Biogeography. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-31710-4_4

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