Alouatta

In the Rio Grande do Sul (RS) there is three primate species: the black howler monkey - Alouatta caraya, the red-howler - A. clamitans and the capuchin monkey - Sapajus nigritus. The first one is associated with the Pampa biome and the other two to the Atlantic Forest biome. Alouatta clamitans and A. caraya are endangered in the state. Populations of S. nigritus not been fully mapped and their degree of threat remains "insufficient data" (DD). Recently an outbreak of yellow fever (2008/2009) struck populations of Alouatta spp. Other pressures on primate populations are roadkill, attacks by dogs, electric shocks, effects of forest fragmentation and hunting. Protected Areas (APs) and indigenous lands (TIs) are important for conservation in situ. The last survey on the occurrence of primates in APs was made by PRATES et al. (1993). The Red Book of the State cites the presence of primates in 18 APs. This study included other no official Protected Areas, besides APs, based on the Red Book, management plans, scientific papers, technical reports, personal communications and field observations. Our results demonstrate the occurrence of primates in 64 APs, which are 07 with A. caraya, 33 with A. clamitans and other 07 with S. nigritus. On other 17 APs occurs sympatric between S. nigritus and A. clamitans. The increase of APs with primates, compared to the previous study, reflects the methodological difference, but also a real increase in the number of APs in RS since 1993, the development of management plans and an increase in the research effort, enabling a greater number of records of the species. The small number of APs with A. caraya is an indicator of UC deficit in Pampa biome. These results reinforce the demand mapping populations of S. nigritus and reassessment of the status of the primates species.

The Ecuadorian mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata aequatorialis) is classified vulnerable due to habitat
loss and hunting, yet little is known about the subspecies in the southern part of its range, and previous studies
have been conducted in humid forests. Here we present the first data on Ecuadorian mantled howler monkeys in
Cerro Blanco Protected Forest, a large fragment of tropical dry forest near Guayaquil Ecuador in the south of the
subspecies range. The protected forest is a mosaic of old forest, recovering secondary forest and areas restored by
planting native tree species. We used a triangulation survey to locate howler monkeys by their calls and assess
habitat selection and population density. Although we found a diurnal pattern in calling behavior, with increased
loud calls heard during midday, no temporal pattern was found in the number of calls triangulated. Mean cluster
sizes of Ecuadorian mantled howler monkeys in Cerro Blanco Protected Forest are smaller than those observed
for A. palliata at other sites. We calculated an overall density of 7.71 (95% CI: 4.08–14.19) clusters per km2, which
equates to 47 individuals per km2 (95% CI: 25–87 individuals). Ecuadorian mantled howler monkeys did not
appear to select or avoid any of the habitat characteristics measured, which is encouraging as we found no
evidence clusters were avoiding regenerating or replanted areas.

Recently several studies have focused on the structure of ecological networks to provide insights into ecological and coevolutionary dynamics of interacting species. However, rarely have the tools of ecological networks been used to understand how feeding relationships vary among individuals of the same population. Here we use 7 years of data and network analyzed to examine the intrapopulation diet variation in a group of howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We show that individual monkey–resource food webs are nested, but not modular and the stability of these patterns is independent of time of day or season. Our findings indicated that individuals do not forage randomly when compared to null models and that the diets of more selective monkeys represent subsets of the diets of other individuals. Moreover, there are no subgroups that eat a particular set of available plant species more frequently than other sets, suggesting that the spatial strategy of group foraging plays an important role in the feeding ecology of each group given that individuals of the same group tend to share similar resources while the group remains at a feeding site. Since the diets of more selective individuals are a subset of other monkeys, we suggest that more selective monkeys are able to outcompete others for preferred foods. Additionally, we did not observe differences in nutritional content or spatial abundance of more frequently eaten plant species when compared with less frequently eaten species, but in most cases, the more frequently eaten plant species were Ficus (Moraceae). This reinforces the important role that Ficus trees play in howler monkey feeding ecology, likely due to its year-round availability. Am. J. Primatol. 76:670–678, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Recently several studies have focused on the structure of ecological networks to provide insights into ecological and coevolutionary dynamics of interacting species. However, rarely have the tools of ecological networks been used to understand how feeding relationships vary among individuals of the same population. Here we use 7 years of data and network analyzed to examine the intrapopulation diet variation in a group of howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We show that individual monkey–resource food webs are nested, but not modular and the stability of these patterns is independent of time of day or season. Our findings indicated that individuals do not forage randomly when compared to null models and that the diets of more selective monkeys represent subsets of the diets of other individuals. Moreover, there are no subgroups that eat a particular set of available plant species more frequently than other sets, suggesting that the spatial strategy of group foraging plays an important role in the feeding ecology of each group given that individuals of the same group tend to share similar resources while the group remains at a feeding site. Since the diets of more selective individuals are a subset of other monkeys, we suggest that more selective monkeys are able to outcompete others for preferred foods. Additionally, we did not observe differences in nutritional content or spatial abundance of more frequently eaten plant species when compared with less frequently eaten species, but in most cases, the more frequently eaten plant species were Ficus (Moraceae). This reinforces the important role that Ficus trees play in howler monkey feeding ecology, likely due to its year-round availability. Am. J. Primatol. 76:670–678, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.