The role of sex and age in the architecture of intrapopulation howler monkey-plant networks in continuous and fragmented rain forests

PeerJ

article

Julieta Benitez-Malvido¹  Ana Paola Martínez-Falcón¹  Wesley Dattilo³  Ana María González-DiPierro⁴  Rafael Lombera Estrada⁴  Anna Traveset⁵ 

[1] Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico;Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo;Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología AC;Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Las Margaritas, Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas;Ecología Terrestre Group, Biodiversity and Conservation, Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats

关键词: Age;    Alouatta pigra;    Consumer-resource interactions;    Habitat fragmentation;    Sex-classes;    Nestedness;    Age class;    Sex class;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.1809

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

We evaluated the structure of intrapopulation howler monkey-plant interactions by focusing on the plant species consumed by different sex and age classes in continuous and fragmented forests in southern Mexico. For this we used network analysis to evaluate the impact of fragmentation on howler population traits and on resource availability and food choice. A total of 37 tree and liana species and seven plant items (bark, immature fruits, flowers, mature fruits, immature leaves, mature leaves and petioles) were consumed, but their relative consumption varied according to sex and age classes and habitat type. Overall, adult females consumed the greatest number of plant species and items while infants and juveniles the lowest. For both continuous and fragmented forests, we found a nested diet for howler monkey-plant networks: diets of more selective monkeys represent subsets of the diets of other individuals. Nestedness was likely due to the high selectivity of early life stages in specific food plants and items, which contrasts with the generalized foraging behaviour of adults. Information on the extent to which different plant species and primate populations depend on such interactions in different habitats will help to make accurate predictions about the potential impact of disturbances on plant-animal interaction networks.

【 授权许可】

CC BY