Dietary plasticity of a understudied primate (Sapajus cay) in a biodiversity hotspot: applying ecological traits to habitat conservation in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

Abstract

One of the main threats to wild primates is habitat alteration, fragmentation and destruction. Therefore it is crucial to understand the ability of those species to adapt to human-induced habitat changes to prevent extirpation. Key to this is a species diet plasticity. In Paraguay over 91% of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest has been destroyed to expand agricultural land. We determined the diet composition of three Sapajus cay groups in degraded and near-pristine Atlantic Forest in eastern Paraguay to assess whether the diet composition of this species changes with habitat degradation. We accounted for diet variability associated with demographic traits and forest characteristics using multinomial linear models. Once the effect of age, sex, and season were accounted for, we found that the diet of capuchins was plastic and shifted to adapt to studied degraded forest conditions. The results showed that (as expected) the capuchins have a generalist and flexible diet, including opportunistically taking advantage of crop plants, particularly Slash Pine plantations, when the risks were lower. The capuchins ability to adjust their diet in different habitat fragments demonstrates that small islands of Paraguayan Atlantic Forest are valuable for their persistence. This insight can be used to create applied conservation strategies, such as using the existing Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) legislation to provide an opportunity to begin reconnecting fragments using native trees bordered by Slash Pine plantations. Using the capuchins as an umbrella species would increase public support of the program, while compensation through the PES scheme and profiting from the timber would encourage landowner participation.

Modelling habitat suitability for a potential flagship species, the hooded capuchin, of the Paraguayan Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

“…Both are measures of the amount of healthy, photosynthetically active vegetation and it would be expected to be higher in areas with denser, more mature forest (Baig et al, 2014;Fitzgerald et al, 2018). NDVI was found to be a slightly more important predictor at RLB than at NG which again may be a result of the history of habitat alteration mak- resource for the capuchin groups at both site with the bamboo shoot making up ∼10%-30% of the capuchins diet at RLB and ∼5%-40% of the capuchins diet at NG (depending on the season) (Smith et al, 2022).…”

“…At RLB, the areas with the highest rate of occurrence of capuchins were the older growth forest, bamboo dominated forest and flooded forest (that has experienced little selective logging in the past). While the bamboo‐dominated forest often has fewer large trees and therefore is possibly unlikely to be able to support the capuchins without the surrounding matrix of other forest types, the bamboo itself is an important resource for the capuchin groups at both site with the bamboo shoot making up ∼10%–30% of the capuchins diet at RLB and ∼5%–40% of the capuchins diet at NG (depending on the season) (Smith et al., 2022). In addition to feeding directly on the bamboo, the monkeys also use the large stems as a source of drinking water (Smith, personal observation) The monkeys occurred less in the degraded areas, even though these areas were still forested.…”

“…The SDM for NG showed that even though the capuchins had access to some of the nearest‐to‐undisturbed forest left in the country, they were most likely to be found in the 1.5 ha Slash pine tree ( Pinus elliottii ) that bordered the forest. The monkeys spent significant amounts of time feeding on pinecone seeds (42%–69% of feeding observations: Smith, 2021; Smith et al., 2022) but also used the pine trees as an important sleeping site, with over half of their nights spent in the plantation (Smith, 2021). As this species is a timber crop, this behaviour does not generate conflicts with economic activities.…”

Plant diversity in the diet of Costa Rican primates in contrasting habitats: a meta-analysis

“…: [63,64], Sapajus spp. [11,65]). Overall, the eclectic feeding behavior of tropical NHP is frequently associated with three main factors.…”

“…Among vertebrates, non-human primates (NHP) are one of the most eclectic or flexible groups with respect to diet [2,[10][11][12], a crucial behavior for their medium and longterm survival in human-modified and/or strongly seasonal habitats (2,(12)(13)(14). While some NHP species are highly specialized (e.g.…”