Key tree species for the golden‐headed lion tamarin and implications for shade‐cocoa management in southern Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The golden-headed lion tamarin Leontopithecus chrysomelas occurs in the Atlantic forest of southern Bahia, Brazil, where shade-cocoa agroforestry (known as cabruca) predominates. The economic decline of the cocoa industry has caused many landowners to convert cabruca into cattle pasture or diversify their plantations with other crops. These and prior anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat fragmentation are threatening lion tamarin persistence. For some lion tamarin groups, cabruca comprises a large part of their home range. Considering these factors, the maintenance of the biological diversity in cabruca favorable to goldenheaded lion tamarins is of considerable interest to their long-term survival. Here we identify plant species that provide food and sleeping sites for the lion tamarins and examine their occurrence in cabruca plantations, in order to investigate alternatives for conservation management practices that benefit both lion tamarins and cabruca. We determined the total number of trees and the frequency of individuals and species used for food and sleeping sites by lion tamarins in Una Biological Reserve, Bahia, from 1998 to 2006. We used this information to compare the richness and frequency of use across habitats (cabruca, mature and secondary) and to create a ranking index considering various components of a tree species' utility to the lion tamarins. Lion tamarins used 155 tree species, 93 for food and 93 for sleeping sites. Fifty-five species were ranked as 'Extremely Valuable,' eight as 'Valuable' and 92 as 'Of Interest.' Of 48 families, Myrtaceae and Sapotaceae were used the most. Cabruca contained fewer individual trees used by lion tamarins, but the highest frequency of use per tree compared with other habitats, indicating the large influence of single trees in these plantations. Using the key tree species identified in our study in the management of cabruca would be of considerable benefit to the long-term survival of lion tamarins

Occurrences of the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecuschrysomelas) Above 500 Meters in Southern Bahia, Brazil and Implications for Conservation Planning

“…In a botanical inventory of three montane areas in southern Bahia, Amorim et al (2009) recorded 1,129 plants species at altitudes 300 to 1080 m above sea level. Seventeen species on -able" on a list of key resource species for L. chrysomelas by Oliveira et al (2010) from a lower-lying forest ( < 100 m altitude). An additional 25 species were listed as "key" (useful but to a lesser degree than the "extremely valuable"; Oliveira et al 2010).…”

“…Seventeen species on -able" on a list of key resource species for L. chrysomelas by Oliveira et al (2010) from a lower-lying forest ( < 100 m altitude). An additional 25 species were listed as "key" (useful but to a lesser degree than the "extremely valuable"; Oliveira et al 2010). Amorim et al (2009) also recorded high bromeliad diversity above 400 m. Golden-headed lion tamarins forage for animal prey most commonly in bromeliads (Oliveira et al Second, a shift may have occurred in the species elevation-use patterns in response to anthropogenic change in the region, and L. chrysomelas could be using higher elevations despite their poorer resources.…”

“…Floresta Azul (Sighting 1) is within the Serra dos Barbados range that rises to approximately 800 m, with cabruca forest occurring up to 700 m. The region of Arataca where L. chrysomelas was found (Sightings 2 and 3), is part a chain of mountains that includes the Serra das Lontras, the Serra dos Quatis and the Serra Javi where the maximum altitude is nearly 1,000 m. Cabruca is prevalent up to altitudes of 600 m. The region of Camacã where L. chrysomelas was found (Sighting 4) is located in the Serra do Baixão chain (west of Lontras) that rises up to 900 m and is composed of a mosaic of vegetation ranging from open pasture to mature forest. Cabruca is a habitat known to be used by L. chrysomelas and provides suitable resources throughout the species' range (Oliveira et al 2010(Oliveira et al , 2011Raboy et al 2010).…”

Report on the presence of a group of golden-headed lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas), an endangered primate species in a rubber plantation in southern Bahia, Brazil

“…Tapirira guianensis; Oliveira et al, 2010) and jackfruit trees. Jackfruit, an exotic species introduced in Brazil in the 18th century, is widely distributed along the Brazilian coast (Correia, 1975).…”

Effects of fragmentation on density and population genetics of a threatened tree species in a biodiversity hotspot

“…due to its insect-and fungus-resistant wood (Pennington 2004). Additionally, M. maxima is ecologically important to the endangered golden-headed lion tama rin (GHLT) Leontopithecus chryso melas as a source of dietary nectar (Raboy & Dietz 2004), and was identified as an 'extremely valuable' tree species for GHLT conservation (Oliveira et al 2010).…”