The occurrence of the red‐handed howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul) in amazonian savannas is related to forest patch area and density of flooded area palms

Abstract

All Neotropical primates are arboreal and thus depend on forests for their survival. Arboreality puts many Neotropical primates at risk of extinction due to the high rates of deforestation in the tropics. We assessed the influence of vegetation structure and forest patch attributes on the occurrence of the threatened redhanded howler monkey (Alouatta belzebul) in an Amazonian savanna. Using a sample of 38 forest patches in a region of approximately 2000 km 2 in the state of Amapá, northern Brazil, we used logistic regression to find the best predictors of the occurrence of A. belzebul. We assessed patch area, patch isolation, the proportion of seasonally flooded forest in the patch, the density of flooded area palms, forest height, canopy cover, and diameter at breast height of trees. Patch area and palm density were the best predictors of the occurrence of A. belzebul in forest patches, both having a positive effect on the probability of occurrence. Our results indicate that areas of flooded forest in forest patches may be keystone habitats for A. belzebul living in Amazonian savannas. The observed effect of palm density on A. belzebul suggests that this variable is useful for planning conservation actions, including the selection of areas for protection and management strategies for areas inhabited by this primate.

Ecotourism Disturbance on an Endemic Endangered Primate in the Huangshan Man and the Biosphere Reserve of China: A Way to Move Forward

“…These populations tended to stay away from serious eco-tourism areas in the core zone. Many studies have shown that environmental variables such as elevation, slope, aspect, and forest cover significantly affect animal distribution [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. This study also supports those findings.…”

Ficha de Alouatta belzebul

“…A população amazônica tem seu limite oriental na Mata dos Cocais, nos estados do Maranhão e Tocantins, onde a distribuição geográfica coincide com os limites do bioma Amazônico. O rio Xingu pode ser o limite ocidental e, ao norte, a espécie é limitada pelo baixo Amazonas, embora haja registro de populações no Amapá (Silva et al, 2013;Silvestre et al, 2020). R. Hilário (com.…”

“…Alouatta belzebul ocorre em Floresta Tropical Amazônica de Planície, Floresta de Várzea e fragmentos de Floresta Tropical Atlântica do Nordeste (Veiga et al, 2008;Silvestre et al, 2020). Não é restrito a hábitats primários e apresenta tolerância a modificações/perturbações no ambiente, sendo encontrado em áreas perturbadas pela extração mineral (Carvalho, 2010) e ocupando fragmentos de tamanho reduzido e em regeneração (Ludwig et al, 2020).…”

“…Em Pernambuco, Julianne Moura da Silva desenvolveu a tese "Relações ecológicas, aspectos ecofisiológicos e comportamentais da espécie Alouatta belzebul (Linnaeus, 1766) em fragmentos de Mata Atlântica de Pernambuco ", com a única população presente neste estado (da Silva, 2022) No estado do Amapá, Renato R. Hilário (UNIFAP) coordena pesquisas que têm investigado a distribuição geográfica da espécie e levantado informações sobre populações em manchas de floresta (Calle-Rendón et al, 2020;Silvestre et al, 2020), a intensidade da caça (Silvestre et al, 2021), a identificação de áreas prioritárias para a conservação (Calle-Rendón et al, 2022), a densidade da espécie, a viabilidade das populações e fatores socioambientais associados à presença e densidade (R. Hilário, com. pess., 2022).…”

Scale dependency of the effects of landscape structure and stand age on species richness and aboveground biomass of tropical dry forests

“…Low flooded forests are considered key habitats for various species because their proximity to non-flooded forests favors the seasonal provision of fruits to a large number of animals (Silvestre et al 2020), and due to their distinct floristic composition and phenology (Carretero & Defler 2016). Few studies have described the structure and floristic diversity of low flooded forests (Chiquini et al 2017).…”