Activity Patterns, Diet and Home Range of Night Monkeys (Aotus griseimembra and Aotus lemurinus) in Tropical Lowland and Mountain Forests of Central Colombia

Most primates live in lowland ecosystems; however, some species have been particularly successful at colonizing higher altitudes, such as night monkeys (genus Aotus ). Studies of the ecology of night monkeys in tropical forests are numerous, but behavioral data are limited due to the challenges asso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of primatology Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 130 - 153
Main Authors:	Montilla, Sebastián O., Mopán-Chilito, Alex Mauricio, Murcia, Laura Natalia Sierra, Triana, Jonathan David Mahecha, Ruiz, Otto Mauricio Caro, Montoya-Cepeda, Juanita, Gutierrez-Barreto, Daniela Alejandra, Holguín-Vivas, Julie Alejandra, Agámez, Carlos J., Pérez-Grisales, Luis Javier, Cruz-Moncada, Mariana, Corredor-Durango, Nicole Juliana, Díaz, Erika Alejandra Chaves, Cardona-Cardona, Andrés Humberto, Franco-Pérez, Estefanía, Rivera-Ospina, Ana María, Link, Andrés
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	New York Springer US 01-02-2021 Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Activity patterns Altitude Animal Ecology Animal Genetics and Genomics Anthropology Aotus griseimembra Aotus lemurinus Biomedical and Life Sciences Diet Ecology Ecosystems Evolutionary Biology Flowers Forests Habits Home range Human Genetics Life Sciences Monkeys Monkeys & apes Mountain forests Mountains Night Nocturnal Primates Rainforests Resource availability Resting Species composition Trees Tropical forests Zoology Colombia Altitudinal gradient Behavior Tropical forests Nocturnality Use of space Feeding
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Summary:	Most primates live in lowland ecosystems; however, some species have been particularly successful at colonizing higher altitudes, such as night monkeys (genus Aotus ). Studies of the ecology of night monkeys in tropical forests are numerous, but behavioral data are limited due to the challenges associated with their nocturnal habits. Although Andean night monkeys ( A. lemurinus ) live in mountain forests >1000 m.a.s.l. and Caribbean night monkeys ( A. griseimembra) live in rainforests <1000 m.a.s.l., they are found at similar tropical latitudes. Between 2018 and 2019, we followed three groups of A. lemurinus and one group of A. griseimembra at three sites in Colombia and recorded data on their ecology and behavior. Although they live at different altitudes, the two species had similar activity patterns and diet, investing approximately half of the night in resting (48%), and feeding primarily on fruits. We found differences among groups in the time invested in feeding on flowers, their home range, and distance traveled per night. These differences may be related to the unique characteristics of each study site and differences in resource availability and floristic composition of forests at different altitudes. Although the most important families in their diet were Moraceae and Urticaceae, highland groups also fed frequently on a large number of Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae trees. This research suggests these two nocturnal primates, living in contrasting environments, use similar strategies to cope with the challenges of being active at night in tropical forests.
ISSN:	0164-0291 1573-8604
DOI:	10.1007/s10764-020-00192-1