Abstract

Selective harvesting of timber can lead to population declines in some primate species. As frugivorous primates are important seed dispersers in tropical forests, the reduction of their populations may affect the ecological sustainability of selectively logged forests. This paper is the first to quantify the importance of timber tree species in the diet and nutritional ecology of a primate species. We studied spider monkeys (Ateles chamek) inhabiting a certified forestry concession in Bolivia where post-logging population declines of this species have been recorded. We show that spider monkeys occupying unlogged areas obtained approximately 50% of their total intake of macro-nutrients from timber tree species and exhibited a distinct preference for foraging within trees that were of harvestable size. Timber tree species dominated the spider monkeys' diet both during peak fruiting periods and during periods of fruit scarcity. We estimate that under current timber extraction intensities spider monkeys lose significant proportions of their food sources. Our results indicate that further extraction limits could be considered for Ficus boliviana, Spondias mombin and Pouteria nemorosa. We suggest that to ensure long-term ecological sustainability of certified forestry concessions, the importance of timber tree species in the ecology of seed dispersers needs to be taken into account. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Reduced-impact logging; Conservation; Diet; Staple food; Primate; Ficus

Published in

Forest Ecology and Management
2010, Volume: 259, number: 8, pages: 1642-1649
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

• Felton, Annika

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Australian National University
  • Institituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal

• Felton, Adam

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Australian National University
  • Institituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG15 Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
SDG12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science
Ecology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.01.042

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60625