Interdemic variation in mixed-species association patterns: common diurnal primates of Kibale National Park, Uganda |
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Authors: | C A Chapman L J Chapman |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, USA e-mail: cachapman@zoo.ufl.edu Tel.: +1-352-3921196, Fax: +1-352-3923704, US;(2) Wildlife Conservation Society 185th Street and Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA, US |
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Abstract: | We used interdemic variation in the tendency to form mixed-species groups to examine the costs and benefits of association
among the primates of Kibale National Park, Uganda. A year-long survey of six sites revealed that the amount of time that
the five common diurnal primates red colobus (Procolobus
tephrosceles), black-and-white colobus (Colobus
guereza), redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus
ascanius), blue monkeys (Cercopithecus
mitis), and grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus
albigena)] spent in mixed-species groups varied dramatically among sites. In many cases, the proportion of time that species associated
was positively related to their densities. By using detailed behavioral observations of redtail monkeys and red colobus made
over 4 years (2660 h) at four sites, we were able to reject the null hypothesis that associations occur by chance for only
one of four sites. However, a correlative approach exploring the costs and benefits of association suggests that ecological
variables do influence association patterns. We found that redtail monkeys and red colobus overlapped in diet (19.2% of their
foraging effort) and traveled further when in mixed-species groups than when alone. Having demonstrated this, we examined
the applicability of the ecological constraints model for predicting the proportion of the time spent in mixed-species groups
based on food availability. For this analysis we concentrated on red colobus from the site with 35 months of observation and
demonstrated that their tendency to be in mixed- species groups was related to food availability. We used two methods to examine
if mixed-species associations function to decrease predation risk. First, chimpanzees are known to prey heavily on red colobus,
but rarely kill other primates. The time red colobus spent in mixed-species groups was correlated to chimpanzee density, but
it was not for the other monkey species, suggesting that mixed-species groups serve to decrease predation risk. Second, when
red colobus groups contain more infants and are presumably at the greatest risk of predation, they form mixed-species groups
most often. These results demonstrate that the costs and benefits of mixed-species associations vary dramatically over small
spatial and temporal scales. If such variation is generally the case, then studies conducted at different locations or different
times could easily highlight the importance of difference selective agents in favoring mixed-species associations.
Received: 10 February 1999 / Received in revised form: 16 September 1999 / Accepted: 2 October 1999 |
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Keywords: | Polyspecific associations Group living Ecological constraints model Food availability Group size Social organization Cercopithecines Colobines |
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