The integrative socioecology of large ateline species

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The goal of this research programme is to contribute to our understanding of the causes and consequences of variation in mammalian group size and social grouping patterns through the study of two closely related monkey species that differ dramatically in social organization. Since 1999 I have conducted research on a population of black howler monkeys in the Monkey River watershed of south-eastern Belize. While I will continue to monitor that population and analyze data that have been collected over the past several years my research focus has shifted to a new site, Runaway Creek Nature Reserve (RCNR) at which both howler and spider monkeys are found. Though close relatives, spider and howler monkeys show striking contrasts in ecology and social organization. Black howlers are leaf eaters that live in consistently small and tightly cohesive groups with small home ranges. Spider monkeys, on the other hand, are fruit specialists that live in classic fission-fusion societies in which the monkeys are members of large communities that are dispersed into flexible subgroups across large home ranges. Spiders and howlers are thus excellent subjects for the study of variation in primate group size and cohesion. In this research programme we look at how ecology, demography, reproductive strategies, disease risk, and large scale climatic factors (such as frequency of hurricanes in the area) influence the kind of social groups that form. This study, where factors operating at several different levels of organization are considered simultaneously, will help us to progress toward the ultimate goal of a comprehensive theory of mammalian social evolution. As well, this programme has applied value with respect to management practices aimed at protecting, managing and sustaining large mammal populations in the face of on-going climatic instability and habitat fragmentation.