Spider Monkeys Rule the Roost: Ateline Sleeping Sites Influence Rainforest Heterogeneity.

ABSTRACT: : The sleeping site behavior of Ateline primates has been of interest since the 1980s, yet limited focus has been given to their influence upon other rainforest species. Here, we use a combination of arboreal and terrestrial camera traps, and dung beetle pitfall traps, to characterize spider monkey sleeping site use and quantify the impact of their associated latrines on terrestrial vertebrate and dung beetle activity. We also characterize the physical characteristics of the sleeping sites and the floristic and soil composition of latrines beneath them. Spider monkey activity at sleeping sites peaked at dawn and dusk and group composition varied by sex of the adults detected. The habitat-use of terrestrial fauna (vertebrates and dung beetles) differed between latrine sites and non-l

SUBMITTER: Whitworth A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6941026 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature