Lapa verde estable pero inestable

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Green Macao, victim of unsustainable forest management

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Regional-scale heterogeneity in primate community structure at multiple undisturbed forest sites across south-eastern Peru

The forests of western Amazonia support high site-level biological diversity, yet regional community heterogeneity is poorly understood. Using data from line transect surveys at 37 forest sites in south-eastern Peru, we assessed whether local primate assemblages are heterogeneous at the scale of a major watershed. We examined patterns of richness, abundance and community structure as a function of forest type, hunting pressure, land-management regime and geographic location. The primate assemblage composition and structure varied spatially across this relatively small region of Amazonia (≈ 85 000 km2), resulting from large-scale species patchiness rather than species turnover. Primate species richness varied among sites by a factor of two, community similarity by a factor of four and aggregate biomass by a factor of 45. Several environmental variables exhibited influence on community heterogeneity, though none as much as geographic location. Unflooded forest sites had higher species richness than floodplain forests, although neither numerical primate abundance nor aggregate biomass varied with forest type. Non-hunted sites safeguarded higher abundance and biomass, particularly of large-bodied species, than hunted sites. Spatial differences among species assemblages of a relatively generalist taxon like primates in this largely undisturbed forest region imply that community heterogeneity may be even greater in more species-rich taxa, as well as in regions of greater forest habitat diversity

Ecología y migraciones de la lapa verde

The Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua) is a spe-cies which performs seasonal altitudinal migra-tions between it’s nesting range in the northern lowlands of the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and it’s post-breeding range, especially on the northern slopes of the Central Volcanic Range. Based on the data of these movements obtained through a long range study involving telemetry techniques, conservation initiatives are being im-plemented, taking into account the value of the breeding and post-breeding range of the species with  the  aim  to  preserve  a  unique  sample  of ecosystems barely represented in the system of wildlife protected areas of Costa Rica.La lapa verde (Ara ambigua) es una especie que realiza mi-graciones temporales altitudinales entre su zona de anida-miento en las llanuras del norte del Caribe costarricense y su zona de post-anidamiento,especialmente en las faldas norteñas de la Cordillera Volcánica Central. Sobre la base de la documentación de estos movimientos,obtenida me-diante un estudio de largo plazo con técnicas de teleme-tría, se están implementando iniciativas de conservación que toman en cuenta el valor del rango reproductivo y mi-gratorio de la especie con el fin de preservar una muestra única de ecosistemas poco representados dentro del siste-ma de áreas silvestres protegidas de Costa Rica

LiDAR measurements of canopy structure predict spatial distribution of a tropical mature forest primate

The three-dimensional spatial configuration of forest habitats affects the capacity of arboreal vertebrates to move, access food, and avoid predation. However, vegetation sampling over large areas from a sufficient density of field plots to quantify fine-grained heterogeneity in canopy structure is logistically difficult, labor-intensive, time-consuming and costly, particularly in remote areas of tropical forests. We used airborne waveform light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data acquired over the southeastern Peruvian Amazon in combination with detailed field data on a population of bald-faced saki monkeys (Pithecia irrorata) to assess the utility of LiDAR-derived indices of canopy structure in describing parameters of preferred forest types for this arboreal primate. Forest structure parameters represented by LiDAR measurements were significantly different between home range areas used by sakis and those that were not used. Home range areas used by sakis represented a predictable subset of available forest areas, generally those containing the tallest and most uniform canopies. Differences observed within a 335-ha focal area occupied by five previously habituated and systematically followed study groups were consistent across the wider study landscape (6,400. ha): sakis were missing from areas of low-statured, heterogeneous canopies, but they occupied adjacent areas dominated by taller and less variable canopies. These findings provide novel insights into the relationship between vegetation structure and habitat use by a tropical arboreal vertebrate and demonstrate that high-resolution, three-dimensional remote sensing measurements can be useful in predicting habitat occupancy and selection by forest canopy species

Terrestrial Activity in Pitheciins (Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia)

Neotropical monkeys of the genera Cacajao, Chiropotes, and Pithecia (Pitheciidae) are considered to be highly arboreal, spending most of their time feeding and traveling in the upper canopy. Until now, the use of terrestrial substrates has not been analyzed in detail in this group. Here, we review the frequency of terrestrial use among pitheciin taxa to determine the ecological and social conditions that might lead to such behavior. We collated published and unpublished data from 14 taxa in the three genera. Data were gleaned from 53 published studies (including five on multiple pitheciin genera) and personal communications of unpublished data distributed across 31 localities. Terrestrial activity was reported in 61% of Pithecia field studies (11 of 18), in 34% of Chiropotes studies (10 of 29), and 36% of Cacajao studies (4 of 11). Within Pithecia, terrestrial behavior was more frequently reported in smaller species (e.g. P. pithecia) that are vertical clingers and leapers and make extensive use of the understory than in in the larger bodied canopy dwellers of the western Amazon (e.g. P. irrorata). Terrestrial behavior in Pithecia also occurred more frequently and lasted longer than in Cacajao or Chiropotes. An apparent association was found between flooded habitats and terrestrial activity and there is evidence of the development of a local pattern of terrestrial use in some populations. Seasonal fruit availability also may stimulate terrestrial behavior. Individuals also descended to the ground when visiting mineral licks, escaping predators, and responding to accidents such as a dropped infant. Overall, the results of this review emphasize that terrestrial use is rare among the pitheciins in general and is usually associated with the exploitation of specific resources or habitat types. Am. J. Primatol. 74:1106-1127, 2012. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc