Operation Wallacea

The Buton Macaque is endemic to SE Sulawesi. Of all the known macaque species, it is one of the least studied with the only published papers on the behavior of this species coming from Operation Wallacea field research. There are three semi-habituated troops of macaques used for behavioral research - one in a forest/farm matrix, one in disturbed forest and one in relatively undisturbed forest. Group sizes of these troops vary from under 20 individuals to over 50 and they live in multi-male, multi-female groups. This variation in group size is particularly interesting and is both impacted upon by forest fragmentation and, in turn, impacts on home range and foraging behaviour. Macaques are particularly interesting as they are semi-terrestrial, generalised frugivores and extremely adaptable to habitat change. There are a variety of projects that can be conducted on these three troops including investigations into the behavioral responses to disturbance in terms of overall activity budget, or a specific focus on feeding behaviour between the troops. The impact of habitat differences on levels of aggression or the types and frequency of social behaviour could also be investigated. Home range data can also be collected and related to habitat factors. Data could be collected through scan sampling and comparisons made between age and sex classes of monkeys as well as between the troops.

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HL261 Howler monkey behaviour, habitat use, feeding ecology and vocalization in Honduras

(Weeks 2 - 8; need to have completed HM001)

Troops of howler monkeys have been habituated in the forest fragments at Rancho Manacal in the lowlands near Cofradia, enabling a wide range of dissertations or senior theses. Average population density for mantled howler monkeys ranges from 30-40 individuals per km², but at Manacal the density is over 200 individuals per km². Such high density is likely to have a significant effect on diet and social behaviour, particularly the loud call vocalizations. Normally, howler monkeys maintain 200m-2km between troops (mediated by their loud calls), but at Manacal the troops are adjacent, which is likely to affect the frequency and duration of loud calls in addition to affecting behavioural responses to loud calls heard from neighbouring troops. Howler monkeys are usually described as folivores/frugivores that spend a high percentage of their daily activity budget resting. There are two competing theories of inactivity in howler monkeys: howler monkeys rest in order to digest toxin-loaded mature leaves, or howler monkeys conserve energy to accommodate limited access to high quality food sources (which is especially relevant in disturbed habitats where food availability is low). At Manacal, the howler monkeys have exclusive access to all food sources because their natural competitors (spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys) are unable to survive in these disturbed forest fragments. However, home range size and access to food is limited by forest fragmentation. Manacal therefore provides an interesting location to investigate the relationships between diet, home range size, population density, food availability and activity budgets.

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PP262 Niche separation in tamarins, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and other primates in the Peruvian Amazon

(Weeks 2 – 8; need to have completed PP001)

Multiple primate species can be found in rainforest habitats such as the Peruvian Amazon. In order to combat competition associated with several similar species living in close proximity, each species has evolved to occupy a specific niche within the habitat. These adaptations include differences in dietary requirements (frugivorous, folivorous and insectivorous primates), preference for different habitat types within the forest (e.g. seasonally flooded forest, upland forest and palm swamps) and variation in habitat use within the same forest type (e.g. occupying different heights within the forest canopy or variation in activity budgets). Twelve species of primates have been recorded in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, but three species (red howler monkeys, saddleback tamarins and common squirrel monkeys) are frequently encountered along the survey transects and are therefore best suited for dissertation projects. Upon locating a troop of one of these target species, the monkeys will be followed for as long as possible and behavioural data can be collected using instantaneous scan sampling, recording troop size, position in the canopy, behaviour and food preferences. Fruit samples may also be collected to investigate species preference for colour and hardness.

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PP263 A comparison of large terrestrial mammal and primate abundance across different forest habitat types in Peru

(Weeks 2 - 8; need to have completed PP001)

The forest in this region is characterised by upland forest (terra firma) and floodplain forest (varzea). These two forest types are interspersed with areas of palm swamps (aguajale). The major food source in all three habitat types is fruit, but fruit abundance and diversity varies considerably across these three habitat types. Floodplain forest is one of the fastest disappearing forest types in the Amazon due to the easy access for logging via rivers and the fertile soil that is ideal for agriculture. To ensure to continued conservation of large mammal populations in the Amazon basin it is vital to understand the importance of these different forest habitat types for each species, particularly their reliance on floodplain forest. Also related to successful mammal conservation are reliable population density estimates. Many large mammals are hunted for bush meat. Some species such as peccary and deer may be hunted sustainably, provided that the population density of the species is known and used to calculate hunting quotas. However, to provide accurate density estimates, mammal populations must be monitored across all three major habitat types across the different seasons, otherwise estimates will likely be heavily biased. Large terrestrial mammals and arboreal primate populations have been monitored in Pacaya Samiria for several years during high and low water seasons using line transect surveys across all habitat types. Each time a large mammal is encountered along the transect line, the species and number of individuals, the habitat type, the distance travelled along the transect line, and the perpendicular distance of the mammal from the transect line are recorded. These data are used to calculate population density estimates for each species in habitat type using the DISTANCE software programme. Data collected during the 2012 field season can be added to the long-term data set to investigate changes to mammal abundance over time, habitat preferences of specific species, and density estimates of specific species or mammals in relation to habitat type. Projects can also investigate seasonal changes to habitat preferences and mammal density in specific habitats.

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MI264 Feeding ecology, habitat preferences and activity budgets of Verreaux’s Sifaka, Madagascar

(Weeks 1 - 6)

Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is one of the flagship species of the spiny forest in southern Madagascar. These lemurs are uniquely well adapted to the dry climate and thorny trees which characterise these habitats. Most of the studies of this species have been conducted in the small special reserves of Berenty and Beza Mahafaly where lemurs are densely populated and where the habitats are predominantly gallery forest. The spiny thickets of Ifotaka also contain significant populations of this lemur, and students choosing this dissertation topic would be studying a semi-habituated group of lemurs focusing on either their feeding ecology or diurnal activity budgets and relating this to the habitat preferences of the group taking account of the varying levels of degradation observed in the study site. Students will work with a Malagasy counterpart from the Libanona Ecology Centre and a local guide from Ifotaka. These studies will be useful for the management of the protected area of Ifotaka by improving the understanding of the ecological needs and impacts of habitat disturbance on Verreaux’s Sifaka.

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MN265 Feeding ecology, habitat preferences and activity budgets of Coquerel’s Sifaka, Madagascar

(Weeks 1 - 6)

There are habituated groups of Coquerel’s Sifaka Propithecus coquereli which can be reliably observed every day close to Mariarano base camp. Local people never persecute this species in Mariarano as it is taboo to harm them, so they can be approached closely and observed for long periods. Although globally endangered due to habitat loss within their small range, the sifakas are the most common of the diurnal lemurs in Mahamavo. Coquerel’s Sifakas live in loose extended family groups of 5-10 individuals. They favour large fruiting trees such as Ficus and gallery forest but can be found in a range of habitats including degraded forests and small forest fragments. This species is most active in the morning and late afternoon and exhibit a range of behaviour including feeding on fruits, leaves and flowers, often in a suspensory posture, locomotion by climbing and spectacular leaps and interactions with other individuals. Students studying the behavioural ecology of this species should develop an ethogram and devise a behaviour recording protocol such as using instantaneous scan sampling. It will be possible to construct activity budgets and use selection indices to test for habitat or food preferences.

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