Effect of Resting Patterns of Tamarins (<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Saguinus fuscicollis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Saguinus mystax</Emphasis>) on the Spatial Distribution of Seeds and Seedling Recruitment |
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Authors: | Fernando Julio João Muñoz Lazo Laurence Culot Marie-Claude Huynen Eckhard W Heymann |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Ecology and Fauna,National University of Peruvian Amazon,Iquitos,Peru;2.Behavioral Biology Unit, Primatology Research Group,University of Liège,Liège,Belgium;3.Department of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology,German Primate Center,Goettingen,Germany |
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Abstract: | The spatial distributions of dispersed seeds have important evolutionary consequences for plants. Repeated defecations in
sites frequently used by seed dispersers can result in high seed concentrations. We observed the resting behavior of a mixed-species
group of tamarins in Peru and recorded the occurrence of seed dispersal (over 8 mo) and seed fate (over 11–22 mo) to determine
whether the location and use of resting sites influenced the spatial distribution of dispersed seeds and seedlings. The tamarins
rested mostly on trees (Saguinus fuscicollis: 60.6%, S. mystax: 89.2%) and dead trunks (S. fuscicollis: 24.4%) and used 61% of their resting sites repeatedly. During both the dry and wet seasons, tamarins dispersed significantly
more seeds within resting areas (0.00662 and 0.00424 seeds/m2, respectively) than outside them (0.00141 and 0.00181 seeds/m2). Seed survival and seedling recruitment did not differ significantly between resting and other areas, resulting in a higher
seedling concentration around the resting sites. Seed density did not increase with the duration or the frequency of use of
the resting sites but did increase when we pooled the seasonal resting sites together in 50 m × 50 m quadrats, ultimately
causing a clumped distribution of dispersed seeds. The use of resting sites in secondary forest, particularly during the dry
season, allows the creation of seedling recruitment centers for species coming from the primary forest. Our findings show
that tamarin resting behavior affects the spatial distribution of dispersed seeds and seedlings, and their resting sites play
an important role in plant diversity maintenance and facilitate forest regeneration in degraded areas. |
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