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Sympatric Alouatta seniculus and Cebus capucinus in an Andean forest fragment in Colombia: a survey of population density

TitleSympatric Alouatta seniculus and Cebus capucinus in an Andean forest fragment in Colombia: a survey of population density
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsRoncancio N, Gomez-Posada C
JournalNeotropical Primates
Volume16
Start Page51
Issue2
Pagination51-56
Date Published12/2009
ISSN1413-4703
Keywordsabundance, line transect surveys, premontane forest fragment, red howler, white-faced capuchin
Abstract

<p>
Due to human activities, the Colombian Andean forests have lost about 85% of their original cover and very few species of primates persist in these fragmented landscapes. In the Western Cordillera, we evaluated the population density of <em>Alouatta seniculus</em> and <em>Cebus capucinus</em> by line transect census methodology, in a pre-montane isolated forest fragment of 559 ha, between 1200 to 1700 m of altitude. This is one of the few localities where the two species coexist naturally and the first study of their abundance in this cordillera. As we expected according to their diet and strategies, howlers had a higher density, 169 indv/km<sup>2</sup> and an abundance of ~943 individuals. By contrast, the capuchins had a lower density, 13.5 ind/km<sup>2</sup> with a population of ~76 individuals. Despite contrasting abundance, both species&rsquo; conservation in this isolated fragment will depend on landscape-level management to decrease isolation and increase habitat availability in the long term.&nbsp;</p>

URLhttp://www.primate-sg.org/np.htm