Secondary transfer of adult mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) on Hacienda La Pacifica, Costa Rica: 1975-2009.
Abstract
Natal emigration by male and female mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata), and subsequent
immigration into breeding groups, is well documented for the free-ranging population
on Hacienda La Pacifica, Costa Rica, but secondary transfer was considered rare (Glander
in Int J Primatol 3:415-436, 1992). Population surveys in 1998 and 2006 caused us
to question our assumptions and to re-evaluate our long-term data set from a post
hoc perspective. We first identified all animals observed or captured as adults in
more than one non-natal group anywhere in the population. We then systematically analyzed
joining or leaving by adults in seven groups tracked for various times from 1975 to
2005 for patterns suggesting secondary transfer. Fourteen adults (nine females, five
males) were found in two different non-natal groups as adults. In addition, one male
and one female that became dominant and reproduced in their natal group later transferred
to a second group, and one female was known to be a tertiary transfer. Data from the
seven tracked social groups indicate that 35% of all the males and 29% of all the
females were potential secondary transfers. In these groups, males leaving or joining
was not associated with group size or absolute number of females. Females leaving
or joining was not associated with group size or absolute number of males, but females
left groups with more females and joined groups with fewer females. Both sexes left
groups with unfavorable sex ratios for their sex and joined groups with sex ratios
more favorable for their sex. Since a favorable sex ratio is associated with reproductive
success in other howler populations, this suggests secondary transfer as a reproductive
strategy. Other factors could also influence secondary transfer.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AlouattaAnimal Migration
Animals
Costa Rica
Female
Male
Population Dynamics
Social Behavior
Time Factors
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/16158Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1007/s10329-010-0195-5Publication Info
Clarke, Margaret R; & Glander, Kenneth E (2010). Secondary transfer of adult mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) on Hacienda La Pacifica,
Costa Rica: 1975-2009. Primates, 51(3). pp. 241-249. 10.1007/s10329-010-0195-5. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/16158.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kenneth Earl Glander
Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Anthropology
Primate ecology and social organization: the interaction between feeding patterns
and social structure; evolutionary development of optimal group size and composition;
factors affecting short and long-term demographic changes in stable groups; primate
use of regenerating forests.

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