Stable isotope ratios indicate diet and habitat use in New World monkeys.
Abstract
This paper demonstrates the use of stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in
animal tissue for indicating aspects of species behavioral strategy. We analyzed hair
from individuals representing four species of New World monkeys (Alouatta palliata,
the mantled howler; Ateles geoffroyi, the spider monkey; Cebus capucinus, the capuchin;
and Brachyteles arachnoides, the woolly-spider monkey or muriqui) for delta 13C and
delta 15N using previously developed methods. There are no significant differences
in either carbon or nitrogen ratios between sexes, sampling year, or year of analysis.
Seasonal differences in delta 13C reached a low level of significance but do not affect
general patterns. Variation within species was similar to that recorded previously
within single individuals. The omega 13C data show a bimodal distribution with significant
difference between the means. The two monkey populations living in an evergreen forest
were similar to each other and different from the other two monkey populations that
inhabited dry, deciduous forests. This bimodal distribution is independent of any
particular species' diet and reflects the level of leaf cover in the two types of
forest. The delta 15N data display three significantly different modes. The omnivorous
capuchins were most positive reflecting a trophic level offset. The spider monkeys
and the muriquis were similar to one another and significantly more positive than
the howlers. This distribution among totally herbivorous species correlates with the
ingestion of legumes by the howler monkey population. In combination, these data indicate
that museum-curated primate material can be analyzed to yield information on forest
cover and diet in populations and species lacking behavioral data.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsBehavior, Animal
Carbon Isotopes
Cebidae
Diet
Ecology
Hair
Nitrogen Isotopes
Species Specificity
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/7012Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199705)103:1<69Publication Info
Schoeninger, MJ; Iwaniec, UT; & Glander, KE (1997). Stable isotope ratios indicate diet and habitat use in New World monkeys. Am J Phys Anthropol, 103(1). pp. 69-83. 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199705)103:1<69. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/7012.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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