Disponibilidade de recursos e antropização estruturando a assembleia de primatas na floresta de igapó

Abstract

Although both the distribution of organisms and their interactions with the environment have long been central to the study of ecology, such basic topics are still poorly known in Amazonian environments in general, and especially so in forest types such as igapó flooded forest. Our ignorance includes the primates that live there. A range of factors may influence the presence or absence of species in a particular area, including the availability of resources, structural and biotic variables of populations and assemblages. Food supply and habitat are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of any species; for primates this means that the availability of fruits and insects also may be important factors in structuring the assemblage present in an area. Another factor which may strongly influence the occurrence of primates is the degree of human disturbance of an area, and the impacts of hunting, habitat loss and fragmentation. To investigate (i) whether which species of monkeys are temporary residents and which are permanent residents in flooded forest, and (ii) if recent intensification of human occupation in this habitat is a threat to primates, a study was conducted at Açutuba, central Amazonas State, Brazil, using seven transects (17 km) in the census of primates and six (14 km) to the phenological monitoring of fruit trees. Ethnoprimatological methods were applied, using questionnaires to better understand the relationship of local residents with primates. Seven species of primates were recorded, incuding Cacajao ouakary, a rare species notably associated with the igapó forest type. The study found: 1) a positive relationship between the availability of fruits (fleshy and dry) and abundance of Saimiri sciureus, and for fleshy fruit for groups of Cebus albifrons, Sapajus macrocephalus, Pithecia chrysocephala and Cacajao; 2) a positive and direct relationship between the availability of insects and abundance of Saimiri; 3) a negative relationship between levels of human activity and the presence of Alouatta juara. These effects may influence the spatial distribution and help in understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of occupation of the primate; a sine qua non for conservation strategies. ,