Differences in activity budgets and diet between semiprovisioned and wild-feeding groups of the endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) in the central High Atlas Mountains, Morocco.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus is a very adaptable primate species occupying a wide range of habitats in Morocco and Algeria. Several groups of this endangered macaque can be found in tourist sites, where they are affected by the presence of visitors providing food to them. We compare the activity budgets and the diet of semiprovisioned and wild-feeding groups of Barbary macaques in the central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco from February to August 2008. We used instantaneous scan sampling at 15-min intervals. The behaviors included in the activity budget were feeding, moving, foraging, resting, and aggressive display. Food items were grouped into seven categories. We found no differences between the two groups in the daily percentages of records attributed to feeding. The semiprovisioned group spent significantly more time engaged in resting and aggressive behavior, and foraged and moved significantly less than the wild-feeding group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in time spent eating leaves, fruits, or roots and bark. The semiprovisioned group, however, spent significantly less time per day feeding on herbs, seeds, and acorns than the wild-feeding group. Human food accounted for 26% of the daily feeding records for the semiprovisioned group and 1% for the wild-feeding group. Our findings agree with previous studies and indicate that in the tourist site, where food is highly clumped, macaques decreased foraging time yet showed higher levels of contest competition. Our results support the common claim that the diet of the Barbary macaque is highly flexible, differing among its varied habitats. Conservation efforts for the Barbary macaques should take into account the changes in behavior that human-modified environments may cause.
منابع مشابه
The 'anatomy of disturbance' - a study of anthropic disturbance on Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) troops in the Middle Atlas, Morocco
The endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is the only macaque found wild outside of Asia. Its population has declined by over 50% in the last 23 years with the main threats including habitat loss through logging, overgrazing by livestock, illegal trade and developing negative effects of tourism. The last refuge of this species is in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco. This refuge is bec...
متن کاملCoping with the cold: predictors of survival in wild Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus.
We report the death of 30 wild Barbary macaques, living in two groups, during an exceptionally cold and snowy winter in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco. We examined whether an individual's time spent feeding, the quality and number of its social relationships, sex and rank predicted whether it survived the winter or not. The time an individual spent feeding and the number of social relation...
متن کاملHome Range and Habitat Use of Crop-Raiding Barbary Macaques in the Upper Ourika Valley, Western High Atlas Mountains, Morocco
Studies of animal ranging behavior and habitat use are of a great importance in investigating the interaction between the ecological factors and the patterns of individual behaviors. Home range size and habitat utilization are assumed to be primarily dependent on the availability, distribution, and quality of food resources [1-6]. With generally smaller home ranges, and compared to frugivorous ...
متن کاملPhylogeography of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) and the origin of the Gibraltar colony.
The Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) is the earliest offshoot of the genus Macaca and the only extant African representative, all other species being Asiatic. Once distributed throughout North Africa, M. sylvanus is now restricted to isolated forest fragments in Algeria and Morocco. The species is threatened; the maximum total wild population size is estimated at 10,000 individuals. Relationsh...
متن کاملThe Organization of Collective Group Movements in Wild Barbary Macaques (Macaca sylvanus): Social Structure Drives Processes of Group Coordination in Macaques
Social animals have to coordinate activities and collective movements to benefit from the advantages of group living. Animals in large groups maintain cohesion by self-organization processes whereas in smaller groups consensus decisions can be reached. Where consensus decisions are relevant leadership may emerge. Variation in the organization of collective movements has been linked to variation...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
- American journal of primatology
دوره 74 3 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2012