title: Terrestrial foraging by Cacajao melanocephalus ouakary (primates) in Amazonian Brazil: is choice of seed patch size and position related to predation risk?
abstract: We analyse the behaviour of Cacajao melanocephalus ouakary feeding at patches of germinating seedlings in dried-out flooded forest. Seedlings of Eschweilera tenuifolia (Lecythidaceae) were the most commonly eaten (88.9%). Some seed patches were revisited over several days, while others were consistently ignored. We tested 3 predictions relating uacari terrestrial foraging behaviour to: (1) arboreal escape route proximity, (2) seed patch size choice and (3) temporal patterns of repeat exploitation. Comparison of fed-at and ignored patches revealed significant preferences for larger patches, and for those close to arboreal refuges but distant from dense ground-based vegetation. Support for these predictions is interpreted as evidence for predation risk-sensitive foraging.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Evolutionary and Environmental Anthropology, Roehampton University, London, UK. adrian.barnett1.biology@gmail.com
authors.forename: Adrian A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Thais
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Wilson R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Spironello
authors.forename: Welma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sousa Silva
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacLarnon
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D020387:Food Chain; D018525:Germination / Q000502:physiology; D031381:Lecythidaceae; D019370:Observation; D053820:Pitheciidae / Q000502:physiology*; D012639:Seeds; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors