title: Quantifying seasonal fallback on invertebrates, pith, and bromeliad leaves by white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in a tropical dry forest.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fallback foods (FBFs) are hypothesized to shape the ecology, morphology, and behavior of primates, including hominins. Identifying FBFs is therefore critical for revealing past and present foraging adaptations. Recent research suggests invertebrates act as seasonal FBFs for many primate species and human populations. Yet, studies measuring the consumption of invertebrates relative to ecological variation are widely lacking. We address this gap by examining food abundance and entomophagy by primates in a seasonal forest.
  
  
  METHODS
  We study foraging behavior of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus)-a species renowned for its intelligence and propensity for extractive foraging-along with the abundance of invertebrates, dietary ripe fruits, pith, and bromeliads. Consumption events and processing time are recorded during focal animal samples. We determine abundance of vegetative foods through phenological and density records. Invertebrates are collected in malaise, pan, and terrestrial traps; caterpillar abundance is inferred from frass traps.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Invertebrates are abundant throughout the year and capuchins consume invertebrates-including caterpillars-frequently when fruit is abundant. However, capuchins spend significantly more time processing protected invertebrates when fruit and caterpillars are low in abundance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Invertebrate foraging patterns are not uniform. Caterpillar consumption is consistent with a preferred strategy, whereas capuchins appear to fallback on invertebrates requiring high handling time. Capuchins are convergent with hominins in possessing large brains and high levels of sensorimotor intelligence, thus our research has broad implications for primate evolution, including factors shaping cognitive innovations, brain size, and the role of entomophagy in the human diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Krisztina N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Mosdossy
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130.
authors.forename: Amanda D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Melin
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fedigan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002428:Cebus / Q000502:physiology*; D003364:Costa Rica; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D007448:Invertebrates; D008297:Male; D018515:Plant Leaves
keywords: cognitive evolution; extractive foraging; invertebrates; seasonality; subsistence