Project: Modeling of movement and seed shadow of the black lion tamarin.

 

 

Abstract: Seed dispersal is a key process for the maintenance and persistence of plant communities and their respective forest areas. Many plant species rely on animal dispersal vectors, not only invertebrates, but also vertebrates. Among those vectors, primates are well known for their importance and dispersal efficiency, mainly due to their great variety of diet, habitat and body size. Since the seed dispersal is an accidental result of the dispersing agents' feeding activities, the distribution of the seeds throughout their home range occurs irregularly and varies according to factors such as daily distances traveled and gut transit time. Thus, in our study, we will focus on the black lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus, Callitrichidae) as dispersal agents: a small neotropical primate endemic to the state of Sao Paulo. Living in semi-deciduous and riparian forests, they are highly threatened by the progressive habitat loss due to landscape fragmentation. Therefore, we aim to develop a simulation model that will allow us to evaluate how the functional attributes of their seed dispersal change in occurrence areas with different landscapes and levels of fragmentation. For this, we will follow groups of black lion tamarins in three distinct areas: continuous forest; fragmented forest with and without edge effect. Data will be collected from their daily activities, focusing on feeding, defecation and travel events in the home range. Meanwhile, we will develop a Spatially Explicit Individual-based (SEIB) simulation model with internal decision process adapted to cover different types of forest remnants. The field data will be implemented to validate our model. Furthermore, the model will be developed with collaboration of the Deutches Primatenzentrum (German Primate Center) in Göttingen, Germany, with the supervision of professors Ronald Bialozyt and Eckhard Heymann.

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Contact: : maymulato@hotmail.com

 

 

 

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