| Pitheciins: The Challenge of Living in Fragments Ferrari, S.F., S. Boyle, L.K. Marsh, M. Port-Carvalho, R.S. Santos, S.S. Silva, T.M. Vieira, J.C. Vié & L.M. Veiga Pitheciins are specialized frugivores, in many ways similar in their ecological requirements to the atelins. Together, these platyrrhines are seen as the most vulnerable to anthropogenic habitat fragmentation (AHF). However, many recent studies have revealed that species of both tribes are relatively tolerant of AHF, at least in the absence of hunting pressure. Recent data have shown that Chiropotes is able to survive in fragments of reduced size, often less than 20 hectares. Pithecia, the least specialized for seed predation, appears to be at least as tolerant of AHF, as might be expected. Little is known of the effects of AHF on Cacajao, although this genus is specialized for survival in a dynamic environment characterized by shifting landscapes, and reduced species diversity. How this may translate to the man-made setting remains to be seen. In all cases, tolerance is mediated by hunting pressure, and populations are rare or absent from even large fragments, when hunting is significant. Pitheciins are more difficult targets than atelines, and less lucrative in terms of body weight, but AHF may make them more lucrative, through the loss of preferred game, and more easily hunted, through the loss of cover and canopy continuity. Where hunting pressure is controlled, long-term toleration of AHF will ultimately depend on fragment size and connectivity, which will determine genetic variability and the role of stochastic events. voltar a programação do simpósio |