Pitheciine Action Group
Spatial Structure during Travel in Pithecia pithecia
Cunningham, E.P.
The spatial position of members of a group during travel can affect
individual fitness. Peripheral positions increase the chances of
discovering feeding sites, but also increase the likelihood of predation.
Spatial structure is expected to be clearly defined when individuals
compete aggressively for resources. In this paper, I examine the spatial
structure of a group of six white-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) during
travel on Round Island in Guri Lake, Venezuela. Although white-faced
sakis do not generally display high rates of aggressive interactions, they
compete for limited resources. While traveling, sakis tend to search for
small, scattered resource sites. The position and activity of each
member of the group was recorded every 30 minutes during 47 all-day
follows. Individual positions were analyzed in terms of centrality and the
direction of group travel. The results indicate that adult males tended to
occupy peripheral positions, often in the front, adult females were most
variable in their positions, the juvenile male tended to be found in central
positions, and the juvenile female, who was most often displaced from
limited resources, spent more time in peripheral positions. Considered in
relation to heightened predation risk for juveniles, the results suggest
that both predation and resource competition influence individual
position.
Return to symposium programme
Cunningham, E.P.
The spatial position of members of a group during travel can affect
individual fitness. Peripheral positions increase the chances of
discovering feeding sites, but also increase the likelihood of predation.
Spatial structure is expected to be clearly defined when individuals
compete aggressively for resources. In this paper, I examine the spatial
structure of a group of six white-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) during
travel on Round Island in Guri Lake, Venezuela. Although white-faced
sakis do not generally display high rates of aggressive interactions, they
compete for limited resources. While traveling, sakis tend to search for
small, scattered resource sites. The position and activity of each
member of the group was recorded every 30 minutes during 47 all-day
follows. Individual positions were analyzed in terms of centrality and the
direction of group travel. The results indicate that adult males tended to
occupy peripheral positions, often in the front, adult females were most
variable in their positions, the juvenile male tended to be found in central
positions, and the juvenile female, who was most often displaced from
limited resources, spent more time in peripheral positions. Considered in
relation to heightened predation risk for juveniles, the results suggest
that both predation and resource competition influence individual
position.
Return to symposium programme
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SYMPOSIUM
Pitheciins: Ecology & Conservation
XXI Congress of the International Primatological Society
Pitheciins: Ecology & Conservation
XXI Congress of the International Primatological Society
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