Primate socioecology

ANTH204

February 8, 2012

Outline
Ecology Primate dietary classification and adaptation Flexibility/plasticity Socioecology resource distribution social structure community organization

What is ecology?
The study of relations between organisms and between organisms and their nonliving environment. Environment geography climate food resources competition cooperation

Important definitions
Habitat the total complex of available resources Niche (subset of habitat) those resources relevant to an organisms life Food, water Space (vertical and horizantal) Time (activity pattern) Predator protection, parasite avoidance

Primates: Plant consumers

Most primates eat a combination of items Frugivory: fruit Folivory: leaves Insectivory: insects Gummivory: plant gums Omnivory: plant and animal resources

Problems associated with diet

Attributes of the dietary niche present problems that organisms adapt to overcome via behavioral and biological change

Fruit limited in time and space locate and select items assess ripeness and toxicity Leaves difficult to digest fiber Insects and other animals return on effort

Anatomical adaptation
Postcrania (below head) Locomotion Posture Habitat: arboreal v. terrestrial Quality Crania (head) Dentition (teeth) Body size

Anatomical adaptations

Anatomical adaptations

Plants are adapting too

What do plants get from attracting primates? Pollination Seed dispersal Predator/competitor avoidance Primates attracted by Color (fruit, flowers) Taste (sweetness)

Variability and contingency

Similar to humans, primates occupy a wide variety of habitats and the diet is highly contingent upon local ecology Amboseli (Savanna) Low plant species diversity Approx. 30 species consumed Acacia, tubers, grass stem bases Gombe (Forest) High plant species diversity Over 100 species consumed Over 75% of diet from arboreal sources

Socioecology
Study of how ecological forces shape the size and structure of social groups

Group a set of individuals that regularly interact, communicate, and spend time with one another Social structure characteristics of a social system (e.g. age, sex, etc) Social behavior interaction between individuals within the same group agonistic or affiliative Social organization patterns of social interaction within and between groups includes social structure and behavior

Why live in groups?

Why live in groups?

Predator protection many eyes, mobbing, sentinel behavior, dilution Resource access food/water (traditionally females) assistance defending resources mates grooming infant care

Why live in groups?

Predator protection many eyes, mobbing, sentinel behavior, dilution Resource access food/water (traditionally females) assistance defending resources mates grooming infant care

Why [not] live in groups?

Resource competition Contagion Predation Cuckoldry Inbreeding Infanticide

Resource competition

Contest competition
clumped, valuable resources worth fighting for contest access to resources

Scramble competition
dispersed, low value resources not worth fighting for scramble to get enough food, no direct competition

Agonistic behavior
Display (threat), displacement

Dominance hierarchy
Established patterns of access to resources Dynamic! Measured or assessed by looking at: who wins agonistic encounters who gains preferred access Males: access to females Females: access to food Alliances increase access to resources help individuals achieve higher rank

Affiliative behavior
Affiliative behaviors serve to reinforce social bonds between individuals Grooming Hugging Lip-smacking Kissing Huddling Sex-play

Clumped resources
Alliances Clumped resources Contest competition Dominance hierarchy Close bonds Female philopatry

philopatry remaining within ones natal group

If resources are spread

Spread resources Scramble competition Unstable hierarchy No alliances Weak bonds

Male/female dispersal

Same species, different sites

Langurs Ramnagar 3 main foods Food patches scarce, clumped Linear dominance hierarchy Female philopatry Kanha Diverse array of foods Preferred food very abundant Weak hierarchy Female dispersal

Dispersal and social structure

Solitary, but social Uni-male, uni-female Multi-male, uni-female Uni-male, multi-female Multi-male, multi-female (most common) Fission-fusion

Fission-fusion
Multi-male, multi-female, but Groups break apart (fission) And coalesce (fusion) Subgroups: independently functioning subset of the social group

Community organization
Sympatry: two or more species sharing the same habitat
Resource partitioning, niche separation utilize different resources Habitat isolation utilize neighboring habitats (e.g. altitudinal gradient) Polyspecific association 2 or more species function as if one social group

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Midterm exam #1 mixed format 40-50 questions includes todays material