Unit 10
Community Ecology

In this unit we depart from looking at individual primate be haviour in an intra-specific social context and we will examine how different species of primates interact with one another. In addition, we will consider how primate communities affect the functioning of ecosystems to which they belong. This might include primate interactions with predators, as well as with prey, which can include both plants and other animals. Wherever wild primate populations occur they are an integral part of a larger ecosystem; as a result, an understanding of the role they play in that ecosystem (for instance, as seed dispersers, pollinators, or as determinants of animal prey densities) is critical to managing conservation efforts aimed at preserving ecological diversity.

Objectives

When you have completed Unit 10, you should be able to

1. define and explain the concepts of ecological niches, niche divergence, and sympatric species.
2. discuss the ecology of primate host-parasite relationships.
3. discuss the benefits primate species accrue from polyspecific associations.
4. discuss the contexts in which primates act as predators and in which primates are prey.
5. explain the roles primates play in seed dispersal and pollination in plants.
6. explain the different responses to habitat disturbance exhibited by specialists and Generalists.

Viewing Assignments

In preparation for the final examination, you must watch at least four videos of the five options listed in Units 6 through 11. Each unit gives you two video options, so that by the end of Unit 11 you should have watched four videos from these five options:

The New Chimpanzees or The Nut-Cracking Chimpanzees of Tai Forest
Family of Chimps or Primate/Human Interaction
Can Chimpanzees Talk or Ape Genius
Gremlins: Faces in the Forest or 3 Monkeys
The Rain Forest Imperative or Gorillas in the Midst of Man

It does not matter the order in which you watch your video options, but the viewing assignments for each unit offer you a guide. Remember, completing a viewing assignment differs from watching a video for pleasure. You should consider watching each video twice: once to get an overview, and once to make notes. Study questions or instructions for viewing are supplied for each video; be certain that you read them over before you begin watching, and keep them in mind as you complete the assignment and make your notes.

Unit 10 Viewing Assignment

Watch one of the videos listed below.

Nature Video Library
1997  Gremlins: Faces in the Forest. 60 min. New York:
Nature Video Library.

This video presents an intimate look at a species of New World monkeys, the golden white tassel ear marmoset, in its natural habitat. It presents, for the first time, very rare footage of this species, including a female giving birth.

If you choose this video, then in preparation for the examination, be certain that you can answer the questions given below.

1. What are the different types of calls found in marmosets, and what are their functions?
2. What behaviours are unique to marmosets?
3. What type of social groups do they live in?
4. What is the typical diet of the marmosets?
5. What special adaptations for feeding do marmosets possess?
6. How are territories defended?

or

Ammonite Productions
1997  3 Monkeys. BBC Natural World and Discovery Channel.

Filmed in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica, 3 Monkeys looks at the community dynamics and niche specializations of three sympatric monkey species living in the park. Santa Rosa is a rare “good news story” in conservation circles; once completely deforested and used as cattle pasture, the forest (and its monkeys) have reclaimed the land since its designation as a national park. This film focuses on the primate ecological community; how each species deals with food shortages, predators, and inter-specific competition for resources.

If you choose this video, then in preparation for the examination, be certain that you can answer the questions given below.

1. What are the three monkey species of Santa Rosa National Park?
2. What are the dietary niches of each species?
3. How does each species deal with food shortages during the dry season? I.e., what are the specific adaptations of each species that enables them to compete effectively for food?
4. Why do monkeys often sleep at the terminal ends of branches at night, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem?
5. What behaviour do capuchin monkeys engage in with aromatic leaves that is unique to this species?

Alternative Reading Assignment

If you cannot complete the viewing assignment before the final examination, you must do the alternative reading assignment instead. You may combine the reading with viewing assignments so that you have a total of four video and reading combinations. For example, you can watch three videos and do one reading assignment for the final examination. Or, if you cannot watch any videos, then you must complete four reading assignments from the five options presented in Units 6-11. The reading materials can be ordered from the library. Be sure you can answer the questions below each assignment.

Unit 10 Alternative Reading Assignment

If you cannot complete the viewing assignment, you must do the alternative assignment below.

Leland, Lysa, and Thomas T. Strushaker
1998  Chapter Seventeen, Teamwork Tactics In The Primate
Anthology: Essays on Primate Behavior, Ecology and
Conservation from Natural History. Ciochon, R. L., and
R. A. Nisbett, eds. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Pp. 119-123.

Starin, E. Dawn
1998  Chapter Eighteen, The Kindness of Strangers In The
Primate Anthology: Essays on Primate Behavior, Ecology
and Conservation from Natural History. Ciochon, R. L., and
R. A. Nisbett, eds. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Pp. 124-127.

In preparation for the examination, be sure that you can answer the questions below.

1. In “Teamwork Tactics” the authors state that African crowned eagle prey on different monkey species in proportion to their relative abundance. However, there is another critical factor that determines which monkey species are preyed on. What is it, and how is it a factor?
2. In the same article, the authors observe that adult and sub-adult male monkeys are the primary age-sex class to be taken by eagles. Why is this? Why is it different for the red colobus monkeys?
3. In “The Kindness of Strangers,” what three monkey species form polyspecific associations in the Abuko Nature Reserve, Gambia?
4. In what specific ways identified by the author are these polyspecific associations beneficial to each species?