Title
Primate species richness is determined by plant productivity: Implications for conservation
Author(s)
Kay, R.F.; Madden, R.H.; Van Schaik, C.; Higdon, D.
Published
1997
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Abstract
The explanation of patterns in species richness ranks among the most important tasks of ecology. Current theories emphasize the interaction between historical and geographical factors affecting the size of the regional species pool and of locally acting processes such as competitive exclusion, disturbance, productivity, and seasonality. Local species richness, or alpha diversity, of plants and primary consumers has been claimed to peak in habitats of low and intermediate productivity, which, if true, has major implications for conservation. Here, by contrast, we show that local richness of Neotropical primates (platyrrhines) is influenced by both historical biogeography and productivity but not by tree species richness or seasonality. This pattern indicates that habitats with the highest plant productivity are also the richest for many important primary consumers. We show further that fragmentation of Amazonian rain forests in the Pleistocene, if it occurred, appears to have had a negligible influence on primate alpha species richness.
Keywords
rain; article; biodiversity; ecology; forest; genetic conservation; geography; nonhuman; plant; primate; priority journal; season; species; vegetation; Animals; Conservation of Natural Resources; Plants; Primates; Seasons; Species Specificity; Platyrrhini; Primates; CALLITHRIX-JACCHUS-JACCHUS; MONKEYS; DIVERSITY; COLOMBIA; MARMOSET; MAMMALS; BRAZIL; DIET

Access Full Text

A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.



Back

PUB12916