Ecología alimentaria en monos aulladores negros y dorados (Alouatta caraya): patrones de selección del alimento, ¿Una cuestión de métodos?

FERNANDEZ, VANINA A; KOWALEWSKI, MARTIN

La primatología en Latinoamérica Vol 1. Argentina-Colombia

Ediciones IVIC - Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas

Lugar: Caracas; Año: 2018; p. 83 - 93

Feeding behavior is usually described as the time invested in feeding on different items. This variable is then used to make inferences about diet composition. However, there is evidence suggesting chat it is an inaccurate proxy of, for example, diet composition. The aim of this chapter is to review the feeding strategies inferred from howler monkeys in northeastern Argentina. We compared the results using this variable versus an alternative variable: ingested biomas consumption. We also evaluated the differences in results obtained by applying statistical models that consider the complexity of feeding data. We studied two groups of A. caraya for seven consecutive months in the Corrientes Province, Argentina. Our results suggest that 1) feeding time overestimated the intake of all food items but fruit (which was underestimated) and 2) the methodology chosen to analyze data results in differences in our results. Therefore, not properly collected and analyzed data may lead to erroneous conclusions. This situation is serious if the results of our investigations are used example, to develop management plans for biodiversity and primate conservation.