Atelid Intra-Family Polyspecific Associations
Open Access DepositedA majority of the world’s primate species are threatened with extinction, and many primate communities within tropical forests are being compressed into increasingly fragmented habitats. Although primates are broadly sensitive to anthropogenic habitat change, tolerance varies markedly within the order. Atelidae is a widely distributed family of large-bodied frugivores and frugivore-folivores. Within the clade, genera differ in dietary flexibility and their ability to tolerate habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation of continuous forests into smaller patches can reduce connectivity between conspecific groups, potentially increasing the likelihood that dispersers form polyspecific associations with heterospecifics. Here, I review the literature on intra-family polyspecific associations in atelids. Literature on polyspecific associations is relevant to hybridization research in wild populations because some species in hybrid zones live in mixed-species groups. The reviewed evidence indicates that stable polyspecific associations are uncommon among atelids and that the most stable associations occur within hybrid zones. Atelid species may not readily associate with each other because they are less vulnerable to predation compared to smaller-bodied platyrrhines and cannot benefit from the increased predator avoidance that associations can provide. It is crucial that the varied impacts anthropogenic habitat alterations have on atelids be researched, as these species are vital seed dispersers in forest ecosystems.
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