White-handed gibbons ( Hylobates lar ) alter ranging patterns in response to habitat type
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
White‑handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) alter ranging patterns in response to habitat type Lydia E. O. Light1 · Tommaso Savini2 · Corey S. Sparks3 · Thad Q. Bartlett4 Received: 7 December 2019 / Accepted: 15 August 2020 © Japan Monkey Centre and Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Small apes are often characterized as inhabiting small home ranges and being dependent on evergreen forest due to their dietary specialization on ripe fruits. Yet few primate studies, particularly those with gibbons, have considered intraspecific variations in ranging behaviors in response to local ecological conditions. This study examines Endangered white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) ranging patterns in a heterogeneous landscape. We conducted 13 months of behavioral observations on four white-handed gibbon groups living in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand, and combine these data with group location and transect-based productivity data. We compare home range area, site fidelity, and microhabitat preferences. Home range (HR) area varied considerably among the four groups (17–61 hectares). Site fidelity was higher in one of the groups with more evergreen forest in the HR (0.72 ± 0.1) than one of the groups with very little evergreen forest in the habitat (0.47 ± 0.07). While groups with more evergreen forest in the HR preferred evergreen forest areas, groups with very little evergreen forest within the HR demonstrated less preference for evergreen forest areas. We conclude that gibbons at this site exhibit a considerable degree of behavioral variation in response to local ecological conditions. These findings suggest that while gibbons exhibit significant ecological flexibility, this flexibility may be limited by habitat type and key food resources. Keywords Home range area · Characteristic-hull polygons · Site fidelity · Strauss’ linear index
Introduction Ranging behavior is a key component in understanding animal behavioral ecology and has thus seen enduring discussion in the literature (Börger et al. 2008; Powell and Mitchell 2012). With ongoing rapid degradation of natural habitats through deforestation and global climate change, understanding how different species utilize space is critically important, particularly for species thought to lack robust * Lydia E. O. Light [email protected] 1
Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
2
Conservation Ecology Program, King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
3
Department of Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
4
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
means of adjusting their ranging locations, daily travel distances, or overall food catchment area due to space limitations or territoriality (Sekercioglu et al. 2008; Thomas et al. 2004; Thuiller 2004). By studying populations inhabiting putatively suboptimal habitats, researchers can record n
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