Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

The International Day for Biological Diversity

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:55:19 +0000

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partly done because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year. (Source : CBD)

Advanced Fieldcourse in Ecology and Conservation at XTBG

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:07:11 +0000

Received from Richard Corlett. "XTBG is running its 6-week fieldcourse again this year (October 19th to November 30th 2013), with me in overall charge, although Liu Jing-xin (one of Chen Jin’s PhD students) is running most of it. It is primarily targeted at fresh graduate students, although we always take a few NGO/nature reserves people, as long as they are fairly recent graduates. Potential participants can register first and only need to pay when they are accepted." Website

Ph D Position - Plant-Herbivore Interactions - University of Utah

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:03:38 +0000

The Kursar/Coley lab at the University of Utah is looking for a Ph.D. ecologist or chemical ecologist with an interest in plant-herbivore interactions. A background in chemistry is useful but not essential. This could include analytical chemistry, metabolomics, chemoinformatics, or the use of statistical packages for the analysis of large data sets from LC-MS or GC-MS.

The primary responsibility will be the analysis by LC-MS of the secondary metabolites, including non-protein amino acids, saponins and highly diverse phenolics, of multiple species in a genus of tropical tree, Inga, in a project funded by NSF. Our lab owns and has full-time access to a Waters I-class UPLC with a Xevo-G2 Q-ToF detector. The position also entails care of the LC-MS. All maintenance is covered by contract with Waters. The ideal candidate will have an excellent record of publication. The position also entails interacting with graduate students and co-supervision of undergraduates.

Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Titis, Sakis and Uacaris

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Sat, 04 May 2013 19:18:45 +0000

Cambridge University Press published in the Series: Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology "Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Titis, Sakis and Uacaris" edited by Series: Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology edited by Liza M. Veiga (Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil), Adrian A. Barnett (Roehampton University, London), Stephen F. Ferrari (Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Brazil) and Marilyn A. Norconk (Kent State University, Ohio).

Contents

The neotropical primate family Pitheciidae consists of four genera Cacajao (uacaris), Callicebus (titis), Chiropotes (bearded sakis) and Pithecia (sakis), whose 40+ species display a range of sizes, social organisations, ecologies and habitats. Few are well known and the future survival of many is threatened, yet pitheciines have been little studied. This book is the first to review the biology of this fascinating and diverse group in full. It includes fossil history, reviews of the biology of each genus and, among others, specific treatments of vocalisations and foraging ecology. These studies are integrated into considerations of current status and future conservation requirements on a country-by-country basis for each species. A state-of-the-art summary of current knowledge, Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Titis, Sakis and Uacaris is a collective effort from all the major researchers currently working on these remarkable animals.

Part I Fossil History, Zoogeography and Taxonomy of the Pitheciids

Walter C. Hartwig & Adrian A. Barnett

1 Pitheciidae and other platyrrhine seed predators by Richard F. Kay, D. Jeffrey Meldrum & Masanaru Takai
2 The misbegotten: long lineages, long branches and the interrelationships of Aotus, Callicebus and the saki–uacaris by Alfred L. Rosenberger & Marcelo F. Tejedor
3 A molecular phylogeography of the uacaris (Cacajao) by Wilsea M.B. Figueiredo-Ready, Horacio Schneider, Stephen F. Ferrari, Maria L. Harada, José Maria C. da Silva, José de Sousa e Silva Júnior & John M. Bates
4 Taxonomy and geographic distribution of the Pitheciidae by José de Sousa e Silva Júnior, Wilsea M.B. Figueiredo-Ready & Stephen F. Ferrari
5 Zoogeography, genetic variation and conservation of the Callicebus personatus group by Rodrigo C. Printes, Leandro Jerusalinsky, Marcelo C. Sousa, Luis Reginaldo R. Rodrigues & André Hirsch

Part II Comparative Pitheciid Ecology

Marilyn A. Norconk

6 Morphological and ecological adaptations to seed predation – a primate-wide perspective by Marilyn A. Norconk, Brian W. Grafton & W. Scott McGraw
7 Pitheciins: use of time and space by Eleonore Z.F. Setz, Liliam P. Pinto, Mark Bowler, Adrian A. Barnett, Jean-Christophe Vié, Jean P. Boubli & Marilyn A. Norconk
8 Functional morphology and positional behavior in the Pitheciini by Lesa C. Davis & Suzanne E. Walker-Pacheco
9 Male cooperation in Pitheciines: the reproductive costs and benefits to individuals of forming large multimale/multifemale groups by Paul A. Garber & Martin M. Kowalewski
10 Evolutionary ecology of the pitheciinae: evidence for energetic equivalence or phylogenetically structured environmental variation? by Shawn M. Lehman
11 Competition between pitheciines and large Ara macaws, two specialist seed-eaters by Suzanne Palminteri, George Powell, Krista Adamek & Raul Tupayachi
12 On the distribution of Pitheciine monkeys and Lecythidaceae trees in Amazonia by J. Márcio Ayres+ & Ghillean T. Prance

Part III Genus Reviews and Case Studies

Stephen F. Ferrari

13 Why we know so little: the challenges of fieldwork on the Pitheciids by Liliam Patricia Pinto, Adrian A. Barnett, Bruna Martins Bezerra, Jean Philippe Boubli, Mark Bowler, Nayara de Alcântara Cardoso, Christini Barbosa Caselli, Maria Juliana Ospina Rodríguez, Ricardo Rodrigues Santos, Eleonore Zulnara Freire Setz & Liza Maria Veiga
14 Ecology and behavior of uacaris (genus Cacajao) by Adrian A. Barnett, Mark Bowler, Bruna M. Bezerra & Thomas R. Defler
15 Annual variation in breeding success and changes in population density of Cacajao calvus ucayalii in the Lago Preto Conservation Concession, Peru by M. Bowler, C. Barton, S. McCann-Wood, P. Puertas & R. Bodmer
16 Cacajao ouakary in Brazil and Colombia: patterns, puzzles and predictions by Adrian A. Barnett, Thomas R. Defler, Marcela Oliveira, Helder Queiroz & Bruna M. Bezerra
17 Ecology and behavior of titi monkeys (genus Callicebus) by Júlio César Bicca-Marques & Eckhard W. Heymann
18 Costs of foraging in the Southern Bahian masked titi monkey (Callicebus melanochir) by Stefanie Heiduck
19 Insectivory and prey foraging techniques in Callicebus – a case study of Callicebus cupreus and a comparison to other pitheciids by Eckhard W. Heymann & Mirjam N. Nadjafzadeh
20 Seed eating by Callicebus lugens at Caparú Biological Station, on the lower Apaporis River, Colombian Amazonia by Erwin Palacios & Adriana Rodríguez
21 Callicebus in Manu National Park: territory, resources, scent marking and vocalizations by Patricia C. Wright
22 Ecology and behavior of bearded sakis (genus Chiropotes) by Liza M. Veiga & Stephen F. Ferrari
23 Feeding ecology of Uta Hick's bearded saki (Chiropotes utahickae) on a man-made island in southeastern Brazilian Amazonia: seasonal and longitudinal variation by Ricardo R. Santos, Tatiana M. Vieira & Stephen F. Ferrari
24 The behavioral ecology of northern bearded sakis (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes) living in forest fragments of Central Brazilian Amazonia by Sarah A. Boyle, Andrew T. Smith, Wilson R. Spironello & Charles E. Zartman
25 Ecology and behavior of saki monkeys (genus Pithecia) by Marilyn A. Norconk & Eleonore Z. Setz
26 Finding the balance: optimizing predator avoidance and food encounters through individual positioning in Pithecia pithecia during travel by
E.P. Cunningham, A.L. Harrison-Levine & R.G. Norman
27 Testing models of social behavior with regard to inter- and intratroop interactions in free-ranging white-faced sakis by Cynthia L. Thompson & Marilyn A. Norconk
28 Comparative socioecology of sympatric, free-ranging white-faced and bearded saki monkeys in Suriname: preliminary data by L. Tremaine Gregory & Marilyn A. Norconk
29 Pair-mate relationships and parenting in equatorial saki monkeys (Pithecia aequatorialis) and red titi monkeys (Callicebus discolor) of Ecuador by Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, Anthony Di Fiore & Ana Gabriela de Luna
30 Vocal communication in Cacajao, Chiropotes and Pithecia: current knowledge and future directions by Bruna M. Bezerra, Adrian A. Barnett, Antonio S. Souto & Gareth Jones

Part IV Conservation of the Pitheciids

Liza M. Veiga & Anthony B. Rylands

31 The Guyana Shield: Venezuela and the Guyanas by Shawn M. Lehman, Jean-Christophe Vié, Marliyn A. Norconk, Carlos Portillo-Quintero & Bernardo Urbani
32 Pitheciid conservation in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay by Leila Porter, Janice Chism, Thomas R. Defler, Laura Marsh, Jesús Martinez, Hope Matthews, Wynlyn McBride, Diego G. Tirira, Marianela Velilla & Rob Wallace
33 Brazil by Stephen F. Ferrari, José S. Silva Júnior, Manuella A. de Souza, Ana Luisa K. Albernaz, Marcelo M. Oliveira & Leandro Jerusalinsky
34 Pitheciines in captivity: challenges and opportunities, past, present and future by Jennie Becker, Andrew J. Baker, Tracy Frampton, P. Kirsten Pullen, Karen L. Bales, Sally P. Mendoza & William A. Mason
35 The challenge of living in fragments by Stephen F. Ferrari, Sarah A. Boyle, Laura K. Marsh, Marcio Port-Carvalho, Ricardo R. Santos, Suleima S.B. Silva, Tatiana M. Vieira & Liza M. Veiga
36 Communities and uacaris: conservation initiatives in Brazil and Peru by Mark Bowler, João Valsecchi, Helder L. Queiroz, Richard Bodmer, Pablo Puertas

About the Editors

Liza M. Veiga

Liza Veiga spent most of her working career based at the Federal University of Para and the Emilio Goeldi Museum, both in Belem, Brazil. She was passionate about conserving Brazilian primates. Her research focus was bearded sakis in Brazil. The editors and authors dedicate this book to her memory (31 Oct 1963 – 28 Oct 2012). Obituary at International Journal of Primatology (PDF) - Obituary at American Journal of Primatology (PDF)

Adrian A. Barnett

Adrian Barnett is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Instituto National de Pesquisas da Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil, and the Centre for Research in Evolutionary and Environmental Anthropology at Roehampton University. He has spent 15 years studying tropical primates, particularly the conservation and ecology of uacaris in Brazil.

Stephen F. Ferrari

Stephen F. Ferrari is a Professor of Zoology in the Biology department of the Federal University of Sergipe, Sao Cristovao, Brazil. He has a particular focus on the primate genera titis and bearded sakis, their ecology and conservation. Primate Info Net

Marilyn A. Norconk

Marilyn A. Norconk is Professor of Anthropology at Kent State University. Her research interests include feeding ecology and social behavior of white-faced sakis and bearded sakis in Venezuela and Suriname. Homepage

Biotropica May 2013 released

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Sat, 04 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

We are proud to announce that BIOTROPICA Vol. 45 No.3, May 2013 has been released. The journal is available in print and online to ATBC members.

Reminder : Virtual Issues from Biotropica Dynamics in Hurricane Prone Forests - (September 2012)

Join or renew ATBC membership

The Bonito Declaration

admin@tropicalbio.org (Administrator) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Urgent Need for Continued Improvement in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development in Brazil

At the same time as it hosts the United Nations Earth Summit, Rio+20, Brazil is also hosting the largest ever gathering of tropical biologists. Brazil's success in advancing science and conservation, while achieving impressive economic growth and significant improvements in human welfare are being watched by the world as a potential model for environmentally sustainable development.

Scientists warn Brazil’s environmental leadership at risk
Brazil's environmental leadership at risk, warn scientists, by mongabay.com - June 26, 2012

Resolution on Secondary Forests

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:07:10 +0000

WHEREAS, Dynamic working landscapes -formed by large-scale conversion of forest to agriculture, harvesting activities, and secondary forest patches undergoing natural regeneration following abandonment from diverse land uses– have replaced continuous landscapes dominated by primary forests throughout most of the world's tropical regions.

WHEREAS, Secondary forests are embedded in these working landscapes that may include severely modified habitats such as low-diversity agriculture, monoculture plantations, and highly degraded forests, all of which support rural livelihoods and some of the biodiversity conservation and environmental services we derive from primary forests.

WHEREAS, It is critical that we adopt a landscape, multi-use perspective in managing these forests for biodiversity conservation, environmental services, and rural livelihoods through appropriate spatial and land use planning.

WHEREAS, To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of current and future public policy efforts aimed at conserving tropical forests and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation specific definitions of the different categories of forested landscapes (e.g., primary, secondary in different stages, and degraded) should be made explicit by interested parties.

WHEREAS, We recognize that tropical countries face tensions when attempting to make compatible both conservation and development/poverty alleviation goals, which in turn affects decisions related to the fate of forested landscapes.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, the world's largest scientific organization devoted to the study, protection, and wise use of tropical ecosystems:

1. RECOGNIZES the conservation value of lightly and moderately disturbed forests and secondary forests in different stages of succession; and

2. URGES relevant parties to consider the ecosystem, social, and economic services provided by such forests when formulating land zoning and land and resource use policies; and

3. STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that any bilateral or multilateral agreements on forest conservation, such as REDD+ initiatives designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, include explicit land zoning and resource use considerations for existing primary forests as well as for secondary forests in different degrees of succession.

ATBC Resolution (pdf]

Management of Environmental Quality - Call for Papers

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:38:34 +0000

Management of Environmental Quality, An International Journal is calling for papers to be published in a Special issue on Environmental management in the context of world heritage sites edited by Professor Priya Davidar, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Pondicherry, India, Dr. Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, ECOS Trust, India and Ceri Warnock, Faculty of Law, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Call for papers

ATBC Woman in Science winner of the 2013 Whitley Award

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:35:12 +0000

Dr Aparajita Datta’s love of nature and animals began in the classroom, inspired by the books of Gerald Durrell and James Herriot. Arriving at the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh in North East India in 1995 to study the impact of logging on arboreal creatures including squirrels and primates, her attention was instantly captured by the charismatic hornbills and she went onto study them for her PhD. (Source : whitleyaward.org)

Aparajita Datta at ATBC Who's Who

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2nd May 2013, Royal Geographical Society, London: Indian, Aparajita Datta's speech at the 2013 Whitley Awards - Winner of the Whitley Award donated by WWF-UK. (Updated 7th May)

More photos at Whitley Awards 2013 Aparajita Datta, India

Tropical Conservation Science - March 2013

admin@tropicalbio.org (Pierre Michel Forget) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

The new issue of the Mongabay.com open access scientific journal Tropical Conservation Science (TCS) has been released. Content of the Volume 6 (1).

Editorial Technical and social issues in tropical conservation by Alejandro Estrada and Rhett Butler

Research Articles

Mapping recent deforestation and forest disturbance in northeastern Madagascar

Thomas F. Allnutt, Gregory P. Asner, Christopher D. Golden and George V. N. Powell

Assessing sampling biases in logging impact studies in tropical forests

Juliana Laufer, Fernanda Michalski and Carlos A. Peres

Invasive alien plants elicit reduced production of flowers and fruits in various native forest species on the tropical island of Mauritius (Mascarenes, Indian Ocean)

M.L. Fabiola Monty, F.B. Vincent Florens and Cláudia Baider

Home range, habitat use and food habits of re-introduced gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Central India

K. Sankar, H. S. Pabla, C. K. Patil, Parag Nigam, Qamar Qureshi, B. Navaneethan, Manas Manjreakar, Preeti S. Virkar and Krishnendu Mondal

Habitat and human factors associated with white-tailed deer density in the tropical dry forest of Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Michelle Ramos-Robles, Sonia Gallina and Salvador Mandujano

Distribution and abundance of lions in northwest Tete Province, Mozambique

Andrew P. Jacobson, Megan E. Cattau, Jason S. Riggio, Lisanne S. Petracca and Derek A. Fedak

Wildlife as insurance against rainfall fluctuations in a semi-arid savanna setting of southeastern Zimbabwe

X. Poshiwa, R.A. Groeneveld, I. M.A. Heitkönig, H.H.T. Prins and E. C. van Ierland

Heavy metal concentrations of two highly migratory sharks (Prionace glauca and Isurus oxyrinchus) in the southeastern Pacific waters: comments on public health and conservation

Sebastián A. Lopez, Nicole L. Abarca and Roberto Meléndez C.

Short Communications

Preliminary observations on the behavior and ecology of the Peruvian night monkey (Aotus miconax: Primates) in a remnant cloud forest patch, north eastern Peru

Sam Shanee, Nestor Allgas and Noga Shanee

Superovulation, in vivo embryo recovery and cryopreservation for Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) females using osmotic pumps and vitrification: a preliminary experience and its implications for conservation

Janet López–Saucedo, Julio Porfirio Ramón-Ugalde, José de Jesús Barroso-Padilla, Antonio Martin Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Reyna Fierro and Raul Eduardo Piña-Aguilar