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Data from: Foraging and movement flexibility shape seed dispersal by an arboreal primate in a modified landscape

Cárdenas-Navarrete, Anaid1; Van Belle, Sarie23; Razafindratsima, Onja H.1

Published Mar 21, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp9m

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Abstract

As habitats change, the effectiveness of animal-mediated seed dispersal increasingly depends on animal responses to altered structure and resources. With habitat loss and degradation accelerating across the tropics, understanding how foraging behavior and movement influence seed removal and deposition is critical for promoting forest regeneration. In a tropical lowland landscape of southeastern Mexico with varying levels of human disturbance, we studied how black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) foraging behavior affects the seed dispersal services they provide. Additionally, given the species' long gut transit time, we examined how their movement patterns across different spatial and temporal scales directly and indirectly shape seed dispersal distance. We found that habitat disturbance significantly reduced food resource availability and frugivory levels, limiting the black howler monkeys’ ability to support natural forest succession through seed dispersal. However, by dispersing seeds an average of 90.98 ± 59.59 m from the parent plant and 88.23 ± 47.55 m between samples, black howler monkeys may reduce mortality risks associated with distance- and density-dependent effects. At the smallest spatiotemporal scale, relative turning angles best predicted seed-dispersal distance, indicating that goal-oriented movement enhances animals’ seed-dispersal roles. For black howlers, this may be a necessary compensatory strategy for navigating lower-quality habitats and potentially dispersing seeds farther. At broader scales, an increase in weekly activity areas—driven by low resource availability—increased seed dispersal distance. Ultimately, our results show that animal responses to habitat disturbance can influence key processes, such as seed dispersal, which may affect forest regeneration and ecosystem resilience. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding animal resilience dynamics to more accurately predict and manage the long-term impacts of disturbances on biodiversity and ecosystem health.