Data from: Differential impact of severe drought on infant mortality in two sympatric neotropical primates
Cite this dataset
Campos, Fernando et al. (2020). Data from: Differential impact of severe drought on infant mortality in two sympatric neotropical primates [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6pt46j0
Abstract
Extreme climate events can have important consequences for the dynamics of natural populations, and severe droughts are predicted to become more common and intense due to climate change. We analysed infant mortality in relation to drought in two primate species (white-faced capuchins, Cebus capucinus imitator, and Geoffroy's spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi) in a tropical dry forest in north-western Costa Rica. Our survival analyses combine several rare and valuable long-term data sets, including long-term primate life-history, landscape-scale fruit abundance, food-tree mortality, and climate conditions. Infant capuchins showed a threshold mortality response to drought, with exceptionally high mortality during a period of intense drought, but not during periods of moderate water shortage. In contrast, spider monkey females stopped reproducing during severe drought, and the mortality of infant spider monkeys peaked later during a period of low fruit abundance and high food-tree mortality linked to the drought. These divergent patterns implicate differing physiology, behaviour, or associated factors in shaping species-specific drought responses. Our findings link predictions about the Earth’s changing climate to environmental influences on primate mortality risk and thereby improve our understanding of how the increasing severity and frequency of droughts will affect the dynamics and conservation of wild primates.
Usage notes
Funding
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Nacey Maggioncalda Foundation
Canada Research Chairs
Chester Zoo
Leakey Foundation
Louisiana Board of Regents
University of Calgary
Wenner-Gren Foundation
University of Chester
British Academy
Sigma Xi
American Society of Primatologists
National Geographic Society
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
Liverpool John Moores University
International Society of Primatologists
Animal Behaviour Society
Stone Center for Latin American Studies at at Tulane University
Newcomb Institute at Tulane University