Strategic microhabitat selection allows animals in seasonally cold environments to reduce homeostatic energy costs, particularly overnight when thermoregulatory demands are greatest. Suitable sleeping areas may therefore represent important resources for winter survival. Knowledge of microhabitat use and potential impacts of anthropogenic habitat modification can aid species conservation through development of targeted habitat management plans. Wild, endangered Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in logged cedar-oak forest were studied to investigate 1) the hypothesis that macaques select winter sleeping areas with microhabitat characteristics that may reduce thermoregulatory costs, and, if so, 2) how to minimize damage to sleeping areas from logging. Macaques slept only in Atlas cedars (Cedrus atlantica). Consistent with predictions, macaques preferred sleeping in sheltered topography and dense vegetation, which may reduce exposure to wind, precipitation and cold, and preferred large trees that facilitate social huddling. This suggests Barbary macaques employ strategic nocturnal microhabitat selection to reduce thermoregulatory costs and thus suitable sleeping areas may influence winter survival. To minimize negative impacts of logging on macaque sleeping areas, results suggest avoiding logging in topographical depressions and maintaining cedar densities >250 ha-1 with average DBH >60 cm. This study demonstrates how animal behaviour can be used to guide species-specific habitat management plans.
Sleeping site and forest tree plot topography and forest characteristics
Dataset comparing sleeping sites to general forest across Barbary macaques’ home ranges. Each row represents a tree plot. Columns include whether the plot was a sleeping site tree plot or forest tree plot (SSTP: SS = Sleeping Site, TP = forest tree plot), a binary variable for tree plot type (SS01), study group name (StudyGroup = Blue/Green), ID of the tree plot (PlotID), topography (Flat/Hillside/ValleyBottom), the number of times the group slept at each sleeping site (TimesSlept; not applicable for forest tree plots), the total number of trees in the plot (TotalTrees), the number of cedars in the plot (CedarNum), the average DBH of cedars in the plot (CedarAvgDBH), the average value for amount of upper branches for cedars in the plot (CedarAvgUpperBranching), average value for amount of lower branches for cedars in the plot (CedarAvgBottomBranching), and Notes. Sleeping sites for which no sleeping trees were recorded were included in analysis of topography use but not sleeping site forest characteristics. Empty tree plots were excluded from analysis of sleeping site forest characteristics because unsuitable as sleeping sites.
Data - Barbary macaque sleeping area selection - Plot topography and averages.csv
Tree measurements at Barbary macaque sleeping sites
Dataset for tree measurements, comparing macaque sleeping trees to general tree availability within sleeping sites. Each row represents a tree. Columns include whether the tree was a sleeping tree or from the sleeping site (STSS; ST = sleeping tree, SS = tree at sleeping site), a binary variable for whether the tree was a sleeping tree (SS01), study group (StudyGroup), sleeping site ID (SSCode), tree identification code for sleeping trees (TreeCode), whether sleeping tree was a new tree or had been reused (NewTree = Y/N), tree species (Species), diameter at breast height in cm (DBH) and value for amount of upper branching (UpperBranching) and lower branching (LowerBranching). Sleeping trees used multiple times were included only once in the analysis.
Data - Barbary macaque sleeping area selection - Trees within sleeping sites.csv