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Frugivory and potential seed dispersal by the exotic-invasive marmoset Callithrix jacchus (Primates, Callitrichidae) in an urban Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  • Marco Aurélio F. Silva , Carlos Eduardo Verona , Marilena Conde and Alexandra S. Pires ORCID logo EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: November 2, 2017
Mammalia
From the journal Mammalia Volume 82 Issue 4

Abstract

The common marmoset, originally from Northeastern Brazil, has been introduced into several Brazilian states as a result of illegal traffic. Despite the long history of introduction, few studies have described the diet of this primate in regions where it is exotic and none have evaluated its role as a seed disperser. The importance of fruits in the diet of Callithrix jacchus and its potential as a seed disperser were investigated in the Tijuca National Park (TNP, 3.593 ha), southeastern Brazil, where the species is exotic. Data were collected from September 2013 to January 2015, through focal observations. A sampling effort of 361 h of observation resulted in 60 independent feeding records. Fruits were the most often consumed item, comprising 48.3% of the observed feeding records, followed by gum (30%), invertebrates (18.3%) and lichens (3.3%). Seeds from four out of 13 species were swallowed and seeds from seven additional species were found intact in collected feces. These results show C. jacchus’ potential to act as a seed disperser for some plant species, and that should be considered for managing this primate in TNP, where other callitrichids are absent.

Keywords: diet; ecological interactions; exotic species; fruits; gummivory; Primates

Acknowledgments

This article is part of the MSc dissertation of the first author. We thank Peterson de Almeida, Luciana Carnevale, Luiz Siciliano, Rodrigo Zucarato and Thuany Araujo for helping with the fieldwork; Marcelo Souza and Thiago Amorim for plant identification; CAPES and CNPq for grants provided to MAFS and ASP, respectively; ICMBio for providing the license and logistical support at TNP, especially through Katyucha von Kossell de Andrade Silva. L.C. Oliveira, C.E.L. Esberárd and F.A.S Fernandez provided useful suggestions for the first draft of this work. We are in debt to the two anonymous reviewers who besides improving considerably the scientific quality of the manuscript also helped a lot with the English, doing much more than was their job.

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Received: 2016-06-02
Accepted: 2017-09-05
Published Online: 2017-11-02
Published in Print: 2018-07-26

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2016-0075
Keywords for this article
diet; ecological interactions; exotic species; fruits; gummivory; Primates

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Ecology
  3. Large mammal richness in Llanganates National Park, Ecuador
  4. Microhabitat structure and food availability modelling a small mammal assemblage in restored riparian forest remnants
  5. Determinants of home range size and spatial overlap of Gracilinanus agilis (Mammalia: Didelphidae) in central-western Brazil
  6. Autumn food habits of the brown bear Ursus arctos in the Golestan National Park: a pilot study in Iran
  7. Frugivory and potential seed dispersal by the exotic-invasive marmoset Callithrix jacchus (Primates, Callitrichidae) in an urban Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  8. Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system
  9. Ethology
  10. Allosuckling in a captive group of wild cavies Cavia aperea
  11. Biogeography
  12. Biogeographic implications of small mammals from Northern Highlands in Tanzania with first data from the volcanic Mount Kitumbeine
  13. Phylogeography of a widespread sub-Saharan murid rodent Aethomys chrysophilus: the role of geographic barriers and paleoclimate in the Zambezian bioregion
  14. Taxonomy/phylogeny
  15. First record of Dermanura anderseni (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) for the Atlantic Forest
  16. Evolutionary biology
  17. A Quaternary record of the big-eyed bat Chiroderma villosum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) with a revised lower molar terminology
  18. Conservation
  19. The Giant Tree Rat, Toromys grandis (Wagner, 1845): new record with range extension and comments on its morphology, biology and conservation
  20. Andersen’s leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros pomona) is still living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh
  21. Long-term assessment of the success of a European badger reintroduction
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