Structure of a primate community in Reserve Adolpho Ducke, central Amazonia

Primate surveys that aim to determine the structure of a local community and the population densities of its constituent species are essential when assessing the conservation status of primates. Such information is important to inform conservation actions and management plans. However, for many areas in the Amazon, the primate community structure is entirely unknown. This dissertation will present research on the density, group size and distribution of primates at Reserve Adolpho Ducke in Central Amazon, Brazil. The reserve is located north of Manaus and it is the most important and renowned research site in the Amazon basin. It covers an area of 10,000 hectares of primary rainforest bordering the city of Manaus. Line transect sampling was used to survey the primates with a total of 248km walked between February – May 2018. Nine transects were sampled resulting in 108 sightings of 5 different species including 16 Saguinus bicolor, 44 Sapajus apella, 14 Alouatta macconnelli, 18 Pithecia chrysocephala, and 11 Chiropotes sagulatus. All densities were estimated using DISTANCE software. The most common species with the highest density was A. macconnelli (3.16 group/km2) followed by S. apella (2.76), P. chrysocephala (1.29), S. bicolor (1.05) and C. sagulatus (0.88). This study shows that the reserve has a high density of primates throughout, despite being surrounded by the large metropolitan region of Manaus. However, due to the reserve’s proximity to Manaus, it is at high risk of hunting, urban expansion and deforestation and invasive species such as domestic cats and dogs. Ongoing studies in this area are essential for the future protection of the reserve. Finally, this study explored, how the new frontier of arboreal camera trap technology can be used to survey primates. Eleven camera traps were situated in the canopy for 91 days between January - April 2018 capturing 11,643 images and videos. 261 of these files had images and videos of detections recording five out of six primate species, Kinkajou (Potos flavus), Ingrid Squirell, (Sciuus ingrami) and three bird species. Results from this study have proposed solutions to common problems associated with arboreal camera traps. This study suggests that more cameras are required to understand the full extent of arboreal life at Reserve Adolpho Ducke but findings from this study suggest that camera traps are an essential tool when surveying primates in tropical forest ecosystems.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Master's Level (Level 7)

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Fletcher, L

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1365942

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1365942