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Comparison of forest regeneration in two sites with different primate abundances in Northwestern Ecuador.

There is increasing evidence that large-bodied primates play important roles as seed dispersers and
in the maintenance of tree diversity in forest ecosystems. In this study we compared forest regeneration at two
sites with differing primate abundances in the Ecuadorian Chocoan rainforest. We predicted: (1) significant differences
in primate abundance between the two sites; (2) higher understory tree species richness and density at
the site with greater primate abundance; (3) the site with lower primate abundance characterized by tree species
dispersed by non-primate biotic agents and/or abiotic factors. We compared two sites, Tesoro Escondido (TE)
a campesino cooperative, and the El Pambilar (EP) wildlife refuge that both maintain populations of mantled
howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), the brown-headed spider monkey (Ateles fusciceps fusciceps) and the capuchin
monkey (Cebus capucinus). We characterized canopy structure by point-quadrant sampling, determined
primate abundance and sampled seedlings/saplings in 1 m2 plots, classifying tree species based on three dispersal
syndromes: adapted for primate dispersal, dispersed by other biological agents, and abiotic dispersal. We compared
sites in terms of primate abundance (groups and individuals observed per day) and regeneration characteristics
(overall density, species richness, and dispersal syndrome). We carried out within site comparisons and
constructed understory tree species accumulation curves. Overall the forests were structurally similar - with significantly
higher densities of A. f. fusciceps at TE. Encounter rates for the other two primate species were similar
at both sites. Understory tree density and species richness was significantly higher in TE with no stabilization of
tree species accumulation curves. The species accumulation curve for understory trees at EP stabilized. Higher
densities and species richness of primate dispersed tree species were observed at TE, with non-primate biotically
dispersed tree species the dominant dispersal syndrome at both sites. Our observations are consistent with those
from other studies investigating the role of large-bodied frugivorous primates in forest regeneration, and point
to a general pattern: future lowland tropical forest tree diversity depends on maintaining robust populations of
large primate species in these systems. It is highly probable that the maintenance of high levels of tree diversity
in Chocoan rainforests is dependent on the conservation of its largest resident primate, the critically endangered
brown-headed spider monkey (A. f. fusciceps).