Use of lianas by primates: more than a food source

Abstract

© 2015 by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved. Lianas are becoming an increasingly prominent component of tropical forests. This chapter evaluates the use of lianas by primates an abundant, species-rich, and ecologically important order of mammals. The great majority of primate species are highly arboreal, and they depend on the different strata above the forest floor for feeding, traveling, resting, breeding, and protection from predators. Lianas represent an important food resource for primates, as many different primate species use a large number of liana species. Lianas often reproduce during periods that are unfavorable to trees, and have a much higher growth rate during the dry season than trees. Lianas are important structural elements during locomotion, as the systems of bridges that lianas form among trees facilitate the movement of arboreal primate. Lianas may affect the distribution of primates through their positive effect on the abundance of preferred food sources.