Eat the fruit earlier: Sakis (Pithecia chrysocephala) show enhanced temporal fruit resource access compared with squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) in an urban forest fragment in Brazil.

Fruit availability experienced by different primate species is likely to vary due to species-specific fruit use, even within the same habitat and timeframe. Pitheciines, primates of the subfamily Pitheciinae, particularly favor the seeds of unripe fruits. Researchers consider this dietary characteristic an adaptation to increase access to fruit resources.

The diet and feeding behavior of the black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza) in the Kalinzu Forest, Uganda.

One of the goals for primate feeding ecology is to understand the factors that affect inter- and intra-specific variations. Therefore, a detailed description of basic feeding ecology in as many populations as possible is necessary and warrants further understanding. The black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza) or guereza is widely distributed in Africa and is one of the well-studied colobines in terms of their feeding; they demonstrate considerable variation in their diets in response to local conditions.

Correction: Factors affecting forest area change in Southeast Asia during 1980-2010.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Factors affecting forest area change in Southeast Asia during 1980-2010.

While many tropical countries are experiencing rapid deforestation, some have experienced forest transition (FT) from net deforestation to net reforestation. Numerous studies have identified causative factors of FT, among which forest scarcity has been considered as a prerequisite for FT. In fact, in SE Asia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, which experienced FT since 1990, exhibited a lower remaining forest area (30±8%) than the other five countries (68±6%, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar) where forest loss continues.

Factors Affecting Leaf Selection by Foregut-fermenting Proboscis Monkeys: New Insight from in vitro Digestibility and Toughness of Leaves.

Free-living animals must make dietary choices in terms of chemical and physical properties, depending on their digestive physiology and availability of food resources. Here we comprehensively evaluated the dietary choices of proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) consuming young leaves. We analysed the data for leaf toughness and digestibility measured by an in vitro gas production method, in addition to previously reported data on nutrient composition.

Homogeneous diet of contemporary Japanese inferred from stable isotope ratios of hair.

The globalization of food production and distribution has homogenized human dietary patterns irrespective of geography, but it is uncertain how far this homogenization has progressed. This study investigated the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the scalp hair of 1305 contemporary Japanese and found values of -19.4 ± 0.

Habitat use of bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Wamba: Selection of vegetation types for ranging, feeding, and night-sleeping.

Understanding the habitat requirements of great apes is essential for effective conservation strategies. We examined annual habitat use of a bonobo group in the Wamba field site within the Luo Scientific Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Using satellite imagery, we categorized the group's ranging area into three forest types: (1) primary and old secondary forest (P/OS), (2) young secondary forest and agriculture (YS/Ag), and (3) swamp forest (Sw).

Problems associated with the seed-trap method when measuring seed dispersal in forests inhabited by Japanese macaques.

Despite the widespread use of seed/litter traps in seed dispersal ecology, several problems have arisen when using this method in forests inhabited by semi-terrestrial monkeys. The first issue is the height of the trap relative to the location where macaques spit seeds and/or defecate. For Japanese macaques in the lowland forests of Yakushima Island, southern Japan, 30-50% of the seeds emitted from cheek pouches and faeces will not be caught by seed traps, leading to underestimation of seed fall.

Degradation of Abies veitchii wave-regeneration on Mt. Misen in Ohmine Mountains: effects of sika deer population.

How has the degradation of Abies veitchii wave-regeneration occurred under the sika deer (Cervus nippon) pressure? We conducted tree census and ground vegetation survey in a 1 ha plot in Mt. Misen (Nara prefecture, Japan). We found 15 tree species (over 50 cm in height).

Genetic structure of an endemic Japanese conifer, Sciadopitys verticillata (Sciadopityaceae), by using microsatellite markers.

We investigated the genetic structure of Sciadopitys verticillata, an endemic conifer in Japan, using 11 microsatellite markers. Average expected heterozygosity varied from 0.282 to 0.

Topography-specific seed dispersal by Japanese macaques in a lowland forest on Yakushima Island, Japan.

1. We investigated patterns of seed dispersal (i.e.

Seedling establishment of five evergreen tree species in relation to topography, sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) and soil surface environments.

We investigated the seedling survival of five evergreen tree species over 3 years inside and outside deer-exclusion fences in a warm temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest on Yakushima Island, Japan. Seedling survival was examined in relation to topography, herbivory by sika deer, and the soil surface environment (i.e.

Cryptic species and host specificity in the ectomycorrhizal genus Strobilomyces (Strobilomycetaceae).

Taxonomical classification of higher fungi remains an important challenge and can benefit from the application of molecular analysis. We propose that the ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal taxa might include a number of cryptic species because there are few morphological characteristics useful for distinguishing among these fungi. Previously, host specificity in most EM fungi was thought to be low, but we suspect that confusion of cryptic species has led to an underestimate of fungal host specificity.

Spatial distribution patterns of trees at different life stages in a warm temperate forest.

We have investigated tree distributions in relation to topography between different tree life history stages, from the seed-dispersal stage to the adult stage in a warm temperate evergreen broadleaved forest on Yakushima Island, Japan, to clarify the critical stages in determining adult tree distributions. We conducted a census of all living trees > or =30 cm tall and collected seed falls over three years using 25 seed traps in a 50 m x 50 m quadrat. Four life stages were defined: stage 1, dispersed seed; stage 2, individuals taller than 30 cm and diameter at breast height (DBH) < 1 cm; stage 3, trunks 1 cm < or = DBH < 10 cm; stage 4, trunks with DBH > or = 10 cm.

Interactions between fleshy fruits and frugivores in a tropical seasonal forest in Thailand.

Large frugivores are considered to be important seed dispersers for many tropical plant species. Their roles as seed dispersers are not well known in Southeast Asia, where degraded landscapes typically lack these animals. Interactions between 259 (65 families) vertebrate-dispersed fruits and frugivorous animals (including 7 species of bulbul, 1 species of pigeon, 4 species of hornbill, 2 species of squirrel, 3 species of civet, 2 species of gibbon, 1 species of macaque, 2 species of bear, 2 species of deer, and 1 species of elephant) were studied for 3 years in a tropical seasonal forest in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.