Home sweet home? Adjustments in the ecology, behaviour and vocalisations of Amazonian squirrel monkeys inhabiting an Atlantic forest fragment

Inadvertent or intentional introductions of species in non-native habitats are forcing them to adapt quickly, resulting in evolutionarily significant changes in their ecology and social organisation. Understanding how these species are adapting in non-native areas will elucidate evolutionary aspects of migration and adaptation skills of exotic species in general. Thus, we investigated how Amazonian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) have adjusted their behavioural ecology and call propagation in an Atlantic forest fragment in north-eastern Brazil. Behavioural ecology data were obtained via instantaneous scan and ad libitum sampling methods. Call propagation data were obtained through playback experiments conducted in the Atlantic and Amazon forests. Atlantic forest squirrel monkey diet was found to be composed, primarily, of fruits considered “exotic” to the region. There was no variation between dry and wet months in food-resource exploitation except for flowers. Squirrel monkeys spent most of their tim...