Comportamento e utilização do habitat em grupos de Callithrix sp. (Primates, Callithrichidae) no Instituto de Pesquisas do Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Introduced populations of marmosets concern biologists and conservationists because of its potential occupancy of habitat, hybridization with native congeners, predation on representatives of the local fauna, disease transmission and competition with other species. It is necessary to understand which favors this flexible use of habitat and behavioral pattern which enables marmosets to survive in such diverse forest environments and even much altered and disturbed areas, such as large cities. Individuals of Callithrix sp.were followed at the Arboretum JBRJ. The fieldwork was done between August 2012 and August 2013 and accumulated a total of 205 hours of observations and 400 hours of sampling effort. The sampling method used was the " Focal Animal ", in which only one individual in the group was analyzed at a three minutes sampling session with 7 minutes apart. Every ten minutes, in a new sampling session, the animal focus was shifted to another individual in the group. Adults, sub-adults and young were observed. Individuals of Callithrix sp. in JBRJ use the categories of habitat differently, most often the lower vertical stratification (between 0 and 4.9 m), thinner supports (to about 14 cm diameter), with an average surface and a horizontal tilt (0 º to 30 º), corroborating other studies that also found these patterns. There were also behavioral differences of individuals of Callithrix sp. in JBRJ between classes of male and female adults, sub-adults and youth. Male individuals used more frequently all behaviors. Results that contribute to the knowledge about the behavior of these primates, which had not been direct comparisons made between the classes considered. Mainly the result found that males are more active than the other classes, which is not mentioned in the literature to date and helps to understand more about these species.