Data from: Primates adjust movement strategies due to changing food availability

We examined this issue in six monkey species from Africa and Mexico: three frugivores and three folivores. We hypothesized that the more patchily distributed fruit would result in frugivores showing more levy-like patterns of motion, while folivores, with their more homogenous food supply, would show Brownian patterns of motion. At least three and up to five of six species conformed to the overall movement pattern predicted by their primary dietary item.

For folivorous black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra), ursine colobus (Colobus vellerosus), and red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus), Brownian movement was supported or could not be ruled-out. Two frugivores (spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi yucatanensis, and grey-cheeked mangabeys, Lophocebus albigena) showed Lévy walks, as predicted, but frugivorous vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) showed a Brownian walk. Additionally, we test whether seasonal variation in the spatial availability of food support environmentally driven changes in movement patterns.

Four of five species tested for seasonal variation showed adjustments in their search strategies between the rainy and dry seasons. This study provides support for the notion that food distribution determines search strategies and that animal movement patterns are flexible, mirroring changes in the environment. Usage notes step_lengths_primates This file contains the R code and the step length data from the six species of primates.

With this file anyone can run the analyses contrasting Brownian versus long-tailed distribution movements stepLengths This file contains all data for the six species in cvs format