Ecological traits of the world's primates

Abstract

Ecosystems largely depend, for both their functioning and their ecological integrity, on the ecological traits of the species that inhabit them. Non-human primates have a wide geographic distribution and play vital roles in ecosystem structure, function, and resilience. However, there is no comprehensive and updated compilation of information on ecological traits of all the world's primate species to accurately assess such roles at a global scale. Here we present a database on some important ecological traits of the world's primates (504 species), including home range size, locomotion type, diel activity, trophic guild, body mass, habitat type, current conservation status, population trend, and geographic realm. We compiled this information through a careful review of 1,216 studies published between 1941 and 2018, resulting in a comprehensive, easily accessible and user-friendly database. This database has broad applicability in primatological studies, and can potentially be used to address many research questions at all spatial scales, from local to global.

Fig. 1

Summary of the ecological traits of the world’s primates included in the database. From left to right pictures represent: (1) home range size gradient from small to large; (2) locomotion types are terrestrial, both locomotion types, and arboreal; (3) diel activity includes diurnal, nocturnal and cathemeral; (4) trophic guild includes folivore, folivore-frugivore, frugivore, insectivore, omnivore, and gummivore (the latter not depicted); (5) body mass gradient from small to large; (6) habitat type includes seven categories (see text) but only two are depicted as examples (forest and savannah); (7) IUCN conservation status includes seven categories, with five depicted here (CR critically endangered, EN endangered, VU vulnerable, NT near threatened and LC least concern); (8) population trend is represented by three graphs indicating increasing, stable and decreasing populations; and (9) geographic realm is represented by a global map. Images used with permission from Microsoft.