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White-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) alter ranging patterns in response to habitat type

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Abstract

Small apes are often characterized as inhabiting small home ranges and being dependent on evergreen forest due to their dietary specialization on ripe fruits. Yet few primate studies, particularly those with gibbons, have considered intraspecific variations in ranging behaviors in response to local ecological conditions. This study examines Endangered white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar) ranging patterns in a heterogeneous landscape. We conducted 13 months of behavioral observations on four white-handed gibbon groups living in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in western Thailand, and combine these data with group location and transect-based productivity data. We compare home range area, site fidelity, and microhabitat preferences. Home range (HR) area varied considerably among the four groups (17–61 hectares). Site fidelity was higher in one of the groups with more evergreen forest in the HR (0.72 ± 0.1) than one of the groups with very little evergreen forest in the habitat (0.47 ± 0.07). While groups with more evergreen forest in the HR preferred evergreen forest areas, groups with very little evergreen forest within the HR demonstrated less preference for evergreen forest areas. We conclude that gibbons at this site exhibit a considerable degree of behavioral variation in response to local ecological conditions. These findings suggest that while gibbons exhibit significant ecological flexibility, this flexibility may be limited by habitat type and key food resources.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the National Research Council of Thailand and the Kingdom of Thailand for granting permission to conduct this research. Funding for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant #1154603, the Fulbright Foundation U.S. Student Program, the American Society of Primatologists, the American Association of University Women, and the University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Anthropology. We would like to thank Juan Manuel José Domínguez and Norberto Asensio for technical assistance with home range estimation and site fidelity methods. We are grateful for the support in Thailand provided by Dr. George Gale and Dr. Naruemon Tantipisanuh at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi as well as Somphot Duangchantrasiri at the Khao Nang Rum Research Station. We would also like to thank Sara Jeungst, Andrea Freidus, Elise Berman and three anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the manuscript. We would especially like to thank all of the field assistants including Chorphaka Vijittrakoolchai, Pailin Maneeyodfah, Prohmpong Waitanyakarn, Yuwadee Ponpituk, and the Khao Nang Rum Research Station staff. Permission to conduct research for this project was granted by the National Research Council of Thailand and the Royal Forestry Department. Approval for the research protocol was obtained from the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol # HY001-05/14A0. All research conducted was in compliance with the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA

    Lydia E. O. Light

  2. Conservation Ecology Program, King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand

    Tommaso Savini

  3. Department of Demography, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

    Corey S. Sparks

  4. Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

    Thad Q. Bartlett

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  1. Lydia E. O. Light
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Correspondence to Lydia E. O. Light.

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Light, L.E.O., Savini, T., Sparks, C.S. et al. White-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) alter ranging patterns in response to habitat type. Primates 62, 77–90 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-020-00858-7

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