Ecology and Habitat Use of the Endangered Primate Macaca maura (H.R. Schinz, 1825), Endemic to the Karst Forests of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia

Ecology and Habitat Use of the Endangered Primate Macaca maura (H.R. Schinz, 1825), Endemic to the Karst Forests of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia - The Sulawesi endemic species Macaca maura has been listed in the IUCN Red List as Endangered (A2cd) since 1996, mainly due to habitat disturbance and fragmentation. Nowadays, residual populations have increasingly been relegated to the karst areas of the island’s Southern District. The main goal of this project is to point out preferences and strategies adopted by the studied group (N individuals = 31) in the use of this rare habitat, in order to contribute to the understanding of functional aspects of the spatial niche of the species. Hutcheson’s diversity t-test on 34 vegetation plots yielded significant differences between the ‘ground forest’ and the ‘karst tower forest’ (t = –6.31; p < 0.05). The t test showed significant differences also in terms of tree abundance (t = 4.76; p < 0.05), average tree DBH (t = –2.96; p < 0.05) and average canopy closure (t = –4.61; p < 0.05), suggesting that the two forests could perhaps be considered as distinct microhabitats. Preliminary analyses on habitat use revealed preferential use of ‘ground forest’ by all group members during selected budget activities (locomotion; feeding and foraging; social behaviour; resting). On the other hand, no differences were found in selective use of the two habitats between sex classes (8 adult females, 4 adult males) or age classes (6 young adults, 6 old adults). As a multidisciplinary study design, the group’s feeding ecology and health status will also be analysed for possible ecological correlates to habitat-use. In fact, a comparison between food selection and nutritional composition of preferred foods is currently being performed, in addition to enteric parasite analyses on stool samples (collected in accordance with Directive 2010/63/EU). Project results will help to understand whether the macaques’ dispersed presence in the area of karst formations, which is hardly accessible by humans, is an ideal condition for the survival of the species.