Does Oxygen Stable Isotope Composition in Primates Vary as a Function of Vertical Stratification or Folivorous Behaviour?

Abstract

Stable isotopes of oxygen often vary within a community of primates. For example, folivorous monkeys that forage in the upper reaches of the forest canopy tend to evince high δ18O values, whereas those that prefer the understory tend to have lower δ18O values. Given that leaves also have high δ18O values, particularly higher in the canopy, there is uncertainty as to which behavioural variable – vertical stratification or folivory – is the primary determinant of variation in δ18O values. Here, we explore further δ18O values from the Taï Forest monkeys (n = 7 species; n = 33 individuals) by examining the interaction between diet and vertical stratification, thereby allowing us to differentiate the effects of each covariate. We found that δ18O values varied as a function of mean canopy height, but not folivory, resolving uncertainty about the primary cause of δ18O variation. This outcome revolves largely, but not entirely, on the behaviours of Procolobus verus, a highly folivorous but understory forager. Relatively elevated values in Cercopithecus diana, a frugivorous but middle-to-high canopy forager, raises the possibility that plant reproductive tissues (e.g., fruits, flowers) may be increasingly sensitive to evaporative fractionation at higher forest canopy levels. Overall, our results further affirm the value of using δ18O values to estimate the vertical behaviour of primate species in a fossil assemblage.