02172nas a2200277   4500008004100000245013100041210006900172300001200241490000700253520120300260653002101463653002201484653002001506653001501526653002401541653002801565653001901593653001301612653001901625653001701644653002401661100002601685700002001711700002501731856013801756       2004                        eng d00aSeed dispersal and defecation patterns of Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata: consequences for seed dispersal effectiveness0 aSeed dispersal and defecation patterns of Cebus capucinus and Al  a535-5430 v203 aPrimates are primary seed dispersers for many tropical tree species. Different species of primates vary considerably in ranging and feeding behaviour, seed processing, and in seed defecation patterns. Here we compare the role of two arboreal primate species, howlers (Alouatta palliata), and white-faced monkeys (Cebus capucinus) as seed dispersers in a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. We found that Cebus produce smaller defecations, spend shorter times feeding per tree, have longer seed dispersal distances, and produce a more scattered pattern of seed deposition in the forest than Alouatta. In addition, Cebus moved more frequently between trees, and consumed fruits of more species than Alouatta. We examined the consequences of the contrasting defecation patterns produced by Cebus and Alouatta on the early seed fate of Acacia collinsii. We found that quantity, but not the identity (Cebus vs. Alouatta) of faecal material affected post-dispersal activity. Seeds in scattered faeces, sufficiently apart from each other (the common defecation pattern of white-faced monkeys), had higher short-term survival than seeds in clumped patterns of faeces (the pattern associated with Alouatta). 10aAcacia collinsii10aAlouatta palliata10aCebus capucinus10aCosta Rica10adefecation patterns10adispersal effectiveness10apost-dispersal10aprimates10aseed dispersal10aseed removal10atropical dry forest1 aWehncke, Elisabet, V.1 aNuma, Catherine1 aDominguez, Cesar, A.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/seed-dispersal-and-defecation-patterns-cebus-capucinus-and-alouatta-palliata-consequences-seed-dispe