Cascading effects of climate change on primate habitats, behavior, and survival

Project Aim

For long-lived animals, behavioral flexibility is essential in the face of rapid anthropogenic change. Therefore, we are examining how climate change impacts red colobus food availability, how the monkey adjust their behavior, and how climate, food availablity, and behavior together influence demographic patterns. Building on previous research on red colobus foraging and habitat use, and analyzing long-term leaf phenology data (1998 to 2021), our first results show that leaf production of preferred tree species are linked to solar radiation and atmospheric CO2 (https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2501.07620). Ongoing analyses investigate the behavioral and demographic consequences of these patterns.

Contact Information

Urs Kalbitzer, Laura Lüthy