Publications

detection and prevalence of adenoviruses from free-ranging black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra).	adenoviruses are important pathogens known to infect vertebrate hosts, including a wide range of primates. despite its importance, data on the diversity of these viruses in non-human primates living in their natural habitat remain scarce. in this study, we conducted a surveillance of adenoviral infection in wild black howler monkeys from two protected natural areas in mexico. this was achieved by analyzing 67 fecal samples using a nested pcr that targets the adenovirus dna polymerase gene. adeno ...	2018	30238313
social play among black and gold howler monkey (alouatta caraya) immatures during intergroup encounters.	we studied intergroup social play (igsp) among immatures in wild black and gold howler monkeys (alouatta caraya) in northeastern argentina. igsp events are one form of affiliative interaction that can occur during intergroup encounters. the main goal of this study was to analyze igsp in a. caraya immatures and assess how intrinsic (e.g., age and sex) and extrinsic (e.g., seasonality) factors can influence the development of this type of social behavior. we followed 12 groups between 2008 and 201 ...	2018	30152540
association between genomic instability and evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements in neotropical primates.	during the last decades, the mammalian genome has been proposed to have regions prone to breakage and reorganization concentrated in certain chromosomal bands that seem to correspond to evolutionary breakpoints. these bands are likely to be involved in chromosome fragility or instability. in primates, some biomarkers of genetic damage may be associated with various degrees of genomic instability. here, we investigated the usefulness of sister chromatid exchange as a biomarker of potential sites ...	2018	29905781
the influence of leaf consumption on time allocation in black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra).	the analysis of factors that determine variation in time budgets is important to understand the interactions between environment, behaviour and fitness. we tested the hypothesis that changes in the dietary patterns of black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra) caused by a decrease in the availability of preferred foods are a main determinant of variation in time budgets. we predicted that individuals would trade off travel time for resting time (i.e., minimize energy expenditure) as the diet included ...	2018	29514166
aged black-and-gold howler monkey female (alouatta caraya): a sign of reproductive senescence?	reproductive senescence patterns have been scarcely studied in neotropical primates. the few studies available on the hormonal profiles of aging female monkeys indicate that the decline of ovarian function in nonhuman primates may resemble the hormonal events associated with the perimenopause in women. in this study, we explore a reproductive hormone profile of an aged black-and-gold howler monkey female (alouatta caraya) from a wild population in northeastern argentina and compare this profile ...	2018	29514149
salivary tannin-binding proteins are a pervasive strategy used by the folivorous/frugivorous black howler monkey.	dietary tannins can affect protein digestion and absorption, be toxic, and influence food selection by being astringent and bitter tasting. animals that usually ingest tannins may regularly secrete tannin-binding salivary proteins (tbsps) to counteract the negative effects of tannins or tbsps production can be induced by a tannin-rich diet. in the wild, many primates regularly eat a diet that contains tannin-rich leaves and unripe fruit and it has been speculated that they have the physiological ...	2018	29363818
functional morphology of mimetic musculature in primates: how social variables and body size stack up to phylogeny.	mammalian skeletal muscle is influenced by the functional demands placed upon it. functional morphology of facial expression musculature, or mimetic musculature, is largely unknown. recently, primate mimetic musculature has been shown to respond to demands associated with social factors. body size has also been demonstrated to affect many aspects of primate functional morphology and evolutionary morphology. the present study was designed to further examine the role of social variables and body s ...	2018	29330949
detection of antibodies against icoaraci, ilhéus, and saint louis encephalitis arboviruses during yellow fever monitoring surveillance in non-human primates (alouatta caraya) in southern brazil.	free-ranging non-human primates (nhps) can host a variety of pathogenic microorganisms, such as arboviruses, which include the yellow fever virus (yfv). this study aimed to detect the circulation of yf and other arboviruses in three wild alouatta caraya populations in forests in southern brazil.	2019	31032984
sperm morphology in neotropical primates.	the morphological and morphometric characterization of spermatozoa has been used as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool for different species of mammals. we evaluated and compared the sperm morphometry of five neotropical primate species: alouatta caraya, ateles belzebuth and ateles chamek of family atelidae; and cebus cay (=sapajus cay) and cebus nigritus (=sapajus nigritus) of family cebidae. after the collection of semen samples, the following parameters were measured on 100 spermatozoa from ea ...	2019	31640171
atlantic-primates: a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the atlantic forests of south america.	primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. there are 26 primate species in the atlantic forests of south america, 19 of them endemic. we compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera callithrix and alouatta. the dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates ...	2019	30317556
phlebotominae in peri-domestic and forest environments inhabited by alouatta caraya in northeastern argentina.	multiple species of phlebotominae are vectors of leishmania (protozoa: trypanosomatidae), which causes visceral leishmaniasis (vl) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl). to describe the phlebotominae (diptera: psychodidae) related to the environments of black and gold howler monkeys alouatta caraya (humbodlt, 1812) (primates: atelidae), potential vectors were sampled in different landscapes and vertical strata of sleeping trees. phlebotomine captured between december 2011 and march 2012 (2365 individ ...	2019	30895653
molecular detection of bifidobacterium spp. in faeces of black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra).	bifidobacterium genus are considered to be beneficial bacteria for their hosts; however, knowledge about the specific species that are part of the gut microbiome of howler monkeys is scarce. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) is a useful technique for the identification of non-cultivable or difficult to grow bacterial species. with the goal of detecting species of the genus bifidobacterium in black howler monkeys, we used pcr on dna derived from faecal samples.	2019	30520095
arboreal route navigation in a neotropical mammal: energetic implications associated with tree monitoring and landscape attributes.	although navigating along a network of routes might constrain animal movement flexibility, it may be an energetically efficient strategy. routinely using the same route allows for visually monitoring of food resources, which might reduce the cognitive load and as such facilitate the process of movement decision-making. similarly, locating routes in areas that avoid costly landscape attributes will enhance their overall energy balance. in this study we determined the benefits of route navigation ...	2019	31890215
spatial aggregation of fruits explains food selection in a neotropical primate (alouatta pigra).	the availability and spatial distribution of food resources affect animal behavior and survival. black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra) have a foraging strategy to balance their nutrient intake that involves mixing their consumption of leaves and fruits. the spatial aggregation of food items should impact this strategy, but how it does so is largely unknown. we quantified how leaf and fruit intake combined (here termed food set selection) was spatially aggregated in patches and how food aggregati ...	2019	31857630
adoption of an orphaned and temporarily captive infant by an unrelated adult female in black-and-gold howler monkey: implications for management strategies.	conservation behavior involves the application of general principles of animal behavior for solving conservation problems. in primates, adoption of infants has been reported in several species and consists of an individual other than the biological parents taking primary care of them. based on cases of adoption reported in howler monkeys (genus alouatta), in the present study we facilitated the adoption of an orphaned and temporarily captive male infant by an unrelated adult female black-and-gol ...	2020	31832889
molecular identification of leishmania in free-ranging black and gold howler monkeys (alouatta caraya) in northeastern argentina.	parasitological surveys of non-human primates provides an important opportunity to better understand the epidemiology, transmission dynamics and emergence risk of anthropozoonoses such as leishmaniasis, which affect human populations in several regions accross south america. our study area, in northeastern argentina, can be considered a southern marginal region for the presence of leishmaniases and includes the habitat of black and gold howler monkeys, alouatta caraya. to evaluate if a. caraya s ...	2020	32450135
detection of antimicrobial resistance genes in escherichia coli isolated from black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra) and domestic animals in fragmented rain-forest areas in tabasco, mexico.	the appearance and spread of antimicrobial resistance (amr) in bacteria in natural environments and wildlife are related to agricultural and livestock activities and are a global health and conservation problem. we assessed the presence of amr genes in escherichia coli isolated from black howler monkeys (alouatta pigra), sheep (ovis aries), cattle (bos taurus), and horses (equus caballus) from a highly fragmented forest in southern mexico. fresh fecal samples were collected using swabs, seeded o ...	2020	32402234
genetic assignment of illegally trafficked neotropical primates and implications for reintroduction programs.	the black and gold howler monkey (alouatta caraya) is a neotropical primate threatened by habitat loss and capture for illegal trade in argentina. using multilocus microsatellite genotypes from 178 a. caraya individuals sampled from 15 localities in argentina, we built a genotype reference database (grdb). bayesian assignment methods applied to the grdb allowed us to correctly re-assign 73% of individuals to their true location of origin and 93.3% to their cluster of origin. we used the grdb to ...	2020	32111905
morphological and molecular characterization of bertiella sp. (cestoda, anoplocephalidae) infection in a human and howler monkeys in argentina.	bertiella sp. is a typical parasite in non-human primates and only a few cases of bertiellosis have been reported in humans. we present a new case study of bertiellosis in a 42-year-old woman caretaker of howler monkeys in a wild rehabilitation center in argentina. bertiella sp. infection was also diagnosed in the monkeys. proglottids and feces were collected from the caretaker and monkeys; the samples were submitted for parasitological examination by morphological characterization and molecular ...	2020	32025808
evidence-based conservation education in mexican communities: connecting arts and science.	several studies suggest that 63% of primate species are currently threatened due to deforestation, pet-trade, and bushmeat hunting. successful primate conservation strategies require effective educational programs capable of enhancing critical system-thinking and responsible behavior towards these species. arts-based conservation education can simultaneously foster cognitive and emotional processes. in this paper, we evaluate an arts-based educational program focused on the conservation of black ...	2020	32017779
germination of native and exotic seeds dispersed by wild black-and-gold howler monkeys (alouatta caraya): assessing deinhibition and scarification effects.	fruit ingestion by frugivores and the subsequent passage of seeds through their digestive tract can influence seed germination patterns. the removal of germination inhibitors contained in the fruit pulp (deinhibition effect), and/or the abrasion of the seed coat (scarification effect), can modify the probability and speed of seed germination. we followed seven groups of black-and-gold howler monkeys (alouatta caraya) in northeastern argentina between november 2012 and january 2013 to study the e ...	2020	31950320
molecular phylogenetic inference of the howler monkey radiation (primates: alouatta).	howler monkeys (alouatta), comprising between nine and 14 species and ranging from southern mexico to northern argentina, are the most widely distributed platyrrhines. previous phylogenetic studies of howlers have used chromosomal and morphological characters and a limited number of molecular markers; however, branching patterns conflict between studies or remain unresolved. we performed a new phylogenetic analysis of alouatta using both concatenated and coalescent-based species tree approaches ...	2020	32876810
effects of variation in forest fragment habitat on black howler monkey demography in the unprotected landscape around palenque national park, mexico.	habitat loss and fragmentation are leading threats to biodiversity today, and primates are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic habitat disturbance. however, few studies have examined how differential effects of variation in forest fragment characteristics on males and females in a primate population may affect demography and population persistence. we quantified the effects of variation in forest fragment characteristics on the within-fragment demography of black howler monkeys (alouatta pi ...	2020	32864215
salivary proteome of a neotropical primate: potential roles in host defense and oral food perception.	saliva contains a very complex mixture of proteins for defense against microbiological pathogens and for oral food perception. howler monkeys are neotropical primates that can consume a mostly leaf diet. they are well known to thrive in highly disturbed habitats where they may cope with a diversity of dietary challenges and infection risks. we aimed to describe the salivary proteome of howlers to contribute to better understanding of their physiology.	2020	32765966
demographic population structure of black howler monkeys in fragmented and continuous forest in chiapas, mexico: implications for conservation.	for wild primates, demography studies are increasingly recognized as necessary for assessing the viability of vulnerable populations experiencing rapid environmental change. in particular, anthropogenic changes such as habitat loss and fragmentation can cause ecological and behavioral changes in small, isolated populations, which may, over time, alter population density and demographic structure (age/sex classes and group composition) in fragment populations relative to continuous forest populat ...	2020	32602598
bertiella sp. (meyner, 1895) infection of alouatta caraya (humboldt, 1812) in urban and natural environments in ñeembucú, southwest paraguay.	bertiella sp., a cestode known to infect a variety of hosts, including nonhuman primates and humans, was identified in paraguay as early as 1895, but no systematic analysis of wild primates' gastrointestinal parasites has ever been carried out in paraguay. increased urbanization in southwest paraguay has pushed the paraguayan howler monkey (alouatta caraya) into anthropogenic habitats, particularly in the city of pilar (ñeembucú department), giving rise to greater potential for zoonotic transmis ...	2020	32596875
isotopic niche partitioning in two sympatric howler monkey species.	ecological similarity between species can lead to interspecific trophic competition. however, when ecologically similar species coexist, they may differ in foraging strategies and habitat use, which can lead to niche partitioning. as the body tissues of consumers contain a stable isotope signature that reflects the isotopic composition of their diet, stable isotope analysis is a useful tool to study feeding behavior. we measured the isotopic niche width, which is a proxy for trophic niche width, ...	2020	32091131
coding-complete genome sequence of a yellow fever virus isolated from a baby howler monkey (alouatta caraya) from são paulo state, brazil, in 2016.	we report a coding-complete sequence of a yellow fever virus, strain jabspm02, containing the 3' untranslated region and all coding regions. the virus was recovered from an infected howler monkey from a rural area in são paulo state, brazil. our findings show that it belongs to the south america 1e genotype.	2021	33414341