Date of Award

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Program

Biology

Degree Name

Master of Science

Thesis Advisor

Janice Chism

Committee Member

William Rogers

Committee Member

Janis Gonzalez-Martinez

Keywords

Puerto Rico, Patas monkeys, Introduced primate populations, Introduced species, Primate habitat use

Abstract

The southwest portion of Puerto Rico is home to introduced free-ranging populations of patas (Erythrocebus patas) and rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. The rhesus macaque population originated from a colony established in 1961 on the islands of Guayacán and Cuevas off the southwest coast of Puerto Rico as part of the La Parguera Primate Research Center, which was administered by the Caribbean Primate Research Center. The descendants of these escapees have established free-ranging introduced monkey populations in mainland southwest Puerto Rico and the only previous study done on their ecology was conducted from 1990 to 1993 by González- Martínez (1995). Since that study, these populations had not been surveyed to determine their status and detect changes, if any, in their ecology and population biology. I carried out a reassessment of patas monkeys in southwest Puerto Rico.

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