Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
06:00
Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
Published on: October 1, 2011
Space-use scaling and home range overlap in primates
Fiona Pearce1, Chris Carbone, Guy Cowlishaw
1Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|November 30, 2012
Summary
Primate home range overlap is influenced by species size, density, and habitat, with arboreal species showing higher overlap. This study synthesizes interspecific and intraspecific data for better understanding of animal space use.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Zoology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Understanding animal space use is crucial in ecology.
- A gap exists in synthesizing interspecific and intraspecific studies on space use.
- Home range overlap is a key aspect of animal space use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct the first multispecies analysis of primate home range overlap using field data.
- To investigate factors influencing home range overlap within and among primate species.
- To test theories explaining variation in home range overlap.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a dataset comprising 286 home range overlap estimates from 100 primate species.
- Comparison of space-use traits across species.
- Statistical testing of hypotheses related to home range overlap.
Main Results:
- Primate space-use traits showed weak correlations with body mass, likely due to arboreal lifestyles.
- Home range overlap was highest in larger species, those in large home ranges, at high population densities, and in areas with low annual rainfall.
- Arboreal species exhibited greater home range overlap than terrestrial species.
- Results largely supported resource defense economics theory, with one exception.
Conclusions:
- Home range overlap in primates is partially predictable based on ecological factors.
- The findings contribute to understanding the economics of resource defense in animal behavior.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the theoretical basis of animal space use.
Related Concept Videos
00:48Optimal Foraging
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
00:30What are Populations and Communities?
Overview
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
00:54Distribution and Dispersion
To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
02:02Ecological Niches
All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...