Foraging and movement flexibility shape seed dispersal by an arboreal primate in a modified landscape

As habitats change, the effectiveness of animal-mediated seed dispersal increasingly depends on animal responses to altered structure and resources. With habitat loss and degradation accelerating across the tropics, understanding how foraging behavior and movement influence seed removal and deposition is critical for promoting forest regeneration. In a tropical lowland landscape of southeastern Mexico with varying levels of human disturbance, we studied how black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) foraging behavior affects the seed dispersal services they provide. Additionally, given the species' long gut transit time, we examined how their movement patterns across different spatial and temporal scales directly and indirectly shape seed dispersal distance. We found that habitat disturbance significantly reduced food resource availability and frugivory levels, limiting the black howler monkeys’ ability to support natural forest succession through seed dispersal. However, by dispersing seeds..., , # Data from: Foraging and movement flexibility shape seed dispersal by an arboreal primate in a modified landscape

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp9m](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.fbg79cp9m)

## Description of the data and file structure

We conducted the study in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico (17º29'N, 92º01'W; 51.3 MASL). We selected six howler monkey groups inhabiting a gradient of human disturbance. We monitored the study groups from June 2023 to May 2024. On each observation day, we randomly selected one adult individual as the focal animal. We conducted instantaneous focal scan sampling every five minutes throughout the day, recording the focal individual’s activity, diet, and location, using a handheld GPS device (GARMIN 65S; satellite precision ≤ 2 m).We observed the focal individuals for a total of 2,017 hours over 207 days for 51 weeks.

Additionally, we collected the focal individual’s fecal samples the day after monitoring its activity. For each fecal deposition, we recorde..., ,