Costa et al. data

Both anthropogenic actions and abiotic parameters,
such as rainfall, temperature and photoperiod, can affect fruit and flower
availability for animals, which consequently affects animals’
nutritional status and parasitological health. Herein, we investigated
whether abiotic factors were related to changes in feeding behavior and endoparasite
load in two groups of golden-headed lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) living in degraded fragments of
Atlantic forest in Southern Bahia, Brazil. We detected that there was a high
variation in availability of ripe fruits throughout the year, with lower
availability occurring at the end of spring and beginning of summer.
Precipitation and day length were negatively correlated with ripe fruit
availability, and the temperature was negatively correlated with golden-headed
lion tamarin endoparasite load. Furthermore, there was greater parasite
diversity in the group of golden-headed lion tamarins that occupied the smaller
home range. Contrary to our expectations, there was no
correlation between endoparasite load of animals and their behavioral patterns:
exploring, eating insects, and eating fruits. Our results showed that some
environmental parameters influence food availability and parasitic infections
in golden-headed lion tamarins.