Niche Differentiation Data

Understanding variation in social grouping patterns among animal taxa is an enduring goal of ethologists, who seek to evaluate the selective pressures shaping the evolution of sociality. Cohesive association with conspecifics increases intragroup feeding competition and is posited as an important pressure affecting grouping patterns. Furthermore, in sexually dimorphic species, males and females may have different nutritional requirements, which may lead to suboptimal foraging in mixed-sex groups. How do animals living in permanent social groups mitigate these foraging costs? Niche differentiation is often hypothesized as a mechanism, but rigorous and detailed tests of the extent and context of differences in diet and habitat use, key tenets of this hypothesis, are rare. We investigated the potential for niche differentiation in foraging activity budget and environment use in a population of wild white-faced capuchin monkeys ( Cebus imitator ) in northwestern Costa Rica. Using a robust d...