Influence of food availability,plant productivity,and indigenous forest use on ranging behavior of the endangered samango monkey(Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi),in the Soutpansberg Mountains,South Africa

Understanding the determinants of ranging patterns in species susceptible to habitat fragmentation is fundamental for assessing their long-term adaptability to an increasingly human-dominated landscape.The aim of this study was to determine and compare the influence of ground-based food availability,remotely sensed plant productivity,and indigenous forest use on the ranging patterns of the endangered samango monkey(Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi).We collected monthly ranging data on two habituated samango monkey groups,from February 2012 to December 2016,from our field site in the Soutpansberg Mountains,South Africa.We used linear mixed models to explore how food availability,plant productivity,and indigenous forest use influenced monthly ranging patterns,while controlling for group size,number of sample days and day length.We found that as more areas of high plant productivity(derived from remotely sensed EVI)were incorporated into the ranging area,both total and core monthly ranging areas decreased.In addition,both total ranging area and mean monthly daily path length decreased as more indigenous forest was incorporated into the ranging area.However,we found no effect of either ground-based food availability or remotely sensed plant productivity on ranging patterns.Our findings demonstrate the behavioral flexibility in samango monkey ranging,as samangos can utilize matrix habitat during periods of low productivity but are ultimately dependent on access to indigenous forest patches.In addition,we highlight the potential of using remotely sensed areas of high plant productivity to predict ranging patterns in a small ranging,forest-dwelling guenon,over ground-based estimates of food availability.

A review of experimental design in forensic taphonomy:moving towards forensic realism

Forensic taphonomy as a discipline requires standardization to satisfy Daubert criteria for sci-entific data to be admissible in court.In response,there has been a shift towards quantifica-tion of methodology and estimating the postmortem interval.Despite these advances,there are still biases and limitations within the discipline not explicitly addressed in the early stages of experimental design nor in final published works.In this article,unresolved debates with respect to the conductance and reporting of forensic taphonomic research are reviewed,beginning with the nature of experimental cadavers,human or animal analogues and their body size,and second,the forensic realism of experimental setups,specifically with respect to caging,clothing and number of carcases.Pigs,albeit imperfect,are a good model to gain a general idea of the trends that may be seen in humans in subsequent validation studies in facilities where human donors are available.To date,there is no consen-sus among taphonomists on the extent of the effect that body mass has on decomposition progression.More research is required with both human cadavers and non-human analogues that builds on our current knowledge of forensic taphonomy to answer these nagging questions.This will enable the discipline to make the reliable assumption that pigs and donor decomposition data can be applied to homicide cases.A suite of experimental design aspects is suggested to ensure systematic and standardized data collection across differ-ent biogeoclimatic circumstances to identify and quantify the effects of potential confounding variables.Such studies in multiple,varied biogeographic circumstances with standardized protocols,equipment and carrion will facilitate independent global validation of patterns.These factors are reviewed to show the need for adjustments in experimental design to ensure relevance and applicability of data within locally realistic forensic situations.The initiation of a global decomposition data network for forensic taphonomists is recommended.