Effects of habitat loss on Brazilian primates: assessing extinction thresholds in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Habitat loss has major impacts on biodiversity. Yet, such impacts are not always linear, as there can be threshold values of habitat amount below which species become extirpated from human-modified landscapes (extinction thresholds). This may be particularly the case for species with high habitat spatial requirements, especially in regions with a long land-use history, which have a lower extinction debt. To address these issues, we evaluated the linear and non-linear effects of landscape-scale forest (habitat) loss on primate species richness in regions with relatively new (Amazon) and old (Atlantic Forest) histories of land-use change. We also evaluated the role of mean home range size in regulating species responses to forest loss. Extinction thresholds were higher in the Atlantic Forest (78% remaining forest cover) than in the Amazon (45%), but primate-landscape associations were stronger in the Amazon. Thus, despite its recent land-use history, Amazon primates are more sensitive to habitat loss. As predicted, mean home range size decreased with forest loss in both biomes. Our findings highlight the importance of stopping deforestation in both biomes to maintain habitat amount above these thresholds. Yet, as <30% of the Atlantic Forest cover remains today, promoting restoration initiatives across this biome is paramount.