Howler Monkey Die-Off in Southern Mexico.

In May and June 2024, a die-off of Mexican mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata mexicana) occurred in southern Mexico. This commentary documents the event, attributing it to extreme heatwaves, drought, wildfires, and habitat impoverishment. Despite their reported resilience to habitat disturbances, mantled howler monkey mortality rate in some areas reached 31%. Key evidence points to heatstroke as the primary cause of death, exacerbated by limited hydration and reduced dietary diversity in disturbed habitats. Immediate responses included community-led rescues (e.g., hydrating the monkeys), coordination of rescue activities by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) (e.g., managing donations), involvement of scientists (e.g., monitoring of primate populations), and assistance from government officials (e.g., providing legal support for animal management). This event underscores the urgency of developing action plans to prevent and attend future crises. Among other actions, we highlight (i) establishing primate care infrastructure with medical and rehabilitation centers; (ii) developing protocols and training programs to ensure rapid crisis response; (iii) fostering collaboration among government, NGOs, and academic institutions for effective crisis management; and (iv) developing targeted research on climate change impacts, predictive models, and long-term health monitoring. We emphasize the critical need for coordinated conservation efforts to protect wild primates and maintain natural ecosystem resilience in the face of escalating climate challenges.

Proximity Sensor for Measuring Social Interaction in a School Environment.

Social interactions are characterized by being very diverse and changing over time. Understanding this diversity and dynamics, as well as their emerging patterns, is of great interest from social, health, and educational perspectives. The development of new devices has been made possible in recent years by advances in applied technology. This paper presents the design and development of a novel device composed of several sensors. Specifically, we propose a proximity sensor integrated by three devices: a Bluetooth sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) unit and an accelerometer. By means of this sensor it is possible to detect the presence of neighboring sensors in various configurations and operating conditions. Profiles based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) exhibit behavior consistent with that reported by empirical relationships. The present sensor is functional in detecting the proximity of other sensors and is thus useful for the identification of interactions between people in relevant contexts such as schools.

Estenosis congénita del canal anal: caso clínico / Congenital stenosis of the anal canal: clinical case / Estenose congênita do canal anal: caso clínico

La estenosis del canal anal es una forma infrecuente de malformación anorrectal, representando el 1%. Existen pocos casos registrados sobre esta patología.1 Se trata de una entidad donde el ano presenta una estenosis de longitud variable, se encuentra normo-implantado, de apariencia normal, rodeado de complejo esfinteriano adecuado. Se debe descartar la presencia de malformaciones asociadas, cardiovasculares, renales, osteoarticulares, y especialmente se debe evaluar la presencia de masa pre-sacra, pudiendo presentarse teratomas, mielomeningocele anterior, entre otras. El tratamiento quirúrgico consiste en resecar el sector estenótico, realizar anoplastia respetando el complejo esfinteriano mediante un abordaje posterior, sin disección de la cara anterior del recto Debido a la presencia de un complejo esfinteriano circundante normal, el pronóstico funcional intestinal de estos pacientes es excelente. Presentamos el primer caso clínico en nuestro país de un paciente con estenosis del canal anal, su forma de presentación, tratamiento quirúrgico y evolución.

Anal canal stenosis is a rare form of anorectal malformation, representing 1%. There are few registered cases and there is little literature on this entity. It is an entity where the anus presents a stenosis of variable length, is normo-implanted, with a normal appearance, surrounded by an adequate sphincter complex. The presence of associated cardiovascular, renal, and osteoarticular malformations must be ruled out, and especially the presence of a presacral mass must be evaluated, which may present teratomas, anterior myelomeingocele, among others. Surgical treatment consists of respecting the sphincter complex through a posterior approach, without dissection of the anterior face of the rectum. Due to the presence of a normal surrounding sphincter complex, the intestinal functional prognosis of these patients is excellent. We present the first clinical case in our setting of a patient with stenosis of the anal canal, its form of presentation, surgical treatment and evolution.

A estenose do canal anal é uma forma rara de malformaçãoanorretal, representando 1%. Existempoucos casos registados e hápouca literatura sobre esta entidade. É umaentidade onde o ânusapresentaestenose de comprimentovariável, é normo-implantado, de aspecto normal, circundado por um complexo esfincterianoadequado. Deve-se descartar a presença de malformações cardiovasculares, renais e osteoarticulares associadas e, principalmente, avaliar a presença de massapré-sacral, que pode apresentar teratomas, mielomeingocele anterior, entre outros. O tratamentocirúrgico consiste em respeitar o complexo esfincteriano por via posterior, semdissecção da face anterior do reto. Devido à presença de um complexo esfincteriano circundante normal, o prognóstico funcional intestinal destes pacientes é excelente. Apresentamos o primeiro caso clínico em nossomeio de paciente comestenose do canal anal, sua forma de apresentação, tratamentocirúrgico e evolução.

Lactancia materna exclusiva y trabajo. Su importancia en la medicina del trabajo / Exclusive breastfeeding and work. Its importance in occupational health

En todos los ámbitos laborales, sin excepción, es imprescindible la vigencia ineludible del derecho irrestricto de toda madre a ejercer, practicar, su lactancia con su bebé. Y las razones médicas debieran formar parte de campañas incesantes para que este derecho de las mamás esté absolutamente naturalizado en todos los niveles y en cada rincón del país. La lactancia materna protege al bebé de enfermedades infecciosas y le da la nutrición ideal para una vida más sana. Es fundamental desde el primer día de vida extrauterina hasta los 6 meses con exclusividad y luego continúa con suplementos vitamínicos y nutrientes apropiados. En todo lugar de trabajo deben existir lactarios como una estrategia de Salud Pública y en Medicina del Trabajo. (AU)

In all areas of work, without exception, the unavoidable validity of the unrestricted right of every mother to exercise, practice, breastfeeding with her baby is essential. And the medical reasons should be part of incessant campaigns so that this right of mothers is absolutely naturalized at all levels and in every corner of the country. Breastfeeding protects the baby from infectious diseases and gives it the ideal nutrition for a healthier life. It is essential from the first day of extrauterine life until 6 months exclusively and then continues with appropriate vitamin and nutrient supplements. In every workplace there must be lactation rooms as a strategy of Public Health and Occupational Medicine. (AU)

Repercusiones cardíacas en pacientes con pectus excavatum: puesta al día. Segunda parte / Cardiac repercussions in patients with pectus excavatum: update. Part two / Repercussões cardíacas em pacientes com pectus excavatum: atualização. Parte dois

El pectus excavatum (PEX) es una deformación de la pared torácica que obedece a una alteración de los cartílagos costales con el consiguiente hundimiento del esternón. Históricamente, se clasificaba como un defecto únicamente estético o cosmético, sin embargo, en los últimos años se han desarrollado nuevos métodos de estudio para la valoración de las repercusiones de esta patología. Existe cada vez más bibliografía que demuestra importantes repercusiones funcionales. Se realizó una puesta al día de las repercusiones cardíacas de la patología y un análisis de los artículos más relevantes de los últimos años. La evidencia actual permite afirmar que existe una afectación cardíaca por compresión esternal en la mayoría de los pacientes con PEX. Las afectaciones incluyen alteraciones anatomofuncionales (trastornos del ritmo, disminución del llenado ventricular), del volumen sistólico, aumento de la presión de la aurícula derecha, valvulopatías, compresión del ventrículo derecho, derrame pericárdico, entre otras. Todo lo cual permite concluir que el PEX puede presentar importantes alteraciones cardíacas que deben ser tenidas en cuenta a la hora de valorar los pacientes con esta patología.

Pectus excavatum (PEX) is a deformation of the chest wall caused by an alteration of the costal cartilages with the consequent collapse of the sternum. Historically, it had been classified as a solely aesthetic or cosmetic defect, however, in recent years new study methods have been developed to assess the repercussions of this pathology, with increasing bibliography showing important functional consequences. We updated the cardiac pathological repercussions and analyzed the most relevant articles of recent years. The current evidence suggests that there is cardiac involvement due to sternal compression in most patients with PEX. These affectations include anatomical functional alterations: rhythm disorders, decreased ventricular filling, decreased stroke volume, increased right atrial pressure, valve disease, right ventricular compression, pericardial effusion, among others. All of which enables us to conclude that PEX can present important cardiac alterations that must be taken into account when assessing patients with this pathology.

Pectus excavatum (PEX) é uma deformação da parede torácica decorrente de uma alteração das cartilagens costais com consequente colapso do esterno. Historicamente, foi classificado como um defeito exclusivamente estético ou cosmético, porém, nos últimos anos, novos métodos de estudo foram desenvolvidos para avaliar as repercussões dessa patologia, com crescente bibliografia mostrando importantes repercussões funcionais. Foi realizada uma atualização das repercussões cardíacas da patologia e análise dos artigos mais relevantes dos últimos anos. As evidências atuais permitem afirmar que há acometimento cardíaco por compressão esternal na maioria dos pacientes com PEX. As afecções incluem alterações anatomofuncionais: distúrbios do ritmo, diminuição do enchimento ventricular, diminuição do volume sistólico, aumento da pressão atrial direita, doença valvular, compressão do ventrículo direito, derrame pericárdico, entre outras. Tudo isso permite concluir que o PEX pode apresentar alterações cardíacas importantes que devem ser levadas em consideração na avaliação de pacientes com essa patologia.

Asistencia del recién nacido con hernia diafragmática congénita / Care of newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia / Cuidados ao recém-nascido com hérnia diafragmática congênita

La hernia diafragmática congénita es un defecto en el diafragma que lleva a la herniación del contenido abdominal a la cavidad torácica durante el período intrauterino. La morbimortalidad está determinada por la asociación con otras malformaciones, el grado de hipoplasia pulmonar y la presencia de hipertensión pulmonar secundaria. Presenta una incidencia estimada de 1 cada 2.500-3.000 recién nacidos vivos, constituyendo en un 60% una malformación aislada. Es una patología evolutiva que puede ser diagnosticada a partir de la semana 20-24, la ubicación más habitual es la posterolateral izquierda. Se trata de una patología que requiere ingreso a cuidados intensivos al nacimiento y luego de lograda la estabilización del paciente es de sanción quirúrgica. Los objetivos de este trabajo son conocer las características generales de la patología para sistematizar el manejo logrando así un óptimo asesoramiento de los padres a nivel prenatal y seguimiento postnatal del recién nacido.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a defect in the diaphragm that leads to herniation of theabdominal contents of the thoracic cavity during the intrauterine period. Morbidity and mortality are determined by the association with other malformations, the degree ofpulmonary hypoplasia and the presence of secondary pulmonary hypertension.It has an estimated incidence of 1 every 2,500-3,000 live newborns, and in 60% of the cases it is an isolated malformation. It is an evolutionary pathology that can be diagnosed from week 20-24; it is most commonly located in the left posterolateral. It is a pathology that requires intensive care at birth and after delivery and once the patient has been stabilized, surgical action is required. The objectives of this work are to understand the general characteristics of the pathology in order to refine its manipulation and achieve optimal counseling for parents at the newborn's prenatal and postnatal stages.

A hérnia diafragmática congênita é um defeito no diafragma que leva à herniação doconteúdo abdominal para a cavidade torácica durante o período intrauterino. A morbimortalidade é determinada pela associação com outras malformações, pelo grau de hipoplasia pulmonar e pela presença de hipertensão pulmonar secundária. Apresenta uma incidência estimada de 1 a cada 2.500-3.000 nascidos vivos, constituindo-se em 60% uma malformação isolada. É uma patologia evolutiva que pode ser diagnosticada a partir da semana 20-24 e a localização mais comum é o póstero-lateral esquerdo. É uma patologia que requer internação em terapia intensiva ao nascimento e após o parto. Uma vez que o paciente for estabilizado, é necessária ação cirúrgica. Os objetivos deste paper são conhecer as características gerais da patologia para melhorar o seu manejo, obtendo assim um aconselhamento ideal para os pais no nível pré-natal e no acompanhamento do crescimento pós-natal do recém-nascido.

Repercusiones pulmonares en pacientes con pectus excavatum: puesta al día / Pulmonary consequences on patients with pectus excavatum: update / Repercussões pulmonares em pacientes com pectus excavatum: atualização

El pectus excavatum (PEX) es una deformación de la pared torácica que obedece a una alteración de los cartílagos costales con el consiguiente hundimiento del esternón. Históricamente se clasificaba como un defecto únicamente estético o cosmético, sin embargo en los últimos años se han desarrollado nuevos métodos de estudio para la valoración de las repercusiones de esta patología, y existe cada vez más bibliografía que demuestra importantes repercusiones funcionales. Se realizó una puesta al día de las repercusiones pulmonares de la patología y análisis de los artículos más relevantes de los últimos años. Los síntomas respiratorios son frecuentes, estando presentes en más de la mitad de los pacientes. Se ha demostrado una disminución de la CVF, VEF1 y PEF25%-75%; así como la presencia de un patrón restrictivo y/o obstructivo, un aumento del VR y una alteración de la dinámica respiratoria. Se ha objetivado la afectación del PEX sobre la función pulmonar, determinando categóricamente que esta patología presenta una importante repercusión funcional.

Pectus excavatum (PEX) is a thoracic wall malformation due to an alteration of the costal cartilages with subsequent sinking of the sternum. Historically, it was considered a mere aesthetic or cosmetic defect, however, in recent years, new assessment methods have been developed to evaluate the repercussions of this pathology, and there is an increasing literature that demonstrates important functional consequences. We carried out an update of this pathology's pulmonary repercussions and analyzed the most relevant articles of the recent years. Respiratory symptoms are frequent, present in more than half of the patients. A decrease in FVC, FEV1 and PEF25%-75% has been shown; as well as the presence of a restrictive and/or obstructive pattern, an increase in RV and an alteration in respiratory dynamics. The affectation of PEX on pulmonary function has been objectified, and it has been determined categorically that this pathology has important functional consequences.

Pectus excavatum (PEX) é uma deformação da parede torácica devido a uma alteração das cartilagens costais com consequente afundamento do esterno. Historicamente, foi classificado como um defeito exclusivamente estético ou cosmético, porém, nos últimos anos, novos métodos de estudo foram desenvolvidos para avaliar as repercussões dessa patologia, e há uma literatura crescente que demonstra importantes repercussões funcionais. Foi realizada uma atualização das repercussões pulmonares da patologia e análise dos artigos mais relevantes dos últimos anos. Os sintomas respiratórios são frequentes, estando presentes em mais da metade dos pacientes. Foi demonstrada uma diminuição da CVF, VEF1 e PEF25-75%; bem como a presença de padrão restritivo e/ou obstrutivo, aumento do VD e alteração da dinâmica respiratória. A afetação do PEX na função pulmonar tem sido objetivada, determinando categoricamente que esta patologia apresenta importante repercussão funcional.

Barriers and bridges on water management in rural Mexico: from water-quality monitoring to water management at the community level.

Access to sufficient water of suitable quality represents a challenge for achieving several dimensions of sustainable development. Currently, water access is restricted to three of 10 persons globally. In rural areas of Mexico and other low-income countries, coverage could be even less due to the absence of formal supply; thus, rural communities usually perform water management. Surrounding community-based water management, various socio-ecological interactions emerge that determine access to water. Access to water will depend on the obstacles or capacities that arise within the socio-ecological system in which the community is immersed. This work identifies barriers and bridges to water access in a rural environment through mixed methods. The article draws on three case studies in southeastern Mexico by analyzing 90 questionnaires conducted at the household level and three focus groups in parallel with water quality analysis and its relationship with management practices. The barriers and bridges were classified into six water access challenges: (i) access to water in a sufficient quantity, (ii) access to water of adequate quality, (iii) access to water for household crop irrigation, (iv) hygiene and sanitation facilities, (v) collective organization, and (vi) climate variability. The main findings indicate that households' water quantity and quality show deficiencies due to the lack of formal infrastructure and represent a health risk. Water fetching has the highest impact on women and children in poor rural areas, and it is a significant barrier to sustainable development. In contrast, the collective organization proved to be an essential bridge for water access in these communities.

Social complexity as a driving force of gut microbiota exchange among conspecific hosts in non-human primates.

The emergent concept of the social microbiome implies a view of a highly connected biological world, in which microbial interchange across organisms may be influenced by social and ecological connections occurring at different levels of biological organization. We explore this idea reviewing evidence of whether increasing social complexity in primate societies is associated with both higher diversity and greater similarity in the composition of the gut microbiota. By proposing a series of predictions regarding such relationship, we evaluate the existence of a link between gut microbiota and primate social behavior. Overall, we find that enough empirical evidence already supports these predictions. Nonetheless, we conclude that studies with the necessary, sufficient, explicit, and available evidence are still scarce. Therefore, we reflect on the benefit of founding future analyses on the utility of social complexity as a theoretical framework.

A stem delphinidan from the Caribbean region of Venezuela.

The dense Miocene record of cetaceans is known from localities along the coasts of all continents, mostly in the northern Atlantic or the eastern Pacific regions, but Antarctica. Fossils from the Caribbean region are few and include of a couple of findings from Panama and Venezuela. Here, we report a partly complete skull from the Caujarao Formation (middle Miocene), Falcon State, Caribbean region of Venezuela. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Caujarao specimen is a 'stem delphinidan', a group that includes several taxa of early diverging odontocetes whose phylogenetic affinities remain a matter of debate. The fossil record has shown that this group of stem delphinidans was taxonomically diverse, but displayed a somewhat homogeneous cranial patterning, with most of the variations being found within the mandible or tympanoperiotic characters. As other stem delphinidans the Caujarao odontocete displays an enlarged temporal fossa and a fairly symmetrical cranium. Because the skull is missing several key diagnostic characters due to the preservation state of the specimen, a more precise taxonomic identification is not possible. Despite this, the finding of this specimen highlights the importance of the fossil record from the Neogene of Venezuela, and the importance of the area to understand cetacean evolution in the proto-Caribbean.

Collective Rhythm as an Emergent Property During Human Social Coordination.

The literature on social interactions has shown that participants coordinate not only at the behavioral but also at the physiological and neural levels, and that this coordination gives a temporal structure to the individual and social dynamics. However, it has not been fully explored whether such temporal patterns emerge during interpersonal coordination beyond dyads, whether this phenomenon arises from complex cognitive mechanisms or from relatively simple rules of behavior, or which are the sociocultural processes that underlie this phenomenon. We review the evidence for the existence of group-level rhythmic patterns that result from social interactions and argue that the complexity of group dynamics can lead to temporal regularities that cannot be predicted from the individual periodicities: an emergent collective rhythm. Moreover, we use this interpretation of the literature to discuss how taking into account the sociocultural niche in which individuals develop can help explain the seemingly divergent results that have been reported on the social influences and consequences of interpersonal coordination. We make recommendations on further research to test these arguments and their relationship to the feeling of belonging and assimilation experienced during group dynamics.

Ecological and social determinants of association and proximity patterns in the fission-fusion society of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi).

Some social species exhibit high levels of fission-fusion dynamics (FFD) that improve foraging efficiency. In this study, we shed light on the way that FFD allows animal groups to cope with fluctuations in fruit availability. We explore the relative contribution of fruit availability and social factors like sex in determining association and proximity patterns in spider monkeys. We tested the influence of fruit availability and social factors on the association and proximity patterns using three-year data from a group of spider monkeys in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. We identified subgroup members and estimated their Interindividual distances through instantaneous scan sampling. We evaluated fruit availability by monitoring the phenology of the 10 most important food tree species for spider monkeys in the study site. Social network analyses allowed us to evaluate association and proximity patterns in subgroups. We showed that association patterns vary between seasons, respond to changes in fruit availability, and are influenced by the sex of individuals, likely reflecting biological and behavioral differences between sexes and the interplay between ecological and social factors. In contrast, proximity patterns were minimally affected by changes in fruit availability, suggesting that social factors are more important than food availability in determining cohesion within subgroups.

Collective Computation in Animal Fission-Fusion Dynamics.

Recent work suggests that collective computation of social structure can minimize uncertainty about the social and physical environment, facilitating adaptation. We explore these ideas by studying how fission-fusion social structure arises in spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) groups, exploring whether monkeys use social knowledge to collectively compute subgroup size distributions adaptive for foraging in variable environments. We assess whether individual decisions to stay in or leave subgroups are conditioned on strategies based on the presence or absence of others. We search for this evidence in a time series of subgroup membership. We find that individuals have multiple strategies, suggesting that the social knowledge of different individuals is important. These stay-leave strategies provide microscopic inputs to a stochastic model of collective computation encoded in a family of circuits. Each circuit represents an hypothesis for how collectives combine strategies to make decisions, and how these produce various subgroup size distributions. By running these circuits forward in simulation we generate new subgroup size distributions and measure how well they match food abundance in the environment using transfer entropies. We find that spider monkeys decide to stay or go using information from multiple individuals and that they can collectively compute a distribution of subgroup size that makes efficient use of ephemeral sources of nutrition. We are able to artificially tune circuits with subgroup size distributions that are a better fit to the environment than the observed. This suggests that a combination of measurement error, constraint, and adaptive lag are diminishing the power of collective computation in this system. These results are relevant for a more general understanding of the emergence of ordered states in multi-scale social systems with adaptive properties-both natural and engineered.

Proprioception in Action: A Matter of Ecological and Social Interaction.

The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical and formal framework to understand how the proprioceptive and kinesthetic system learns about body position and possibilities for movement in ongoing action and interaction. Whereas most weak embodiment accounts of proprioception focus on positionalist descriptions or on its role as a source of parameters for internal motor control, we argue that these aspects are insufficient to understand how proprioception is integrated into an active organized system in continuous and dynamic interaction with the environment. Our strong embodiment thesis is that one of the main theoretical principles to understand proprioception, as a perceptual experience within concrete situations, is the coupling with kinesthesia and its relational constitution-self, ecological, and social. In our view, these aspects are underdeveloped in current accounts, and an enactive sensorimotor theory enriched with phenomenological descriptions may provide an alternative path toward explaining this skilled experience. Following O'Regan and Noë (2001) sensorimotor contingencies conceptualization, we introduce three distinct notions of proprioceptive kinesthetic-sensorimotor contingencies (PK-SMCs), which we describe conceptually and formally considering three varieties of perceptual experience in action: PK-SMCs-self, PK-SMCs-self-environment, and PK-SMC-self-other. As a proof of concept of our proposal, we developed a minimal PK model to discuss these elements in detail and show their explanatory value as important guides to understand the proprioceptive/kinesthetic system. Finally, we also highlight that there is an opportunity to develop enactive sensorimotor theory in new directions, creating a bridge between the varieties of experiences of oneself and learning skills.

Horizontal seed dispersal by dung beetles reduced seed and seedling clumping, but did not increase short-term seedling establishment.

Dung beetles are secondary seed dispersers, incidentally moving many of the seeds defecated by mammals vertically (seed burial) and/or horizontally as they process and relocate dung. Although several studies have quantified this ecological function of dung beetles, very few have followed seed fate until seedling establishment, and most of these have focused on the effects of seed burial. We know very little about the effects of horizontal seed movement by dung beetles, though it is generally assumed that it will affect plant recruitment positively through diminishing seed clumping. The objective of our study was to assess the effects of dung beetle activity on the spatial distribution of seeds and seedlings, and on the probability of seedling establishment. In a tropical rainforest in Mexico we carried out two complementary field experiments for each of two tree species (Bursera simaruba and Poulsenia armata), using seeds experimentally imbedded in pig dung and recording their fate and spatial location over time. For both species, dung beetle activity reduced the spatial clumping of seeds and seedlings; however, it did not increase the probability of seedling establishment. We discuss the context- and species-specificity of the combined effects of horizontal and vertical dispersal of seeds by dung beetles, and the need to quantify long-term seedling fates to more accurately determine the effects of seed movement by dung beetles on plant recruitment.

Using multiplex networks to capture the multidimensional nature of social structure.

Network analysis has increasingly expanded our understanding of social structure in primates and other animal species. However, most studies use networks representing only one interaction type, when social relationships (and the emerging social structure) are the result of many types of interactions and their interplay through time. The recent development of tools facilitating the integrated analysis of multiple interaction types using multiplex networks has opened the possibility of extending the insight provided by social network analysis. We use a multiplex representation of interactions among the members of a group of wild Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), to study their social structure. We constructed a six-layered multiplex network based on three indices of overt social interactions (aggression, embraces, grooming) and three distance-based indices (contact, proximity, and association). With tools provided by the MuxViz software, we assessed the relevance of including all six indices in our analysis, the role of individuals in the network (through node versatility), and the presence of modules and non-random triadic structures or motifs. The multiplex provided information which was not equivalent to any individual layer or to the simple aggregation of layers. Network patterns based on associations did not correspond with those observed for overt-interactions or for the multiplex structure. Males were the most versatile individuals, while multiplex modularity and motifs highlighted the relevance of different interaction types for the overall connectivity of the network. We conclude that the multiplex approach improves on previous methods by retaining valuable information from each interaction type and how it is patterned among individuals.

Predation Attacks on Wild Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi).

We report 2 cases of predation on an adult and a subadult spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) by a puma (Puma concolor) and an unidentified terrestrial predator at the natural protected area of Otoch Ma'ax yetel Kooh, in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Although spider monkeys are believed to experience overall low predation pressure compared to other primate species, our observations show that predation occurs in the study area and therefore behavioral strategies are likely to be in place to reduce predation risk. Our observations are further evidence that terrestrial predators are a threat for both young and full-grown spider monkeys.

Integrating expert knowledge and ecological niche models to estimate Mexican primates' distribution.

Ecological niche modeling is used to estimate species distributions based on occurrence records and environmental variables, but it seldom includes explicit biotic or historical factors that are important in determining the distribution of species. Expert knowledge can provide additional valuable information regarding ecological or historical attributes of species, but the influence of integrating this information in the modeling process has been poorly explored. Here, we integrated expert knowledge in different stages of the niche modeling process to improve the representation of the actual geographic distributions of Mexican primates (Ateles geoffroyi, Alouatta pigra, and A. palliata mexicana). We designed an elicitation process to acquire information from experts and such information was integrated by an iterative process that consisted of reviews of input data by experts, production of ecological niche models (ENMs), and evaluation of model outputs to provide feedback. We built ENMs using the maximum entropy algorithm along with a dataset of occurrence records gathered from a public source and records provided by the experts. Models without expert knowledge were also built for comparison, and both models, with and without expert knowledge, were evaluated using four validation metrics that provide a measure of accuracy for presence-absence predictions (specificity, sensitivity, kappa, true skill statistic). Integrating expert knowledge to build ENMs produced better results for potential distributions than models without expert knowledge, but a much greater improvement in the transition from potential to realized geographic distributions by reducing overprediction, resulting in better representations of the actual geographic distributions of species. Furthermore, with the combination of niche models and expert knowledge we were able to identify an area of sympatry between A. palliata mexicana and A. pigra. We argue that the inclusion of expert knowledge at different stages in the construction of niche models in an explicit and systematic fashion is a recommended practice as it produces overall positive results for representing realized species distributions.

Quantifying uncertainty due to fission-fusion dynamics as a component of social complexity.

Groups of animals (including humans) may show flexible grouping patterns, in which temporary aggregations or subgroups come together and split, changing composition over short temporal scales, (i.e. fission and fusion). A high degree of fission-fusion dynamics may constrain the regulation of social relationships, introducing uncertainty in interactions between group members. Here we use Shannon's entropy to quantify the predictability of subgroup composition for three species known to differ in the way their subgroups come together and split over time: spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and geladas (Theropithecus gelada). We formulate a random expectation of entropy that considers subgroup size variation and sample size, against which the observed entropy in subgroup composition can be compared. Using the theory of set partitioning, we also develop a method to estimate the number of subgroups that the group is likely to be divided into, based on the composition and size of single focal subgroups. Our results indicate that Shannon's entropy and the estimated number of subgroups present at a given time provide quantitative metrics of uncertainty in the social environment (within which social relationships must be regulated) for groups with different degrees of fission-fusion dynamics. These metrics also represent an indirect quantification of the cognitive challenges posed by socially dynamic environments. Overall, our novel methodological approach provides new insight for understanding the evolution of social complexity and the mechanisms to cope with the uncertainty that results from fission-fusion dynamics.