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Study evaluates stress in primates

A study that began in 2011 in Rio Grande do Sul, RS is evaluating in what way the reduction of fragments of native forest has affected the quality of life of southern brown howler monkeys. Under the title Stress, parasitism, diet, and self-medication in non-human primates: conservation medicine of Alouatta guariba clamitans in a gradient of habitat quality, the study integrates the activities of the Research Group in Primatology, under the coordination of Professor Júlio César Bicca-Marques, in partnership with several PUCRS professors.

To detect if the monkeys that live in smaller fragments are more stressed, an exploratory study is being performed that includes the collection of feces to detect released hormones and the presence of parasites. Another focus of this research is the possible self-medication of howler monkeys. The researchers intend to analyze whether these monkeys seek foods that contain medicinal properties when they are sick or infected with heavy parasitic loads.

The Primatology Group also recorded a decrease of approximately 80% in the black howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) populations in northeast RS as a result of an outbreak of sylvatic yellow fever in the years 2008 and 2009. This fact has redoubled the attention of investigators, as the accelerated destruction of the forest increases the isolation of the remaining populations and compromises their long-term viability.

To more rapidly detect the possible arrival of the yellow fever virus in Porto Alegre, the capital of RS, a multidisciplinary project is underway that is aimed at conservation medicine. One of the objectives is to prevent the disease from returning to the urban environment, a triumph upheld since 1942 in Brazil.

The Primatology Group is part of the Graduate Program in Zoology, the highest ranking program in Brazil. To strengthen internationalization, partnerships and exchanges are maintained for students and teachers with the University of Veracruz (Mexico) and the Department of Anthropology of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA).