The impacts of population subdivision on the viability of Brachyteles hypoxanthus.

Habitat loss and fragmentation turn continuous large populations into metapopulations of smaller populations, more prone to the negative effects of stochastic processes. We modeled scenarios simulating the subdivision of Brachyteles hypoxanthus populations under different dispersal rates. Results show the existence of a population subdivision threshold, below which subdivision causes the metapopulation structure to collapse. Management should target first the increase in local populations through habitat restoration/protection, and only after populations are sufficiently large, connectivity strategies should take place.