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This study examines how habitat structure affects the home range use of a group
of Brachyteles hypoxanthus in the Brigadeiro State Park, Brazil. It has been reported that
most of the annual feeding time of woolly spider monkeys is spent eating leaves, but
they prefer fruits when available. We hypothesise that the protein-to-fibre ratio (PF; best
descriptor of habitat quality for folivorous primates) is a better descriptor of habitat
quality and abundance for these primates than the structural attributes of forests (basal
area is the best descriptor of habitat quality for frugivorous primates of Africa and
Asia). We evaluated plant community structure, successional status, and PF of leaf samples
from the dominant tree populations, both within the core and from a non-core area
of the home range of our study group. Forest structure was a combination of stem density
and basal area of dominant tree populations. The core area had larger trees, a higher
forest basal area, and higher stem density than the non-core area. Mean PF did not
differ significantly between these sites, although PF was influenced by differences in
tree regeneration guilds. Large-bodied monkeys could be favoured by later successional
stages of forests because larger trees and denser stems prevent the need for a higher
expenditure of energy for locomotion as a consequence of vertical travel when the
crowns of trees are disconnected in early successional forests. Forest structure variables

(such as basal area of trees) driven by succession influence woolly spider monkey abundance
in a fashion similar to frugivorous monkeys of Asia and Africa, and could explain
marked differences in ranging behaviour and home range use by B. hypoxanthus .