Abstract Cities near protected areas facilitate the introduction of exotic plants, reshaping ecological interactions, particularly those involving frugivore primates. Characterizing the consumption of exotic plants in urban areas is important to understand how primates persist under anthropogenic environments. We studied the diet of a group of black-tufted capuchin monkeys ( Sapajus nigritus ) living in Mata de Santa Genebra, an urban Atlantic Forest fragment in Brazil, in two consecutive wet seasons. Three decades ago, the capuchins at our study site relied partially on neighboring fields of Zea mays , which no longer exist at the time of our study. We recorded the capuchins’ diet using field observations and fecal analyses in August 2019–March 2020 and October 2020–February 2021. The capuchins consumed 80 plant species, with a higher number of exotic species than previously (23 vs. 4). Most of the exotic species in the capuchins’ diet during our study were urban and zoochorous. Pulp (35.7%) and aril fruits (23%) were the main items. Food items differed between wet seasons, but the species consumed did not. Exotic plant consumption varied across months and peaked in December. Also, exotic seeds, particularly those of Psidium guajava and Morus nigra , were abundant in feces. The availability, predictability, energetic value, and opportunistic use of resources in the city may explain the variation in exotic plant consumption across months. Exotic seeds in feces indicate potential seed dispersal within the reserve. Our findings highlight how dietary flexibility and the urban matrix reshape capuchin monkey feeding ecology through the incorporation of exotic plants.
Verçosa et al. (Sat,) studied this question.