What future evolutionary selection pressure might arise if *Lagothrix* is forced into small, fragmented reserves?
Selection pressure favoring smaller body size and altered dietary habits.
The current biology of the woolly monkey, which evolved under stable, primary rainforest conditions, is inherently specialized, creating vulnerability in fragmented landscapes. Should continuous habitat destruction force these primates into small, isolated reserves, the resulting genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding would drive rapid, forced adaptation. This contrasts sharply with their history of slow, gradual speciation. Under these new, harsh conditions, the selective pressures would favor traits allowing survival in resource-scarce or unstable environments, likely selecting against large body size and promoting changes in diet away from their specialized frugivory, in an attempt to cope with the speed of contemporary environmental shifts.
