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Pan H, Hou R, Zhang H, Li Y, Huang Z, Cui L, Xiao W. Surviving at the highest and coldest: Nutritional and chemical components of fallback foods for Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11219. [PMID: 38628920 PMCID: PMC11019302 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Fallback foods (FBF), categorized into staple and filler types, are suboptimal food sources chosen by animals in response to a scarcity of preferred food items during specific periods. Using lichens as FBF by Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) represents a distinctive ecological adaptation and evolutionary development within nonhuman primates. This study delves into the annual dietary choices of the species to address issues, elucidate the nutritional value, and understand the ecological significance of lichens for this primate species, which resides at the highest altitudes and experiences the coldest weather among global primates. The findings reveal that the lichens consumed by the monkeys serve as the staple FBF, with Bryoria spp. and Usnea longissima being the primary dietary species. The former is the preferred choice, providing higher digestible fiber (neutral detergent fiber) levels but lower tannin, fat, ADF, and energy levels. During the dry season, lichens dominate as the monkeys' primary food and nutritional resources. In the wet season, they act as a fundamental food selection rather than an ideal dietary choice, substituting nutrients from fruits, seeds, and leaves. Compared to other Asian colobine counterparts, this species exhibits the highest lichen consumption but the lowest proportions of leaves, flowers, and seeds. This study provides valuable evidence and information for developing or amending conservation strategies and guidelines for the dietary management of captive breeding of monkeys, one of the world's critically endangered primate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Pan
- Institute of Eastern‐Himalaya Biodiversity ResearchDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life SciencesNorthwest UniversityXi'anChina
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primates ConservationDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life SciencesNorthwest UniversityXi'anChina
| | - He Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life SciencesNorthwest UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Yanpeng Li
- Institute of Eastern‐Himalaya Biodiversity ResearchDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of ChinaDaliYunnanChina
| | - Zhipang Huang
- Institute of Eastern‐Himalaya Biodiversity ResearchDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primates ConservationDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of ChinaDaliYunnanChina
- Key Laboratory for Conserving Wildlife with Small Populations in YunnanSouthwest Forestry UniversityKunmingChina
| | - Liangwei Cui
- Key Laboratory for Conserving Wildlife with Small Populations in YunnanSouthwest Forestry UniversityKunmingChina
- Yunling Black‐and‐White Snub‐Nosed Monkey Observation and Research Station of Yunnan ProvinceDaliYunnanChina
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern‐Himalaya Biodiversity ResearchDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primates ConservationDali UniversityDaliYunnanChina
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of ChinaDaliYunnanChina
- Yunling Black‐and‐White Snub‐Nosed Monkey Observation and Research Station of Yunnan ProvinceDaliYunnanChina
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Yao W, Huang C, Zhao J, Huang R, Li W, Fan P, Zhou Q. Feeding adaptation of François' langurs ( Trachypithecus francoisi) to the fragmented limestone habitats in Southwest China. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11269. [PMID: 38654711 PMCID: PMC11035973 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Limestone forests are an unusual habitat for primates, especially fragmented limestone habitats. However, while some research has been conducted on François' langurs (Trachypithecus francois) in these habitats, there is still a need to improve the understanding of their behavioral adaptations to the fragmented limestone habitat. We collected data on the diet of François' langurs in a fragmented limestone habitat in Encheng National Nature Reserve, southwestern Guangxi, China using instantaneous scanning sampling, and their feeding adaptations to the fragmented forest were examined. The results indicated that a total of 101 species of plants were consumed by the langurs. They also fed on two non-plant components, including cliff minerals and at least one species of insect. The langurs ate a higher number of food species in Encheng when compared with the other geographic populations, and they maintained a high level of food diversity and ate more vines. Moreover, they were highly selective in their use of vegetation in their home range, and fewer plants provided a high-quality food source. During the season when food resources were scarce, the consumption of fruits and young leaves decreased as their availability decreased. This led to the use of other food components, such as mature leaves and seeds. The findings support that François' langurs adjust their feeding behavior to cope with seasonal and micro-variations in their dietary requirements and to adapt to their particular environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Yao
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, The Chongzuo White‐Headed Langur Field Observation and Research Station of GuangxiGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Cheng‐Ming Huang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, The Chongzuo White‐Headed Langur Field Observation and Research Station of GuangxiGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
- Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | | | - Rong Huang
- Encheng National Nature ReserveChongzuoChina
| | - Wen‐Hua Li
- Encheng National Nature ReserveChongzuoChina
| | - Peng‐Lai Fan
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, The Chongzuo White‐Headed Langur Field Observation and Research Station of GuangxiGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Qi‐Hai Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Ministry of Education, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, The Chongzuo White‐Headed Langur Field Observation and Research Station of GuangxiGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
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Qi XG, Wu J, Zhao L, Wang L, Guang X, Garber PA, Opie C, Yuan Y, Diao R, Li G, Wang K, Pan R, Ji W, Sun H, Huang ZP, Xu C, Witarto AB, Jia R, Zhang C, Deng C, Qiu Q, Zhang G, Grueter CC, Wu D, Li B. Adaptations to a cold climate promoted social evolution in Asian colobine primates. Science 2023; 380:eabl8621. [PMID: 37262163 DOI: 10.1126/science.abl8621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The biological mechanisms that underpin primate social evolution remain poorly understood. Asian colobines display a range of social organizations, which makes them good models for investigating social evolution. By integrating ecological, geological, fossil, behavioral, and genomic analyses, we found that colobine primates that inhabit colder environments tend to live in larger, more complex groups. Specifically, glacial periods during the past 6 million years promoted the selection of genes involved in cold-related energy metabolism and neurohormonal regulation. More-efficient dopamine and oxytocin pathways developed in odd-nosed monkeys, which may have favored the prolongation of maternal care and lactation, increasing infant survival in cold environments. These adaptive changes appear to have strengthened interindividual affiliation, increased male-male tolerance, and facilitated the stepwise aggregation from independent one-male groups to large multilevel societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Guang Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinwei Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lan Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lu Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Christopher Opie
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Yuan Yuan
- College of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Runjie Diao
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gang Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kun Wang
- College of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ruliang Pan
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weihong Ji
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Zhi-Pang Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chunzhong Xu
- Shanghai Wild Animal Park Development Co., Shanghai, China
| | - Arief B Witarto
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Pertahanan, Jabodetabek, Indonesia
| | - Rui Jia
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | | | - Cheng Deng
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiang Qiu
- College of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Dongdong Wu
- Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
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Lai Y, Chen Y, Zheng J, Liu Z, Nong D, Liang J, Li Y, Huang Z. Gut microbiota of white-headed black langurs ( Trachypithecus leucocephalus) in responses to habitat fragmentation. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1126257. [PMID: 36860490 PMCID: PMC9968942 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1126257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The white-headed black langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) is exclusively distributed in the karst forests and is critically endangered owing to habitat fragmentation. Gut microbiota can provide physiological data for a comprehensive study of the langur's response to human disturbance in the limestone forest; to date, data on spatial variations in the langurs' gut microbiota are limited. In this study, we examined intersite variations in the gut microbiota of white-headed black langurs in the Guangxi Chongzuo White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve, China. Our results showed that langurs in the Bapen area with a better habitat had higher gut microbiota diversity. In the Bapen group, the Bacteroidetes (13.65% ± 9.73% vs. 4.75% ± 4.70%) and its representative family, Prevotellaceae, were significantly enriched. In the Banli group, higher relative abundance of Firmicutes (86.30% ± 8.60% vs. 78.85% ± 10.35%) than the Bapen group was observed. Oscillospiraceae (16.93% ± 5.39% vs. 16.13% ± 3.16%), Christensenellaceae (15.80% ± 4.59% vs. 11.61% ± 3.60%), and norank_o__Clostridia_UCG-014 (17.43% ± 6.64% vs. 9.78% ± 3.83%) were increased in comparison with the Bapen group. These intersite variations in microbiota diversity and composition could be accounted for by differences in food resources caused by fragmentation. Furthermore, compared with the Banli group, the community assembly of gut microbiota in the Bapen group was influenced by more deterministic factors and had a higher migration rate, but the difference between the two groups was not significant. This might be attributed to the serious fragmentation of the habitats for both groups. Our findings highlight the importance of gut microbiota response for the integrity of wildlife habitats and the need in using physiological indicators to study the mechanisms by which wildlife responds to human disturbances or ecological variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Lai
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Yanqiong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Jingjin Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Dengpan Nong
- Administration Center of Guangxi Chongzuo White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve, Chongzuo, China
| | - Jipeng Liang
- Administration Center of Guangxi Chongzuo White-headed Langur National Nature Reserve, Chongzuo, China
| | - Youbang Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Zhonghao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,College of Life Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China,*Correspondence: Zhonghao Huang, ✉
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Masseloux J, Le QT, Burr J, Gerber BD. Estimating arboreality and the effects of forest structure on tropical tree‐dwelling mesomammals using arboreal camera traps. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Masseloux
- Department of Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island Kingston RI USA
| | - Q. T. Le
- Southern Institute of Ecology Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
| | - J. Burr
- Department of Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island Kingston RI USA
| | - B. D. Gerber
- Department of Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island Kingston RI USA
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