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Leeds A, Kakule D, Stalter L, Mbeke JK, Fawcett K. Group structure and individual relationships of sanctuary-living Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295561. [PMID: 38232054 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of individual social relationships and group structure provides insights into a species' natural history and can inform management decisions for animals living in human care. The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center provides permanent sanctuary for a group of 14 Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), a critically endangered and poorly studied subspecies of the genus gorilla, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We monitored the association patterns of the gorillas at GRACE over eight months and here describe their individual relationships and group structure via multiple social network statistics. The group was highly connected but associations between individuals were weak on average. Social network metrics describe that an adult female was the most gregarious and socially central individual within the group. In fact, adult females were the most gregarious and socially central on average. Group level association patterns were significantly correlated over the study period and across observation types, suggesting the group was socially stable during the eight month study period. The data collected in this study were done so by GRACE caregivers as part of their daily husbandry routine and provided important insights into this group's behavior, ultimately informing on their care, welfare and future release considerations. The methodological approaches implemented here are easily scalable to any primate sanctuary or care facility seeking to use data to inform husbandry and management procedures. Lastly, our study is the first social network analysis to be conducted on Grauer's gorillas and provides tentative insights into the behavior of this poorly studied subspecies. Though more research is needed to evaluate if the findings here are reflective of this subspecies' natural history or the idiosyncrasies of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Leeds
- Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States of America
| | - Dalmas Kakule
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Laura Stalter
- Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jackson K Mbeke
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Katie Fawcett
- Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center, Kasugho, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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2
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Wang T, Kong Y, Zhang H, Li Y, Hou R, Dunn DW, Hou X, Huang K, Li B. Do golden snub-nosed monkeys use deceptive alarm calls during competition for food? iScience 2023; 26:106098. [PMID: 36852160 PMCID: PMC9958509 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tactical deception can be beneficial for social animals during intra-specific competition. However, the use of tactical deception in wild mammals is predicted to be rare. We tested whether a food-provisioned free-ranging band of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) use alarm calls in a functionally deceptive manner to gain access to food resources, whether the rate of deceptive alarm calls varies among individuals, and whether there are any counter-deception behaviors. We used a hexagonal camera array consisting of 10 cameras to record videos during feeding, which allowed us to identify individual alarm callers. We found evidence that these monkeys use deceptive alarms and that adult females were more likely to use such calls than other individuals. The monkeys increased their rates of response to alarm calls when competition for food was high. However, we found no direct evidence of any counter-deception strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China,Qingyang No.6 Middle School, Qingyang 745000, China
| | - Yuchen Kong
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - He Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Yuhang Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Derek W. Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Xiduo Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China,Corresponding author
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
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3
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Female demographic changes contribute to the maintenance of social stability within a primate multilevel society. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Yang X, Berman CM, Hu H, Hou R, Huang K, Wang X, Zhao H, Wang C, Li B, Zhang P. Female preferences for male golden snub-nosed monkeys vary with male age and social context. Curr Zool 2021; 68:133-142. [PMID: 35355945 PMCID: PMC8962732 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Age is a key factor affecting sexual selection, as many physical and social traits are age-related. Although studies of primate mate choice often consider particular age-related traits, few consider the collective effects of male age. We tested the hypothesis that female golden snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus roxellana prefer prime aged males (10–15 years) over younger and older males. We examined a habituated, provisioned troop during a 3-year study in the Qinling Mountains, China. Prime age males were more likely to be resident males of 1-male units (OMUs) than males of other ages. Since females are free to transfer between OMUs, the number of females per OMU can be indicative of female preferences. We examined the number of females per OMU, and found that it increased with resident male age up to 7–8 years, and declined after 12 years, such that prime age resident males had more females than other resident males. Females also initiated extra-unit copulations with high-ranking prime age males at significantly higher rates than with other males. Nevertheless, females tended to transfer from OMUs with high-ranking, older resident males to those with low-ranking, younger resident males. Thus, females appear to use different strategies when choosing social mates and extra-unit mates (i.e., different social contexts). We speculate that females may perceive early signs of aging in males and trade off the benefits and costs of high rank versus male senescence. This study lays the groundwork for future studies that examine possible direct and indirect benefits of such strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Carol M Berman
- Department of Anthropology and Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY 14261, USA
| | - Hanyu Hu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Chengliang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
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6
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Guo ST, He SJ, Zhang H, Bai RF, Zhang SM, Hou R, Grueter CC, Chapman CA, Dunn DW, Li BG. Male social rank and food competition in a primate multi-level society. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:630-642. [PMID: 32918292 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Social animals often have dominance hierarchies, with high rank conferring preferential access to resources. In primates, competition among males is often assumed to occur predominantly over reproductive opportunities. However, competition for food may occur during food shortages, such as in temperate species during winter. Higher-ranked males may thus gain preferential access to high-profitability food, which would enable them to spend longer engaged in activities other than feeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a field experiment with a breeding band of golden snub-nosed monkeys, a species that lives in a multi-level society in high-altitude forests in central China. We provisioned monkey's high-profitability food during winter when natural foods are limited, and then recorded the times individual adult males spent engaged in different behaviors. RESULTS Higher-ranking males spent less time feeding overall and fed on provisioned foods at a higher rate than lower-ranking males. Higher-ranking males therefore had more time to spend on alternative behaviors. We found no significant difference according to rank in times spent moving or resting. However, high-ranking males spend significantly longer on affiliative behaviors with other members of their social sub-units, especially grooming and being groomed, behaviors known to promote social cohesion in primates. DISCUSSION We show that preferential access to high-profitability foods likely relaxes time-budget constraints to higher-ranking males. High-ranking males thus spend more time on non-feeding activities, especially grooming, which may enhance social cohesion within their social sub-unit. We discuss the potential direct and indirect benefits to high-ranking males associated with preferential access to high-value food during winter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Tao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shu-Jun He
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - He Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui-Feng Bai
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Si-Meng Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Colin A Chapman
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, China.,Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.,Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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7
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Huang K, Zhang P, Dunn DW, Wang T, Mi R, Li B. Assigning alleles to different loci in amplifications of duplicated loci. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1240-1253. [DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
| | - Derek W. Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
| | - Tongcheng Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
| | - Rui Mi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences Northwest University Xi'an China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming China
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8
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Xiang Z, Fan P, Chen H, Liu R, Zhang B, Yang W, Yao H, Grueter CC, Garber PA, Li M. Routine allomaternal nursing in a free-ranging Old World monkey. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaav0499. [PMID: 30801014 PMCID: PMC6382398 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav0499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
While regular allomaternal nursing (suckling) has been documented in a number of rodent and carnivore species, as well as in some prosimians, New World monkeys, and humans, it is not common in Old World monkeys and apes. Here, we present a detailed field study of allomaternal nursing in golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana, Colobinae). We found that more than 87% of infants were nursed by females other than their mothers. Allomaternal nursing was largely confined to the first 3 months of an infant's life and occurred predominantly between related females who nursed each other's offspring in a reciprocal manner. Allomaternal nursing enhanced infant survivorship and did not have a negative impact on the future reproductive success of allonursers. Our findings expand the taxonomic distribution of allomaternal nursing and provide fresh insight into the possible factors driving evolution of allomaternal nursing behavior in primates, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuofu Xiang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Penglai Fan
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Haochun Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Ruoshuang Liu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Wanji Yang
- Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Shennongjia Golden Monkey, Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forest District, Hubei 442411, China
| | - Hui Yao
- Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Shennongjia Golden Monkey, Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forest District, Hubei 442411, China
| | - Cyril C. Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Paul A. Garber
- Department of Anthropology Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
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9
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Ren Y, Huang K, Guo S, Pan R, Derek DW, Qi X, Wang X, Wang C, Zhao H, Yang B, Li F, Li B. Kinship promotes affiliative behaviors in a monkey. Curr Zool 2018; 64:441-447. [PMID: 30108624 PMCID: PMC6084570 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In social mammals, kinship is an important factor that often affects the interactions among individuals within groups. In primates that live in a multilevel society, kinship may affect affiliative patterns between individuals at different scales within the larger group. For this study, we use field observations and molecular methods to reveal the profiles of how kinship affects affiliative behaviors between individuals in a breeding band of wild golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana). We use a novel nonparametric test, the partition Mantel test, to measure independently the correlation between kinship and each of three affiliative behaviors. Our results show that more closely related females are more likely to groom each other. Average relatedness between adult females within the same one-male unit (OMU) is higher than that between adult females from different OMUs. We suggest that closely related females may reside in the same OMU in order to attain inclusive fitness benefits, and that kinship plays an important role in maintaining the social structure of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ren
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Songtao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Ruliang Pan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- The School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Dunn W Derek
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiaoguang Qi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Chengliang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Bin Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Fangfang Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, and College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
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10
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Guo S, Hou R, Garber PA, Raubenheimer D, Righini N, Ji W, Jay O, He S, Wu F, Li F, Li B. Nutrient‐specific compensation for seasonal cold stress in a free‐ranging temperate colobine monkey. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Song‐Tao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
| | - Paul A. Garber
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois
| | - David Raubenheimer
- The Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Nicoletta Righini
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois
- Laboratorio de Ecología FuncionalInstituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES‐UNAM) Morelia Michoacan Mexico
| | - Wei‐Hong Ji
- Human and Wildlife Interactions Research GroupInstitute of Natural Mathematical SciencesMassey University Albany, Auckland New Zealand
| | - Ollie Jay
- The Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Shu‐Jun He
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
| | - Fan Wu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
| | - Fang‐Fang Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
| | - Bao‐Guo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal ConservationNorthwest University Xi’an China
- Xi’an Branch of Chinese Academy of Sciences Xi’an China
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11
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Liu X, Fan P, Che R, Li H, Yi L, Zhao N, Garber PA, Li F, Jiang Z. Fecal bacterial diversity of wild Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana). Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22753. [PMID: 29635791 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract of primates harbors a complex microbial community, playing an essential role in the degradation of otherwise indigestible structural carbohydrates. The phylogenetic and functional diversity of the bacterial community in the feces as a surrogate for the gastrointestinal tract of wild Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana, N = 6) was characterized based on sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes. A sex comparison was conducted, with a prior hypothesis that the abundances of the bacterial taxa and/or functional categories associated with energy and nutrient metabolism would be higher in adult females (N = 3) due to the higher reproductive costs compared to adult males (N = 3). Ten phyla were identified in all samples, among which Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the predominant. Included in the above two phyla, the members of Prevotellaceae (Prevotella in particular) and Ruminococcaceae were highly abundant, which are common bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of primates and can degrade various structural carbohydrates such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin. This functionality was in line with the high abundances of the metagenomes associated with carbohydrate metabolism. Consistent with our hypothesis, the abundances of the metagenomes associated with energy metabolism, folding/sorting and degradation, glycan biosynthesis and metabolism, and metabolism of amino acids were higher in adult females relative to adult males. Sex differences were also detected in the bacterial community structure, although no sex differences in the proportions of any bacterial taxa were found likely due to the small sample size. These results suggested that gastrointestinal bacterial communities may aid adult females in increasing energy and nutrition utilization efficiencies compared to adult males. Fecal bacterial communities were found to be more similar between individuals in adult females than in adult males. Our study presented the first examination of the fecal bacterial diversity of a little-studied, endangered foregut fermenter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuecong Liu
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Penglai Fan
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Institute of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Rongxiao Che
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Natural Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Huan Li
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Lina Yi
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Na Zhao
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Fang Li
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhigang Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Grueter CC, Li D, Ren B, Wei F, Li M. Deciphering the Social Organization and Structure of Wild Yunnan Snub-Nosed Monkeys ( Rhinopithecus bieti). Folia Primatol (Basel) 2017; 88:358-383. [DOI: 10.1159/000480503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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13
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Huang K, Guo S, Cushman SA, Dunn DW, Qi X, Hou R, Zhang J, Li Q, Zhang Q, Shi Z, Zhang K, Li B. Population structure of the golden snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus roxellana in the Qinling Mountains, central China. Integr Zool 2017; 11:350-60. [PMID: 27059276 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Environmental barriers and habitat fragmentation can restrict gene flow, leading to genetic divergence among animal populations. The golden snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus roxellana, is endemic to China, and ranges across 4 provinces. However, over the past 40 years its populations have become fragmented. We investigated the genetic diversity, demographic history and population structure of R. roxellana in 5 reserves in one of its strongholds, the Qinling Mountain forests of Shaanxi. We collected genetic material from 11 monkey bands (a group of individuals containing multiple 1-male units) with a total of 428 samples genotyped at 20 microsatellite loci. Allelic richness and heterozygosity suggested a relatively high level of intra-band genetic diversity. We found no evidence of any genetic bottleneck in these R. roxellana populations. AMOVA and Bayesian cluster analysis revealed that R. roxellana in the 5 reserves are highly structured and form at least 3 distinct subpopulations. These subpopulations concur with major topographical features in the study area, such as mountain ridges, suggesting that dispersal of R. roxellana may be restricted by geographical barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Songtao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Samuel A Cushman
- US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Derek W Dunn
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaoguang Qi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qi Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhen Shi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kan Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
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14
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Aiming low: A resident male's rank predicts takeover success by challenging males in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. Am J Primatol 2016; 78:974-82. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2015] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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15
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Grueter CC, Zhu P, Allen WL, Higham JP, Ren B, Li M. Sexually selected lip colour indicates male group-holding status in the mating season in a multi-level primate society. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150490. [PMID: 27019735 PMCID: PMC4807456 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/12/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Sexual selection typically produces ornaments in response to mate choice, and armaments in response to male-male competition. Unusually among mammals, many primates exhibit colour signals that may be related to one or both processes. Here, we document for the first time correlates of facial coloration in one of the more brightly coloured primates, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). Snub-nosed monkeys have a one-male unit (OMU) based social organization, but these units aggregate semi-permanently into larger bands. This form of mating system causes many males to become associated with bachelor groups. We quantified redness of the prominent lower lip in 15 males (eight bachelors, seven OMU holders) in a group at Xiangguqing, China. Using mixed models, our results show that lip redness increases with age. More interestingly, there is a significant effect of the interaction of group-holding status and mating season on redness; that is, lip colour of OMU males undergoes reddening in the mating season, whereas the lips of subadult and juvenile bachelor males become paler at that time of year. These results indicate that lip coloration is a badge of (group-holding) status during the mating season, with non-adults undergoing facial differentiation, perhaps to avoid the costs of reproductive competition. Future research should investigate whether lip coloration is a product of male-male competition, and/or female mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C. Grueter
- School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley/Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Pingfen Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - William L. Allen
- School of Biological, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
| | - James P. Higham
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Baoping Ren
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
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