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Fang G, Li M, Liu XJ, Guo WJ, Jiang YT, Huang ZP, Tang SY, Li DY, Yu J, Jin T, Liu XG, Wang JM, Li S, Qi XG, Li BG. Preliminary report on Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana roxellana) at Laohegou Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16183. [PMID: 30385788 PMCID: PMC6212442 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34311-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative studies of subspecies under different ecological environments offer insights into intraspecies evolutionary adaptive mechanisms. Golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) include three subspecies in China classified mainly by their morphological variations: R. r. roxellana (Sichuan and Gansu province), R. r. qinlingensis (Shaanxi province) and R. r. hubeiensis (Hubei province). These three subspecies live in three isolated area with different environments. Past works focused on the last two subspecies, but little information of habitat and behaviors of the nominated subspecies (R. r. roxellana) is available to date. We conducted a two-year study on the diet, activity budget, home range and social organization of 4 herds of R. r. roxellana, based on a total of 106 days' observation in Laohegou (LHG) Nature Reserve, Sichuan province. By using scan sampling method, our results suggest that the R. r roxellana feeds predominantly on leaves (77.5%), and spends more time feeding (40.0%) and resting (27.0%) while compared to the other two subspecies. Kernel Density Estimation Method based on GPS technology confirms that R. r roxellana has relatively larger home ranges (49.1 km2). The unit size (8.3 ± 3.5 individuals) of R. r roxellana is also smaller. Therefore, it is possible that differences in food availability in relation to habitats have important impacts on the feeding strategy and social system of the golden snub-nosed monkey. These results provide data to further explore intraspecific adaptations of living primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gu Fang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Man Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiao-Jie Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Wei-Jia Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Yu-Ting Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Zhi-Pang Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Shi-Yi Tang
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Da-Yong Li
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, China
| | - Ji Yu
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, China
| | - Tong Jin
- The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China Program, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Geng Liu
- The Laohegou Nature Reserve, Mianyang, 622552, China
| | - Ji-Mei Wang
- The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China Program, Beijing, China
| | - Sheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiao-Guang Qi
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China.
| | - Bao-Guo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
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