秦岭川金丝猴成年雌性优势资源占有与社会等级的判定

群体生活利弊并存,有利的一面是降低了被捕食的风险和提高了优势资源共享度,不利的一面是时刻面临群内资源竞争。等级关系是群居非人灵长类物种中最常见的一种资源调节方式,制约着优势资源在个体间的分配。为了探讨川金丝猴群的优势资源占有规律与社会等级的关系,本研究以秦岭北坡中段周至国家级自然保护区内玉皇庙村的一个人工投食川金丝猴的4 个一雄多雌单元(OMU)内成年雌性为研究对象,从2009 年9 月至2010 年1 月通过设计同心圆,以优势资源区域占有频次、时间等参数指标计算获取程度,从而对该猴群成年雌性的等级关系进行判定。结果证实取食和休息阶段的等级顺序基本上一致,通过Spearman 相关性非参数检验将投食和休息时的等级顺序与早期采用取代行为判定结果进行比较,具有极显著的正相关性。本研究表明利用优势资源占有确立单元内雌性等级具有一定的可行性,并且在野外操作和数据统计上更简单易行,可以在更短的时间内迅速判定雌性等级,或许能为野外投食和笼养条件下非人灵长类雌性等级的研究提供一种新的判定方法。     

非人灵长类和解行为的研究方法与内容

对近年来有关非人灵长类和解行为的研究方法和内容进行了综述。和解行为在非人灵长类中普遍存在,并且有特定的行为模式,要证明它的存在需做匹配观察。分析表明,在潜在合作伙伴中,亲缘关系较近、统治风格缓和、等级距离接近的个体之间,以及一方携带婴儿的雌性个体与其它个体之间,其和解倾向较高,反之和解倾向较低。攻击强度与和解倾向无关,和解行为的发起者因种而异。     

人工投食行为对非人灵长类社会生态的影响

近年来,国内开展了对几种非人灵长类投食群的研究。借鉴日本猴(Macaca fuscata)、恒河猴(M.mulatta)和黑猩猩(Pan troglodytes)长期积累的研究经验,有利于我们减少人工投食对非人灵长类带来的不利影响,也有利于推动国内非人灵长类社会生态学的深入研究。本文通过比较这三种灵长类野生群和投食群之间的差异,量化地分析了人工投食对灵长类动物社会生态学方面的影响。结果表明在社会行为方面,人工投食会导致灵长类动物的聚集、增加争斗频率、改变个体间等级关系、延缓分群现象、影响活动域和增加新兴行为。在种群数量方面,人工投食会缩短雌性性成熟时间、增加出生率和婴猴存活率、减少成年猴死亡率。而人工投食对雄性性成熟、出生间隔等方面的影响仍需要进一步考证。最后我们讨论了人工投食行为的利弊,并建议应谨慎和妥善地实施人工投食,和对非人灵长类投食群进行合理的监管。     

基于全基因组学的非人灵长类适应性进化的研究进展

开展非人灵长类的基因组学研究不仅能够深入探究其演化与适应的分子机制,同时有助于非人灵长类遗传资源的开发和利用.近年来,由于研究方法和技术手段的不断发展和完善,非人灵长类基因组学的相关研究,特别是有关其适应性演化方面的研究也得到了极大的发展.为此,本文对非人灵长类基因组研究现状进行了概述,分析和探讨了目前非人灵长类适应性演化及其在生物医学研究方面的主要研究进展,并对本领域的研究进行了展望,旨在为非人灵长类的基因组学研究及其遗传资源的可持续开发与利用提供参考.     

非人灵长类性打搅行为研究进展

性打搅行为是指非人灵长类社群内非交配个体对正在发生性行为个体的干扰行为,该行为在非人灵长类中普遍存在,通过综述目前已知的36种非灵长类的性打搅行为的报道,探讨性打搅行为的功能和意义。性打搅行为具有更高度的种间和种内差异,种间的性打搅的方式不同、同时受到社会结构和婚配制度的影响;在种内受到性别、年龄、等级等因素的影响。结合川金丝猴性打搅的研究结果,从性打搅的类型、被打搅的反应、性打搅的功能以及相关假说等方面入手,对非人灵长类性打搅行为进行系统总结,旨在为我国相关领域的研究提供参考,为生殖行为学研究者启发思路,推动本领域的发展。     

非人灵长类社会等级现象的研究进展

等级结构在群居生活种类中普遍存在,在非人灵长类尤为突出。该主要对近年来有关灵长类等级现象的研究结果进行分析综述,认为等级现象与个体的年龄、性别、母亲的顺位以及呆在群内时间长短等自身因素相关,也反映在个体之间的攻击、理毛、爬跨和近距等社会交往行为中。等级结构在不同动物中又不尽相同,故研究中需要对具体物种做具体分析。等级现象的存在,不仅有利于动物群体的生存,而且对动物个体也是有利的。     

非人灵长类全雄群的形成与组织结构

在非人灵长类物种中,全雄群是其社会结构中常见的组成部分.本文通过对国内外涉及到非人灵长类全雄群研究的文献进行综述,总结不同物种全雄群内个体组成、个体间关系及全雄群与繁殖群的关系,以揭示全雄群的产生、发展及其社会功能.旨在对非人灵长类全雄群的研究提供借鉴和参考.     

非人灵长类动物睡眠地点的选择与利用

睡眠行为在非人灵长类动物的生活史中占有十分重要地位。关于非人灵长类睡眠地点选择与利用的研究是灵长类行为生态学领域的核心课题之一。本文回顾以往的研究, 总结了非人灵长类动物睡眠地点选择的三个主要影响因素, 即捕食压力引起的安全因素, 睡眠地点的舒适因素和卫生因素; 分别对非人灵长类睡眠地点选择的三种主要形式进行了初步的成因讨论, 对未来的研究方向进行探索性地展望。     

非人灵长类肠道菌群组成及影响因素

与其他哺乳动物一样,非人灵长类肠道内含有复杂的细菌群落,与其营养和健康密切相关。非人灵长类肠道菌群研究具有生态和保护的双重意义。近十几年来,得益于分子生物学研究方法的成熟和应用,非人灵长类肠道菌群研究发展迅速。本文总结了非人灵长类肠道菌群组成及其四个主要影响因素的最新研究成果。研究表明,非人灵长类肠道菌群基本上是由来自12个门的细菌组成的,其中,拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和变形菌门(Proteobacteria)是优势菌门。这些菌门包括数目繁杂的下级阶元,总体上,不同非人灵长类的肠道菌群组成在科和属水平上的相似度比在门水平上低得多。有些菌科和菌属在某些非人灵长类的肠道菌群中所占比例特别高,这些细菌往往与宿主的食物消化紧密相关。非人灵长类肠道菌群组成受到宿主种类及其系统发育关系、食性、年龄与性别、社会互动等因素的重要影响。最后,针对相关研究现状,本文提出了有待于深入探讨的研究问题。我国非人灵长类肠道菌群研究相对滞后,希望本文对推进国内相关研究有所贡献。     

非人灵长类声音通讯的研究进展

声音通讯是非人灵长类研究一个重要的研究领域,有助于了解非人灵长类的社会行为、个体关系、行为进化和社会演化等,甚至对探究人类语言起源和进化等方面也具有十分重要的意义。本文通过对非人灵长类声音通讯的研究内容、影响因素和研究方法等进行了梳理,探讨非人灵长类声音通讯研究的前景和展望,旨在进一步推动国内非人灵长类声音通讯研究的深入,同时为相关研究提供借鉴和参考。     

A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF DOMINANCE RELATIONS AMONG BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

Agonistic behavior of bottlenose dolphins was studied at Brookfield Zoo for nearly 4.5 yr, and dominance relationships were determined using a quantitative technique adapted from primate behavioral research. Dominance relations among dolphins were influenced by the gender of participants. Male dolphins were clearly and consistently dominant to females, and intersexual agonism occurred at moderate rates with seasonal peaks in spring and fall. Dominance relationships among female dolphins were age-ordered and stable, even though agonism among females did occur at uniformly low rates. In contrast, the two males had a changeable dominance relationship in which periods of stability and low-level agonism were interspersed with episodes of intense competition. Zoo-based research revealed patterns of behavior that conformed to current knowledge about bottlenose dolphin social structure. Moreover, research in a zoo setting facilitated development of a quantitative technique that can be used to assess cetacean dominance relationships in field research.     

Food Competition and Linear Dominance Hierarchy Among Female Chimpanzees of the Taï National Park

Dominance rank in female chimpanzees correlates positively with reproductive success. Although a high rank obviously has an advantage for females, clear (linear) hierarchies in female chimpanzees have not been detected. Following the predictions of the socio-ecological model, the type of food competition should affect the dominance relationships among females. We investigated food competition and relationships among 11 adult female chimpanzees in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa). We detected a formal linear dominance hierarchy among the females based on greeting behaviour directed from the subordinate to the dominant female. Females faced contest competition over food, and it increased when either the food was monopolizable or the number of competitors increased. Winning contests over food, but not age, was related to the dominance rank. Affiliative relationships among the females did not help to explain the absence of greetings in some dyads. However comparison post hoc among chimpanzee study sites made differences in the dominance relationships apparent. We discuss them based on social relationships among females, contest competition and predation. The cross-site comparison indicates that the differences in female dominance hierarchies among the chimpanzee study sites are affected by food competition, predation risk and observation time.     

Ontogenetic changes and the stability of rhesus monkey dominance relationships

Dominance relationships were studied in a rhesus monkey group during five consecutive years. The group consisted of eight stable matriarchies and an adult male class which was replaced at the start, and again at the midpoint, of the study. Immature males were selectively harvested to maintain a sex ratio typical of natural troops. Maximum group size during the study was 77 animals.Dominance relationships were remarkably stable, with only 4.4% of dyads failing to show unidirectional relationships. Despite this stability, a linear ranking of all group members was not possible. Male dominance relationships with other males were among the most stable, following the fighting which ensued on male introductions. Male introductions did not disrupt female dominance relationships.Adult female dominance relationships were also quite stable, but immature females slowly achieved dominance over older sisters and females subordinate to their mothers. Such reversals were the result of processes lasting over many months. Many dominance assertions occurred prior to puberty but a significant number occurred following sexual maturity. Maturing females did not reverse dominance relationships according to any particular hierarchial order and, as a consequence, many were subordinate to animals that were dominated by others that they dominated.Although there was an alpha male that was dominant to all animals in the group, adult females dominated most adult males. Adult males, however, often reciprocated aggression directed at them. They almost invariably threatened or countercharged aggressive immature animals regardless of matriarchial membership. Adult males dominated some adult and most young females, even in families containing matriarchs and adult females to which the adult males always submitted.The dominance relationships of young males were similar to those of their sisters, until puberty. Young males did not necessarily bypass adult males that their mothers outranked, and often failed to win against adult females that their mothers dominated. Adolescent female aggression against females is seldom interfered with by adult males, and females may actively aid one another against males. In contrast, the aggression of young males often elicits interference by adult males, and young males often become the targets of redirected aggression in the group. As a consequence, whereas young females rise in rank to positions adjacent to their mothers, adolescent males often suffer losses to animals that they had dominated as juveniles.     

Kinship and Dominance Rank Influence the Strength of Social Bonds in Female Geladas (Theropithecus gelada)

In many primates, close social relationships are associated with lower stress, better health, and increased life span. However, individuals do not form bonds indiscriminately; rather, they focus on a few primary partners. This suggests that the identity of the partner may be as important as the bond itself. Although dominance and kinship have repeatedly emerged as salient predictors of female relationships, most of this research comes from species with multimale, multifemale groups and strict dominance hierarchies. Further, kinship was typically determined based on either behavior or on known mother–daughter relationships alone. To understand the generality of previous findings, we use behavioral and genetic sampling to examine whether dominance rank and/or genetic relatedness mediate female social bonds in geladas (Theropithecus gelada) living in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. First, we found that, even though females in the same unit are closely related, female geladas still preferentially bond with the closest of these relatives. Second, females that were close kin formed the strongest bonds with females of similar rank to themselves. Finally, rank disparity predicted grooming rates but did not predict whether females were nearest neighbors. This suggests that, in contrast with data from other cercopithecines, spatial proximity among females may be less indicative of strong social bonds for geladas, a species that routinely exhibits a high degree of spatial overlap with extra-unit individuals. Together, these results highlight the importance of combining genetic data with detailed behavioral observations to help us understand how individuals choose and interact with social partners.     

Dominance,Age and Aggression among Female Pronghorn,Antilocapra americana (Family: Antilocapridae)

The relationships among dominance, age and aggressive behaviour of marked, female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana; Family Antilocapridae) were studied in north central Colorado. Females formed dominance hierarchies with few circular relationships. Unlike other female ungulates, dominance rank was not correlated with age. Dominance rank was negatively correlated with rate of aggression initiated in summer and winter; however, aggressiveness as an individual trait was not related to dominance. Older females received higher rates of aggression than younger females in summer and winter. During the rut, dominance rank was correlated with rate of aggression received but not with rate of aggression initiated. Patterns of aggression that differ by season within a given hierarchy of dominance relationships suggest a different cause or function of aggressive behaviour in different seasons.     

Captive female gorilla agonistic relationships with clumped defendable food resources

Minimal feeding competition among female mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) has resulted in egalitarian social relationships with poorly defined agonistic dominance hierarchies. Thus, gorillas are generally viewed as non-competitive egalitarian folivores that have had little need to develop effective competitive strategies to access food resources. However, this generalization is inconsistent with more recent research indicating that most gorillas are frugivorous, feeding on patchily distributed food resources. The current study at Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent, England, explores the effects of clumped and defendable foods on female gorilla agonistic relationships among three groups of western lowland gorillas (G. g. gorilla), conditions that are predicted to lead to well-differentiated agonistic dominance hierarchies among female primates. The Howletts gorillas foraged all day on low-energy/-nutrient, high-fiber foods widely distributed around their enclosure by the keepers. However, they also had periodic access to high-energy foods (e.g., nuts, raisins, strawberries, etc.) that the keepers would spread in a clumped and defendable patch. Frequencies of agonistic and submissive behaviors between females and proximity data were gathered. High-status females were found to monopolize the food patch and kept the low-status females at bay with cough-grunt threat vocalizations or by chasing them away. Agonistic interactions were initiated mostly by females of high status; these were directed towards females of low status and were generally not reciprocal. In addition, females of low status engaged in submissive behaviors the most often, which they directed primarily at females of high status, especially in response to aggression by the latter. Agonistic interactions between high- and low-status females had decided outcomes more often than not, with low-status females the losers. Competition over highly desirable foods distributed in defendable clumps at Howletts appears to have led to well-defined dominance relationships among these female gorillas.     

Dominance relationships among male hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas)

The concept of dominance has been shown to be useful in describing and predicting social interactions in group-living animals. However, the dominance relationships among adult hamadryas males (Papio hamadryas) are poorly understood, and systematic data are missing from the literature. This study investigated dominance relationships among male hamadryas baboons by applying novel statistical techniques to systematic detailed data on agonistic interactions. We also analyzed the dominance relationship with male age and evaluated the association between dominance and access to mating partners (i.e. the number of adult females per one-male unit (OMU)), food resources (i.e. monopolization of feeding areas), and greeting interactions. The derived dominance indexes showed that, in general, leader males were dominant over followers, and that dominance ability did not correlate with male age. Individual dominance values were very close to each other, suggesting that dominance relationships among hamadryas males were not very rigid. In addition, dominance values were positively correlated with number of adult females per OMU but not with feeding priority. Finally, greeting interactions occurred more frequently between individuals with similar dominance values and with low levels of dominance decidedness. We suggest the need of further studies, especially in wild populations, to confirm our findings.     

Counter aggression and reconciliation in Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis)

Patterns of aggressive and affiliative behavior, such as counter aggression and reconciliation, are said to covary in the genus Macaca; this is referred to as the systematic variation hypothesis. These behavior patterns constitute a species dominance style. Van Schaik's [1989] socioecological model explains dominance style in macaques in terms of within- and between-group contest competition. Dominance style is also said to correlate with phylogeny in macaques. The present study was undertaken to examine phylogenetic and socioecological explanations of dominance style, as well as the systematic variation hypothesis. We collected data on counter aggression and reconciliation from a habituated group of Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) at the Tukeswari Temple in Assam, India. The proportion of agonistic episodes that involved counter aggression was relatively low. Counter aggression, however, occurred more often among males than among females, and it was most common when females initiated aggression against males. The conciliatory tendency for this group of Assamese macaques was 11.2%. The frequency of reconciliation was low for fights among males and for fights among females, but reconciliation was particularly rare for opposite-sexed opponents. Female social relationships were consistent with the systematic variation hypothesis, and suggest a despotic dominance style. A despotic dominance style in Assamese macaques weakens the correlation between dominance style and phylogeny in macaques, but it is not inconsistent with the socioecological model. Male-female relationships were not well explained by the despotic-egalitarian framework, and males may well have more tolerant social relationships than do females. Sex differences need to be considered when categorizing species according to dominance style.     

Interrelationship of serum testosterone, dominance and ovarian cyclicity status in female African elephants

The African elephant population in North American zoos is not self-sustaining, in part due to the prevalence of ovarian acyclicity. While little is known about the cause of this condition, earlier research has shown that females without cyclic corpus luteum (CL) function rank higher in the dominance hierarchy than females with cyclic CL function. The goal of this study was to measure longitudinal serum testosterone concentrations in captive female African elephants to determine if there is a relationship among serum testosterone concentrations, social dominance rank and ovarian cyclicity status. Weekly blood samples from 49 female African elephants (24 having and 25 not having cyclic CL function at 22 facilities) were collected over a 12-month period and analyzed for serum testosterone using an enzymeimmunoassay. A progesterone radioimmunoassay was used to quantify serum progestagen concentrations and categorize ovarian cyclicity status. The dominance hierarchy of individual elephants within each herd was assessed by a written temperament survey, which identified 19 dominant, 15 middle and 15 subordinate females. No clear patterns of serum testosterone secretion were observed in females with and without cyclic CL function. Furthermore, no significant relationships were found among serum testosterone concentrations, dominance rank, and ovarian cyclicity status. These data suggest that increased circulating testosterone concentrations are not associated with greater rates of ovarian acyclicity or dominance status in captive female African elephants.     

Changes in the dominance rank and reproductive behaviour of male bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata)

The dominance rank of male bonnet macaques influenced their associations and sexual interactions with cycling and conceiving females. Only high-ranking males formed exclusive associations with high-ranking females, and high-ranking males copulated with these females more often than did other males. Changes in male dominance rank were directly related to changes in male mating behaviour, as males who rose in rank spent increasing amounts of time in exclusive proximity to conceiving high-ranking females, and males whose ranks declined spent decreasing amounts of time in proximity to such females. The year of the study in which dominance relationships were most stable was also the year in which the top-ranking male most successfully monopolized access to conceiving high-ranking females.