喀斯特生境中猕猴的活动节律和时间分配

2006年9月至2007年8月,在广西弄岗国家级自然保护区选择一群猕猴(Macaca mulatta)作为观察对象,采用瞬时扫描取样法收集相关的行为数据,以日活动节律和活动时间分配为切人点,探讨猕猴对喀斯特石山生境的行为适应策略.结果表明,猕猴的日活动节律表现为上午和下午的觅食高峰,中午进入长时间的休息期.这可能与白天...     

半散放东北虎行为活动时间的分配

1998年5年－2001年4月在黑龙江东北虎林园,采用焦点动物取样法对10只半散放东北虎（5雌5雄）全年的昼间行为活动时间分配进行了研究。结果表明：（1）半散放东北虎的运动（37．53％）和休息（32．45％）行为较多,站立（6．24％）,摄食（10．13％）,社会（8．36％）和其他（5．29％,包括饮水,排遗,修饰等）行为较少;（2）不同季节的活动规律相似,运动,摄食,站立和社会行为在上午和下午各有1个高峰期,休息在中午有1个高峰期,运动和行为在存,冬季明显比春,秋季增多。将上述结果与笼养和野生东北虎的进行了比较,并提出了在今后的野化训练中应采取的措施。     

贺兰山岩羊不同年龄和性别昼间时间分配的季节差异

2003年11月-2004年10月在宁夏贺兰山国家级自然保护区苏峪口国家森林公园,在每个月的11-20日采用瞬时扫描取样法,利用SJ-1型电子事件记录器观察记录岩羊的取食、休息、运动、站立和其他行为.冬季每天的观察时间为800-1700,春、秋季为700-1800,夏季为600-2000.采用非参数估计中的2个相关样本的Wilcoxon检验、2个独立样本的Mann-Whitney U检验和K个独立样本的Kruskal-Wallis H检验对岩羊不同性别、年龄以及季节变化进行了比较.结果表明,①岩羊行为的年时间分配,取食行为最高[(63.49±7.82)%];其次是休息[(19.32±6.79)%];运动和站立较低[分别占(8.03±0.91)%和(6.66±0.57)%];其他行为所占比例最低[(2.67±0.34)%];一年中7月取食行为最低,休息最高;而在2月取食最高,运动、站立和其他行为变化不大.②春夏秋3个季节的昼间取食行为均呈现2个(清晨和黄昏)明显高峰;冬季1天中取食均达到60%以上,其他行为明显高于另外3个季节.③不同年龄年取食行为成体和亚成体>幼体;休息成体和亚成体<幼体;运动和站立幼体<成体和亚成体;亚成体的运动高于成体,而站立低于成体.④不同性别月取食行为雄性在2月最高,其余月份均低于70%;而雌性虽然也是2月最高,但从11月-次年2月均超过70%;休息行为雌雄接近;运动行为雄性高于雌性.贺兰山岩羊的昼间时间分配与许多温带有蹄类动物一样,食物数量和质量的变化以及岩羊自身不同的生长阶段和生理时期是决定其昼间时间分配的主要因素.     

环境和社会因素对喀斯特石山猕猴日活动节律和活动时间分配的影响

2007年9月至2008年8月,以广西弄岗国家级自然保护区内的一大群野生猕猴为研究对象进行连续的跟踪观察,采用瞬时扫描取样法收集其食物组成、活动节律和活动时间分配的数据,旨在探讨影响石山猕猴活动节律及活动时间分配的环境和社会因素。结果表明：研究猴群的日活动节律表现为上午和下午的觅食高峰以及中午的休息高峰,这与白天温度和日照强度的变化有关。日活动时间分配中,休息42.1%,移动34.5%,觅食15.1%,玩耍2.0%,理毛5.2%,其他行为1.3%。猴群依据食物的变化调整活动时间分配,其中用于移动的时间与食物中果实的比例成显著的正相关性。不同性别年龄组个体的活动时间分配表现出显著差异,主要表现为成年雄性花费更多的时间休息,而成年雌性花费更多的时间觅食和社会性理毛,未成年个体则花费更多的时间玩耍。与同域分布的小群猕猴相比,本研究群花费更多的时间休息,较少的时间觅食。这些差异可能与盗食农作物有关。     

成年雌性太行山猕猴活动时间分配的季节性变化:食物和温度的影响

活动时间分配是指动物根据环境和自身需求从事各种基本行为和活动的过程,受季节性变化的食物和温度等生态因素的影响。2013年3月至2014年2月,在太行山猕猴国家级自然保护区天坛山管护区,采用目标动物取样法,观察并记录了一个野生太行山猕猴群(WW-1群)内成年雌性个体的活动特征及其季节性变化,旨在了解成年雌性猕猴的日活动时间分配及其影响因素。结果表明:(1)成年雌性猕猴的活动时间分配表现出明显的季节性变化。春季,雌性猕猴花费52.9%时间于休息、19.5%时间于取食、11.8%时间于移动;夏季,用于休息、取食、移动的时间比例分别为53.4%、18.0%和11.3%;秋季,猕猴花费35.9%时间于取食、30.0%时间于休息,15.9%时间于移动;冬季,用于取食、休息和移动的时间比例分别为35.4%、39.7%和8.0%;(2)春季,成年雌性太行山猕猴主要取食种子(35.4%)和树叶(34.3%);夏季,树叶(73.5%)主导其每日食物组成;秋季,主要取食种子(98.1%);冬季,树皮(82.1%)则成为猕猴的主要食物;(3)当每日食物组成以草和树叶为主时,猕猴用于取食的时间增加,移动时间减少;当每日食物组成以种子为主时,则取食时间减少,移动时间增加;(4)随着气温降低,猕猴取食时间增加,而移动时间减少。总之,成年雌性太行山猕猴的日活动时间分配主要受季节性变化的食物资源和气温的影响,它们可通过日活动时间的调整以适应食物和环境温度的季节性变化。     

普氏原羚昼夜行为时间分配的研究

在春（３－４月０、夏（６－７月０、秋（９－１０月）３个季节内对３８５只次个体进行了２３１０９２ｓ（６４．１９ｈ）目标观察,对普氏原羚季节间的行为差异做了比较和方差分析;春、夏及春、秋两季间的采食时间比例差异显著（分别为Ｄ＝０．１９６７〉Ｄ０．０５及Ｄ＝０．２５５６〉Ｄ０．０５）;移动时间夏季与秋季间的差异极显著（Ｄ＝０．０５６８６〉Ｄ０．０１）;在春秋、夏秋间的站立凝视时间比例的差异极显著（分别为     

笼养和半散放东北虎行为时间分配及活动规律差异的比较

1998年 3月～ 2 0 0 1年 4月 ,在哈尔滨动物园和黑龙江东北虎林园采用全事件取样法、扫描取样法和目标取样法 ,对笼养和半散放东北虎的行为时间分配和活动规律进行了比较研究。结果表明 ,在时间分配方面 ,笼养东北虎的休息远远高于半散放东北虎 ,而摄食、站立和其它行为则明显低于半散放东北虎 ,笼养和半散放东北虎的运动较为接近。在活动规律方面 ,虽然笼养和半散放东北虎均有 2个运动的高峰期 ,但笼养东北虎的相对集中且变化幅度较大 ;半散放东北虎的休息有 1个明显的高峰期和 2个不明显的高峰期 ,与笼养东北虎的 1个高峰期有很大不同 ;笼养东北虎的摄食仅出现在 16∶0 0～ 17∶0 0 ,而半散放东北虎则在 1d中均有发生 ,且在 9∶0 0～ 11∶0 0和 14∶0 0～ 16∶0 0有 2个高峰期 ;笼养和半散放东北虎的站立和其它行为变化规律较为相似 ,但半散放东北虎的发生强度要远远高于笼养东北虎。通过对笼养和半散放东北虎各种行为进行的配对T检验 ,发现二者的休息、摄食、站立和其它行为存在极显著差异 (P<0 0 0 1)。     

蒙古野驴昼间行为的时间分配

2005年3月至2006年6月,研究了内蒙古中部中蒙边境地区蒙古野驴(Eqqus hemionus hemionus)的昼间行为及时间分配,并建立了蒙古野驴的昼间行为谱。统计分析表明,蒙古野驴用于取食的时间最多,平均超过50%,其次是站立。蒙古野驴在冬春季节(11月至次年4月)取食时间明显长于夏秋季(5～10月)。蒙古野驴一天中7:00～10:00时和16:00～18:00时为取食高峰期,11:00～14:00时为其站立和休息高峰,蒙古野驴的其他行为没有明显的高峰期。雌雄蒙古野驴昼间行为时间分配的统计分析表明,取食、运动、卧息和站立凝视无显著的性别差异,而争斗和其他行为两性的差异显著。蒙古野驴昼间用于取食的时间最长,冬春季取食时间(53·95%)多于夏秋季(48·92%)。冬春季,蒙古野驴减少了运动和站立的时间,用于卧息的时间略有增加,中午前后两个取食高峰的间隔时间明显短于夏秋季。蒙古野驴通常在草原的开阔区域取食和移动,在背风和较为隐蔽处卧息。作者进行野外观察时,蒙古野驴对观察者表现出高度的警惕。     

半圈养条件下秋冬季水鹿行为时间分配的研究

对秋冬两个季节半圈养条件下水鹿行为的时间分配研究表明,水鹿在秋季时间花费最多的行为是休息,在冬季时间花费最多的则是站立。ｔ检验的结果显示,与秋季相比,雌雄水鹿在冬季都减少了休息和反刍的时间,而站立的时间增加。在冬季雌鹿站立的时间多于雄鹿,而雌鹿臣地休息的时间少于雄鹿。同样,在秋季雌鹿站立的时间极显著多于雄鹿。     

普氏原羚昼间行为时间分配的研究

在春（３～４月）、夏（６～７月）、秋（９～１０月）３个季节内对３８５只次个体进行了２３１０９２ｓ（６４．１９ｈ）目标观察。对普氏原羚季节间的行为差异做了比较和方差分析：春、夏及春、秋两季间的采食时间比例差异显著（分别为Ｄ＝０．１９６７＞Ｄ０．０５及Ｄ＝０．２５５６＞Ｄ０．０５）;移动时间比例在夏季与秋季间的差异极显著（Ｄ＝０．０５６８６＞Ｄ０．０１）;在春秋、夏秋间的站立凝视时间比例的差异极显著（分别为Ｄ＝０．１０７８４＞Ｄ０．０１及Ｄ＝０．０７８８２＞Ｄ０．０１）;卧息时间比例在３个季节间的差异不显著     

Parameter comparison of white matter diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

In this study, we analyzed diffusion tensor imaging(DTI) results of brain white matter in rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta) with four different parameter settings and found that the sequence A(b=1 000 s/mm2, spatial resolution=1.25 mm×1.25 mm× 1.25 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3) and B(b=800 s/mm2, spatial resolution=1.25 mm×1.25 mm×1.25 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3) could accurately track coarse fibers. The fractional anisotropy(FA) derived from sequence C(b=1 000s/mm2, spatial resolution=0.55 mm×0.55 mm×2.5 mm, direction number=33, NSA=3) was too fuzzy to be used in tracking white matter fibers. By comparison, the high resolution and the FA with high contrast of gray matter and white matter derived from sequence D(b=800 s/mm2, spatial resolution=1.0 mm×1.0 mm ×1.0 mm, numbers of direction=33, NSA=3) qualified in its application in tracking both thick and thin fibers, making it an optimal DTI setting for rhesus macaques.     

The development of behavioural sex differences in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Studies of infant rhesus macaques have generally reported sex differences in the frequency of expression of some behaviour patterns, such as rough-and-tumble play and socio-sexual mounting. In contrast, sex differences in other behaviour patterns, such as proximity to the mother, have been less consistantly reported. Using data on the behavioural development of infant rhesus macaques living in captive social groups, we have attempted to provide further evidence for, or against, sex differences in behaviour and to investigate the possible influence of maternal rank and parity on sex differences in infant behaviour and mother-infant interactions. The behaviour of 14 male and 20 female infants and their mothers was studied during the first six months of life, including measures of play behaviour socio-sexual mounting, and mother-infant interactions. Our data reveal that, on average, male infants exhibited more rough-and-tumble play and mounting than female infants, and also exhibited stationary play, chasing play, and initiated play more frequently than females. Such sex differences appear to be robust in macaques and have been reported in a variety of housing conditions. male and female infants did not differ in the amount of time spent at particular distances from their mothers, and mothers were not found to behave differently towards sons and daughters, using measures of restraint, rejection, and grooming. These results are in contrast to previous studies on singly-housed mother-infant pairs but similar to those on free-ranging populations. Mothers did behave differently towards their infants depending upon the mother's rank and previous number of offspring. These maternal characteristics may have significant consequences for the behavioural development of both male and female infant primates.     

Consortships and conceptions in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

A captive group of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) was observed during the breeding season to determine if consortship behavior, rather than promiscuous matings, resulted in higher reproductive success for either partner. The 38 adult females in this group were observed “in consort” with the 5 adult or 4 subadult males on 179 occasions. Most of these consortships were short-term, lasting less than one day. Six females engaged in consortships with one male that spanned more than three days, but the majority of these long-term associations did not result in a pregnancy with that male. The term “consortship” has been traditionally accepted as a specific nonhuman primate mating pattern, but the exact nature of this behavioral pattern and its evolutionary importance have been less clearly understood. Consort behavior could be considered a precursor to a monogamous mating system if long-term exclusive sexual associations resulted in higher reproductive success for the participants. But this study demonstrates that for rhesus macaques, who exhibit both consort behavior and more promiscuous matings, there is no clear reproductive advantage to long-term consortships. In light of the inconsistent use of the term consortship, the possible adaptive significance of an exclusive male-female sexual association for the evolution of human mating patterns needs to be reevaluated.     

太行山猕猴的冬季生境选择

2007 年11 月至2008 年2 月,在太行山猕猴国家级自然保护区愚公保护站,根据观察到的猕猴活动痕迹和位置,设置了180 个10 m × 10 m 的样方。在这些样方中,对10 个生态因子(地形、海拔高度、坡位、坡向、坡度、离水源距离、人为干扰、郁闭度、隐蔽度、平均胸径)进行了调查分析,以期了解太行山猕猴的冬季生境选择特征。结果表明:太行山猕猴在冬季喜好选择的生境特征为:倾向于围绕大树(乔木平均胸径> 15 cm)活动;较之其它季节,冬季的猕猴更愿意接近人类居所(< 2 000 m),并选择离水源近(< 1 000 m)的地方活动,说明直接饮水可能是猕猴在干旱冬季获得足量水分的重要途径;冬季猕猴喜欢在坡度为15° ～40°、郁闭度< 60% 的阳坡活动,活动区域的海拔高度为1 000 ～1 300 m。猕猴对生境中地形特征和坡位无明显偏好,对活动地点的隐蔽条件也无特殊要求。文中还对所选择的生态因子进行了主成分分析,结果表明,前5 个主成分的特征值均大于1,其累积贡献率达到70.713% ,可以较好地反映猕猴的冬季生境特征。     

Early maternal recognition of offspring vocalizations in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

This study investigated the development of maternal recognition of infant calls in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Fifteen mothers and their offspring, of age ranging from several hours to 28 days, served as subjects of an experiment in which the offspring's distress vocalizations were recorded and then played back to their mothers simultaneously with those of an age-matched control infant. The proportion of time looking at, but not the proportion of orientations to the speaker playing the offspring's vocalizations increased significantly as a function of infant age. Specifically, mothers of infants older than 1 week of age responded longer to the playback of their own infant's calls than did mothers of younger infants. These findings provide the firt evidence that offspring recognition in macaques develops between the first and second week of the infant's life and are consistent with the hypothesis that mothers need to be exposed to their infants' calls in order to learn their acoustic characteristics.     

Umbilical cord hypercoiling in two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Obstruction of umbilical blood flow is a common cause of death in fetal nonhuman primates, but cord accidents have not been reported in the macaque. We describe two cases of cord accident in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) resulting in fetal death at approximately 110 and 50 days of gestation, respectively.     

Genetic characterization of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in Nepal

Indian-origin rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) have long served as an animal model for the study of human disease and behavior. Given the current shortage of Indian-origin rhesus, many researchers have turned to rhesus macaques from China as a substitute. However, a number of studies have identified marked genetic differences between the Chinese and Indian animals. We investigated the genetic characteristics of a third rhesus population, the rhesus macaques of Nepal. Twenty-one rhesus macaques at the Swoyambhu Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, were compared with more than 300 Indian- and Chinese-origin rhesus macaques. The sequence analyses of two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci, from the HVS I and 12 S rRNA regions, showed that the Nepali animals were more similar to Indian-origin than to Chinese-origin animals. The distribution of alleles at 24 short tandem repeat (STR) loci distributed across 17 chromosomes also showed greater similarity between the Nepali and Indian-origin animals. Finally, an analysis of seven major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles showed that the Nepali animals expressed Class I alleles that are common to Indian-origin animals, including Mamu-A*01. All of these analyses also revealed a low level of genetic diversity within this Nepali rhesus sample. We conclude that the rhesus macaques of Nepal more closely resemble rhesus macaques of Indian origin than those of Chinese origin. As such, the Nepali rhesus may offer an additional resource option for researchers who wish to maintain research protocols with animals that possess key genetic features characteristic of Indian-origin rhesus macaques.     

Oxytocin and pair compatibility in adult male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Pair housing is considered one of the best ways of promoting psychological wellbeing for caged macaques. However, incompatible partnerships can result in stress or aggression. Though previous studies have analyzed the role of variables such as age, weight, gender, and temperament on pair compatibility, few have examined the relationship between physiological parameters and pair compatibility. Oxytocin is known to promote prosocial nonsexual behavior in various primate species and may serve as an indicator of pair compatibility. In this study, we examined the association between peripheral oxytocin levels and prosocial behaviors in isosexual pairs of male rhesus macaques. We hypothesized that animals that demonstrated high levels of prosocial behaviors would have higher oxytocin levels than those showing low levels of the behavior. In addition, to elucidate the relationship between oxytocin and compatibility, we compared peripheral oxytocin between the highly affiliative animals and single‐housed males identified as having multiple unsuccessful pair attempts with multiple partners. We collected plasma oxytocin on 40 pairs of monkeys that had lived together for at least 1 month and 20 single‐housed animals. Further, we simultaneously collected behavioral data on the pairs, recording prosocial interactions (e.g., groom, play). Oxytocin varied among individuals, but was highly correlated between members of a pair (r = 0.58, p < .001). Additionally, prosocial behavior was positively correlated with plasma oxytocin (r = 0.38, p < .02). However, contrary to our expectations, oxytocin did not differ between single and highly affiliative pair‐housed animals (F_(1,38) = 0.71, p = .40). Our results suggest that oxytocin may be associated with the quality of isosexual pairs of male macaques. More work is needed to determine the nature of this relationship.     

Social rank and cortisol among female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

In animal societies, some stressful events can lead to higher levels of physiological stress. Such stressors, like social rank, also predict an increased vulnerability to an array of diseases. However, the physiological relationship between social rank and stress varies between different species, as well as within groups of a single species. For example, dominant individuals are more socially stressed at times, while at other times it is the subordinate ones who experience this stress. Together, these variations make it difficult to assess disease vulnerability as connected to social interactions. In order to learn more about how physiological rank relationships vary between groups of a single species, cortisol measurements from hair samples were used to evaluate the effects of dominance rank on long-term stress levels in despotic and less stringent female rhesus macaque hierarchal groups. In despotic groups, cortisol levels were found not to be correlated with social rank, but a negative correlation was found between social rank and cortisol levels in less stringent hierarchies. Low ranking monkeys in less stringent groups secreted elevated levels of cortisol compared to higher ranking animals. These data suggest that variations in the strictness of the dominance hierarchy are determining factors in rank related stress physiology. The further consideration of nonhuman primate social system diversity and the linear degree of their hierarchies may allow for the development of valid rank-related stress models that will help increase our understanding and guide the development of new therapeutics for diseases related to human socioeconomic status.