Recognition of social relationships in bridging behavior among Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Bridging behavior among male Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) was studied in a free-ranging group at Mt. Huangshan, China. This behavior was defined as a type of affiliative behavior in which two individuals simultaneously lifted up one infant. Bridging behavior occurred after an adult male carried an infant to another male or approached another male who was holding an infant. Each male frequently held and groomed a particular infant in the group, which was named an “affiliated” infant of the male. Males were more frequently provided with their affiliated infant by other males than with other non-affiliated infants. This finding suggests that male Tibetan macaques recognized the affiliative relationship between a male and his affiliated infant, and chose that infant for bridging behavior on the basis of this knowledge. Such choice might be important for effective bridging behavior or other affiliative interactions between males. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Female behavioral strategies during consortship in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Consortship has been defined as a temporary association between an adult male and an estrous/receptive female. It has been considered as male mating strategies to improve male mating success and potential reproductive success. However, the female roles have been more or less neglected, and thus, less is known about female behavioral strategies during the consortship periods. In this study, during the two consecutive mating seasons, we collected behavioral data of free‐ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) habituated in Mt. Huangshan, China, to investigate female behaviors when she was consorted by an adult male. The results showed that (a) females were more likely to approach and exhibit sexual solicitation to their consorting males during the consorted period, and females also exhibited less approach to their nonconsorting males; (b) females exhibited strong responses (either departed distantly or formed affiliative relationships with their consorting male partner) when their consorting males mated with rival females or showed sexual motivation toward rival females; (c) female preferences were positively correlated to the duration of consortships and the frequencies of ejaculation copulations, independent of the social ranks of their consorting male partners. Our results suggested that female strategies played much more important roles in forming and maintaining consortship than previously assumed. It provides new insight into understanding female adaptive strategies to male strategies by forming consortships in multimale–multifemale primate species when males could not identify female''s fertile phase accurately.     

季节和等级顺位对雄性黄山短尾猴粪样皮质醇水平的影响

在长期的进化选择压力下,灵长类动物大多数群居生活,群体中的动物个体也面临来自群内成员强度不一的社会压力,压力大小的重要生理指标通常用其体内的皮质醇水平的变化来衡量.季节性繁殖的黄山短尾猴(Macaca thibetana),群体内的个体有严格的社会等级,是研究等级顺位与社会压力水平之间关系的理想研究对象.我们采集13只...     

Male Tibetan macaques' (Macaca thibetana) choice of infant bridging partners

Adult male Tibetan(Macaca thibetana), Barbary(M. sylvanus), and stump-tailed macaques(M. arctoides) engage in bridging, a ritualized infant-handling behavior. Previous researchers found a bias toward the use of male infants for this behavior, but its function is debated. Explanations include three hypotheses: paternal care, mating effort, and agonistic buffering. We studied a group of habituated, provisioned Tibetan macaques to test whether adult males' affiliative relationships with females predicted their use of an infant for bridging. We also examined biases for sex, age, and individual in males' choice of bridging infant. We collected data via all occurrences, focal animal, and scan methods, from August to September 2011 at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys, China. We found that male infants were significantly preferred over females for bridging, but of three male infants in the group, only one was used by all males, while one male infant was used less often than expected. Adult males had females they were significantly more likely to be proximate to and/or to groom, but these corresponded to the mother of the bridging infant for only one male. Our results are most consistent with the agonistic buffering hypothesis: lower-ranked males used the alpha male's preferred bridging infant in an attempt to regulate their interactions with the alpha.     

野生藏酋猴冬季食物组成及营养成分

觅食是获取营养物质和能量的重要途经。对于栖息在四季分明地区的灵长类动物而言,低温以及食物资源相对匮乏的冬季是其生存和生长发育的瓶颈期。本研究以安徽黄山的野生藏酋猴(Macaca thibetana)天湖山群为对象,于2019年11月至2020年1月采用瞬时扫描取样法(Instantaneous scan sampling)采集猴群觅食行为数据,并分析其冬季食物组成及食物中各化学成分含量对取食的影响。结果显示,野生藏酋猴在冬季共取食23科31属34种植物,主要包括壳斗科(Fagaceae, 21.62%)、樟科(Lauraceae, 17.57%)、蔷薇科(Rosaceae, 8.11%)的植物,取食部位以叶片(66.22%)和果实(种子)(24.32%)为主。不同取食部位的水分、总糖、淀粉、脂肪、单宁等成分存在显著差异。其中,叶片的水分含量高于果实(种子)、茎和芽,茎和果实(种子)含有较高的总糖,果实(种子)的淀粉和脂肪含量最高,芽的单宁含量最高。此外,取食植物中的总糖含量高于非取食植物。结果表明,野生藏酋猴适应寒冷冬季与食物匮乏的觅食策略是对植物种类、植物部位及其主要营养成分的综合结...     

雄性短尾猴维持临时配偶关系的行为适应性

临时配偶关系指多雌多雄灵长类群体中的一只成年雄性连续跟随一只成年发情期/性接受期的雌性形成的异性关系,在季节性繁殖物种的交配季节表现的尤为明显,是雄性个体提高交配成功的策略之一。为了探讨能量消耗对这种行为的约束,本研究于2017年8月至2018年1月,以栖息于安徽黄山的短尾猴鱼鳞坑A1群（YA1群）的8~10只成年雄性为研究对象,采用目标动物取样法、行为取样法以及全事件记录法采集成年雄性自然发生的行为数据。通过分析移动时间、觅食时间和交配频次等行为指标,同时测定作为个体能量状态生理指标的尿液C-肽浓度（Urinary C-peptide , UCP）,从行为和生理两个方面研究雄性短尾猴维持临时配偶关系的适应性特征。研究期间,在临时配偶期内,雄性的移动时间无显著变化,但觅食时间和交配频率显著增加;在临时配偶期内,当存在雄性竞争者时,雄性的觅食时间显著减少;临时配偶关系对雄性的UCP水平无显著影响。结果表明,雄性短尾猴在临时配偶期内可能会根据能量消耗的情况以及守护雌性周围的社会环境对自身行为进行调整,以减少其在临时配偶期内的能量投资,提高自身维持临时配偶关系的行为适应性。     

黄山短尾猴交配叫声及其影响因素

哺乳动物在交配过程中经常会发出独特且有节奏的交配叫声(Copulation call),这通常被认为是雌雄双方交配策略的一种体现.交配叫声的发生及其影响因素在不同物种间差异较大,对其深入研究有助于比较和揭示不同动物交配策略的差异及其适应性功能.为了阐明交配叫声的生物学和社会学因素,我们在安徽黄山记录了野生黄山短尾猴(M...     

雄性黄山短尾猴(Macaca thibetana)攻击支持雌性以换取交配回报

生物市场理论认为动物个体之间通过某种协定交换有价值的商品,使双方均受益。该研究采用目标动物法、行为取样法和连续记录法,对浮溪黄山野生猴谷鱼鳞坑短尾猴(Macaca thibetana)A1群(YA1群)和A2群(YA2群)成年个体在非繁殖季节(2011年8月—12月)和繁殖季节(2012年2月—5月)的雄性攻击支持雌性行为和交配行为进行研究,探讨雄性攻击支持雌性与交配之间的关系。两猴群在繁殖季节和非繁殖季节雄性攻击支持雌性与交配行为均呈显著正相关;YA2群繁殖季节与非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次均显著高于随机交配;YA1群在繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次与随机交配频次差异不显著,但在非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次显著高于随机交配,说明短尾猴成年雄性攻击支持雌性可以换取与该雌性个体的交配回报。本研究验证了生物市场理论中社会行为存在交换,首次证明了雄性攻击支持可以换取雌性的交配回报,为进一步研究雄性性竞争与雌性选择提供了实例。     

藏酋猴Mhc-DPB1基因exon2的多态性

主要组织相容性复合体(Major histocompatibility complex,MHC)对许多疾病的易感性和抵抗力起着重要的作用。为了解藏酋猴(Macaca thibetana)的MHC基因遗传背景,以促进藏酋猴遗传资源的保护及其在生物医学研究中的应用,文章采用PCR扩增和克隆测序等方法对来自四川地区的70个藏酋猴样品的Mhc-DPB1基因exon 2进行了检测和分析。首次在藏酋猴中获得了18个DPB1等位基因(Math-DPB1),其中1个为假基因(Math-DPB1*01:06N)。18个等位基因中,Math-DPB1*06:01:01(67.14%)的阳性检出率最高,其次为Math-DPB1*01:03:01(37.14%)、Math-DPB1*09:02(25.71%)和Math-DPB1*22:01(15.71%)。氨基酸序列比对发现,藏酋猴Math-DPB1等位基因编码的氨基酸序列中,有5个氨基酸残基变异位点表现出物种特异性。不同物种来源的DPB1等位基因系统发生树表明,藏酋猴、猕猴(Macaca mulatta)和食蟹猴(Macaca fascicularis)的DPB1等位基因不是以物种特异性方式聚类,而是种间混聚在一起,并显示出明显的跨物种多态性(Trans-species polymorphism)。选择性检验表明,平衡选择(Balancing selection)在维持Math-DPB1基因的多态性中起着重要的作用。     

雄性短尾猴个体特征与临时配偶关系研究

多雄多雌的灵长类社会群体中,性成熟的雄性和雌性形成临时性的配偶关系（Consortship）是极其显著特征,但这种关系对个体的交配和繁殖成功作用缺少深入研究。本研究以栖息于安徽黄山的短尾猴YA1群为研究对象,采用全事件取样法（All occurrences recording）、目标动物取样法（Focal animal sampling）以及行为取样法（Behavioral sampling method）记录个体间的社会行为、雄性的配偶数量和临时配偶关系的持续时间,对雄性短尾猴临时配偶关系的基本特征与适应策略进行了初步探讨。研究期间,雄性个体的顺位发生替换,在替换前后,处于高顺位的雄性个体始终拥有最多的配偶数量以及形成的临时配偶关系的持续时间最长,并且雄性个体的顺位与临时配偶关系呈正相关关系（顺位变化前：配偶数量：P = 0.010;持续时间：P = 0.014;顺位变化后：配偶数量：P = 0.032;持续时间：P = 0.035）;雄性个体的年龄与临时配偶关系无显著相关性（配偶关系：P = 0.150;持续时间：P = 0.511）;雄性个体在群体中生活的时间与临时配偶关系呈显著正相关（配偶数量：P = 0.034;持续时间：P = 0.023）;雄性个体的社会关系与临时配偶关系呈显著正相关（顺位变化前：配偶数量,P = 0.013;持续时间,P = 0.001;顺位变化后：配偶数量,P < 0.001;持续时间,P = 0.003）。研究结果表明：雄性个体的顺位、在群体中生活时间以及社会关系对临时配偶的形成起主要作用,这为进一步阐明雄性行为策略与临时配偶关系提供新的科学依据。     

First occurrence of twins in provisioned free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Huangshan, China

A first case of newborn Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana) twins was observed in a free-ranging group at Huangshan, China. The female that gave birth to the twins was studied during their first 5 months post-partum, and her activity budget was compared to those of adult females with single or no offspring in order to assess her behavioral changes. Our report shows that female Tibetan macaques can produce twins, and that twins can successfully survive. The adult female with twins spent more time foraging and resting, but less time moving and engaged in other social behaviors than adult females with a single infant or no infant. Our report provides a case of successfully surviving twins in a wild environment and suggests that the mother modified her behavior patterns to adapt to the heavy burden. We conclude that both food provisioning and the mother’s behavioral strategies facilitated the survivorship of twins. This expands our understanding of the reproductive biology of Tibetan macaques.     

黄山野生短尾猴理毛发生部位的差异

理毛行为是指动物个体用双手或单手从自身或其他个体的毛发中检出颗粒物并放入嘴里咀嚼或直接用嘴进行清理的过程,在灵长类动物社会中普遍存在且频繁发生.本研究以栖息于安徽黄山的野生短尾猴(Macaca thibetana)为研究对象,于2019年7-12月采用目标动物取样法采集行为数据,通过比较自我理毛和社会理毛的发生部位和发...     

雄性黄山短尾猴颅骨变量的异速生长研究

对雄性黄山短尾猴颅骨标本的36项主要形态变量指标进行定点测量,并进行了初步的统计分析和异速生长分析。结果表明,大多数变量的统计值在雄性个体间的变化范围都比较大,2/3的变量表现为正的异速生长,1/3的变量表现为负异速生长。颅骨变量的生长存在年龄及部位间的差异,这些差异与雄性的不同生长发育时期、在社群中的不同地位和竞争压力以及取食习性有关。     

非优势顺位雄性黄山短尾猴的交配策略

在多雄多雌、顺位决定交配机会、雄性偏斜繁殖的非人灵长类社会中,低顺位雄性为提高自己的繁殖成功率,通常采取多样的交配策略以获得较多的交配机会。对非优势顺位雄性交配策略的研究可以增加对灵长类社会性行为复杂性的理解,对于深入探讨动物的婚配制度及繁殖策略具有十分重要的科学意义。本研究采用目 标动物取样法和全事件记录法,在２０１２ 年９ －１２ 月（交配期）记录了安徽黄山短尾猴鱼鳞坑ＹＡ１ 群中４ 只成年雄性个体的交配及有关的行为。研究发现：（１）非优势顺位雄性个体在远离优势顺位雄性视野范围的交配频次和交配时间显著高于优势顺位视野范围内;（２）与优势顺位雄性个体相比,非优势顺位雄性的强行交配（forced copulation）和隐秘交配（clandestine copulation）比例较高;（３） 就交配对象而言,对成功生育的雌性个体,优势顺位雄性在选择交配对象时具有明显的倾向性,非优势顺位雄性在选择时倾向性不显著;对未生育的雌性,优势顺位雄性更倾向于选择没有生殖经历的亚成年雌性个体,非优势顺位雄性则倾向于选择处于哺乳后期的成年雌性个体;（４）在具体交配策略上,优势顺位雄性选择跟随（follow） 雌性,非优势顺位雄性则通过做鬼脸 （grimacing）和性追求（sexual chasing）直接获取交配机会。本研究结果表明黄山短尾猴中非优势雄性个体形成了多变的交配策略,更多采取强制性方式,以获得更多的交配机会,多数的交配都是机会性的。     

野生黄山短尾猴雄性睾酮的季节性变化

本文研究了黄山短尾猴野生群体雄性睾酮的变化规律.采用放射性免疫分析方法,对黄山短尾猴鱼鳞坑YA2群成年雄性个体在交配期(2005年10月至2006年1月;2006年7月至9月)与非交配期(2006年2月至6月)的粪便睾酮水平进行了测定,共采集到5只雄性个体的新鲜粪便样品426个.结果表明:在群体水平,黄山短尾猴成年雄性睾酮浓度交配季节(12.283±5.745 ng/ml)显著高于非交配季节(9.424±4.987 ng/ml),季节性变化显著(P<0.01);个体水平上,不同个体雄性睾酮均呈现显著的季节性变化(P<0.01);成年雄性睾酮分泌水平与生境温度变化呈显著正相关关系(P<0.05),且在交配季节初期雄性睾酮浓度最高,交配季节末期降到最低.研究结果支持短尾猴季节性繁殖的结论,且环境温度是影响短尾猴雄性睾酮浓度的可能因素.     

成年雌性短尾猴的社会联系强度及影响因素

灵长类动物社会中,个体间的社会关系是维系群体稳定的重要基础,也影响个体的寿命和繁殖成功。本研究以栖息于安徽黄山的短尾猴YA1群为对象,采用焦点动物取样法和行为取样法采集成年雌性个体在交配期（2015.9 - 2015.12）和非交配期（2016.3 - 2016.5）的社会行为,通过理毛和近距行为计算社会联系强度,探讨群体成员之间的社会关系及影响因素。结果表明：在交配期和非交配期,雌性短尾猴的社会联系强度无显著差异（t = 0.181,P = 0.857）;亲缘关系和社会联系强度呈显著正相关（交配期：r = 0.534, P = 0.001; 非交配期：r = 0.469, P= 0.001）;个体间的等级距离和社会联系强度呈显著负相关（交配期：r = -0.288, P= 0.014; 非交配期：r = -0.238, P= 0.048）;年龄差异和社会联系强度无显著相关性（交配期：r = -0.176, P = 0.181; 非交配期：r = -0.192, P = 0.151）。本研究提示成年雌性短尾猴个体间会形成稳定的社会关系,亲缘关系和等级顺位是影响个体之间社会关系的重要因素。     

成年野生黄山短尾猴的个性特征类型及其性别差异

社会性动物的个性特征是对环境和社群的适应性结果,对个性的研究是探究群居动物复杂社会关系及其差异的重要内容。相对于个性特征评级法和行为编码法,自然观察法是分析判断野生动物个性特征较为理想的方法之一,最大限度地突出了野生动物的自然属性及个性特征类型。本研究以栖息于安徽黄山的野生短尾猴投食群体鱼鳞坑A1群为研究对象,采用目标动物取样法和全事件记录法,于2015年7月至2016年6月期间采集成年个体自然发生的行为数据,并采用主成分分析方法判断成年个体的个性特征及类型,并分析性别差异。结果表明：成年雄性个体具有5种个性特征,即领导型、内向型、社交型、孤僻型以及受欺凌型,成年雌性个体具有6种个性特征,即领导型、孤僻型、内向型、不安型、神经质型以及友好型。研究结果与已有结果一致,说明自然观察法可能是分析野生动物个性类型的较好 选择,同时,不同性别之间个性类型的差异性进一步显示了野生动物自然属性。本研究为深入理解动物个体水平上的差异性及适应性提供了科学依据。     

Influence of dominance rank and affiliation relationships on selfdirected behavior in female Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Self-directed behavior(SDB) is characterized as an indicator of anxiety, frustration and stress in nonhuman primates. In this study, we collected self-directed behavior data from one group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques(Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China(September 2012–May 2013) using a combination of behavioral sampling methods including focal animal sampling, behavioral sampling, continuous sampling and instantaneous sampling. Our results showed that females engaged in significantly higher rates of self-directed behavior when they were in proximity to dominant individuals compared to subordinate ones. Conflict losers significantly increased their SDB rates after agonistic episodes, indicating that SDB might also serve as an index of anxiety in M. thibetana. We further found that females significantly increased their SDB rates when focal individual was proximity to weakly affiliation relationship higher rank members than to strongly affiliation relationship higher rank members. If conflicts were not reconciled, the postconflict SDB rates of losers were higher when they stayed with strongly affiliation opponents; if conflicts were reconciled, victims of strongly affiliation relationships opponents engaged in more SDB rates before reconciliation than after reconciliation, while victims of moderately affiliation relationships opponents did not engaged in more SDB rates before reconciliation than after reconciliation. We conclude that both of dominance rank and affiliation relationships might both influence the SDB rates of female Tibetan macaques significantly, suggesting that SDB is not only an index of anxiety in Tibetan macaques, but also can provide a new insight into evaluation of social relationships between individuals.     

Mating competition and intergroup transfer of males in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Emei,China

In five groups of seasonally provisioned Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Emei, males were sampled for wounds as an indicator of their competition for females during about 80 days in the 1987 mating season. Quantitative data on intergroup transfer were collected in a period between June 1986 and December 1987. The young adult (YA) males, the most active age-class in mating activity and intergroup transfer, received most of the wounds. Wounds tended to appear more in the front of body for YA and subadults (SA) than they did for middle-old aged (MO) males. This implies that some of the MO males were more active and aggressive in the fights. During the 1.5 year period, 5/6 of the YA and 5/17 of the MO males made intergroup shifts. Although YA males faced a high risk of receiving wounds at transfer, they usually rose in rank. On the other hand, the MO males transferred more smoothly but dropped in rank. The peripheral SA males, which rarely emigrated in the population, were an active component in determining the wounding rate, and the rate and direction of male migration. Three SA immigrants died of severe attacks made by resident males in 1988 and 1991. Adult sex ratios and their variations were considerably reduced with male nonrandom shifts and better conservation of the population.