Development of a system for individual feeding of baboons maintained in an outdoor group social environment

We developed a system that allows individual feeding of adult baboons, 8-15 years of age, maintained in an outdoor group social environment. The purpose of the system is to allow careful monitoring and control of individual diet. Baboons were housed in two group cages, 16 females and a single male in one and 12 females and a single male in the other. Baboons exited the group cage once daily and passed along a chute and over a scale into individual cages where they received their individual diets. Food intake was monitored during their 2-hour stay in the individual cages. Baboons rapidly learned to use this system. Food intake and weight were stable within 20 days. Food consumed decreased during the period of sexual receptivity. The maintenance of the group social environment allowed observations on the group's dominance structure and the relationship of dominance to food consumption. Speed of food access in the group cage was related to dominance. Dominance was not related to food consumed in individual cages. The system permits study of many variables related to behavior and food intake while still retaining critical social interactions.     

Body composition and cardiometabolic disease risk factors in captive baboons (Papio hamadryas sp.): Sexual dimorphism

Baboons (Papio hamadryas sp.) exhibit significant sexual dimorphism in body size. Sexual dimorphism is also exhibited in a number of circulating factors associated with risk of cardiometabolic disease. We investigated whether sexual dimorphism in body size and composition underlie these differences. We examined data from 28 male and 24 female outdoor group‐housed young adult baboons enrolled in a longitudinal observational study of cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Animals were sedated with ketamine HCl (10 mg/kg) before undergoing venous blood draws, basic body measurements, and dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry body composition scans. Percentage glycated hemoglobin A_1c (%HbA_1c) was measured in whole blood. Serum samples were analyzed for glucose, insulin, C‐peptide, high‐density lipoprotein, and triglyceride concentrations. Males were heavier and had greater body length and lean tissue mass than females. Females had a greater body fat percentage relative to males (10.8 ± 6.4 vs. 6.9 ± 4.0, P = 0.01). Although C‐peptide, fasting glucose, and %HbA_1c did not differ between the sexes, females had greater fasting insulin and triglyceride compared to their male counterparts. Insulin and percentage body fat were significantly correlated in males (r = 0.61, P = 0.001) and to a lesser extent in females (r = 0.43, P = 0.04). Overall, relations between adiposity and fasting insulin and fasting triglyceride were stronger in males. After accounting for differences in percentage body fat, fasting insulin and triglyceride were no longer statistically different between males and females. Despite stronger correlations between relative adiposity and insulin and triglyceride in males, the higher fasting insulin and triglyceride of female baboons may be underlain by their greater relative body fat masses. Am J Phys Anthropol 153:9–14, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

From parasite encounter to infection: multiple-scale drivers of parasite richness in a wild social primate population

Host parasite diversity plays a fundamental role in ecological and evolutionary processes, yet the factors that drive it are still poorly understood. A variety of processes, operating across a range of spatial scales, are likely to influence both the probability of parasite encounter and subsequent infection. Here, we explored eight possible determinants of parasite richness, comprising rainfall and temperature at the population level, ranging behavior and home range productivity at the group level, and age, sex, body condition, and social rank at the individual level. We used a unique dataset describing gastrointestinal parasites in a terrestrial subtropical vertebrate (chacma baboons, Papio ursinus), comprising 662 fecal samples from 86 individuals representing all age-sex classes across two groups over two dry seasons in a desert population. Three mixed models were used to identify the most important factor at each of the three spatial scales (population, group, individual); these were then standardized and combined in a single, global, mixed model. Individual age had the strongest influence on parasite richness, in a convex relationship. Parasite richness was also higher in females and animals in poor condition, albeit at a lower order of magnitude than age. Finally, with a further halving of effect size, parasite richness was positively correlated to day range and temperature. These findings indicate that a range of factors influence host parasite richness through both encounter and infection probabilities but that individual-level processes may be more important than those at the group or population level.     

Troop size and human-modified habitat affect the ranging patterns of a chacma baboon population in the cape peninsula, South Africa

Differences in group size and habitat use are frequently used to explain the extensive variability in ranging patterns found across the primate order. However, with few exceptions, our understanding of primate ranging patterns stems from studies of single groups and both intra- and inter-specific meta-analyses. Studies with many groups and those that incorporate whole populations are rare but important for testing socioecological theory in primates. We quantify the ranging patterns of nine chacma baboon troops in a single population and use Spearman rank correlations and generalized linear mixed models to analyze the effects of troop size and human-modified habitat (a proxy for good quality habitat) on home range size, density (individuals/km(2) ), and daily path length. Intrapopulation variation in home range sizes (1.5-37.7 km(2) ), densities (1.3-12.1 baboons/km(2) ), and daily path lengths (1.80-6.61 km) was so vast that values were comparable to those of baboons inhabiting the climatic extremes of their current distribution. Both troop size and human-modified habitat had an effect on ranging patterns. Larger troops had larger home ranges and longer daily path lengths, while troops that spent more time in human-modified habitat had shorter daily path lengths. We found no effect of human-modified habitat on home range size or density. These results held when we controlled for the effects of both a single large outlier troop living exclusively in human-modified habitat and baboon monitors on our spatial variables. Our findings confirm the ability of baboons, as behaviorally adaptable dietary generalists, to not only survive but also to thrive in human-modified habitats with adjustments to their ranging patterns in accordance with current theory. Our findings also caution that studies focused on only a small sample of groups within a population of adaptable and generalist primate species may underestimate the variability in their respective localities.     

Bone ALP and OC reference standards in adult baboons (Papio hamadryas) by sex and age

BACKGROUND: Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP) and intact osteocalcin (OC) are markers of bone formation of interest because of easy measurability and potential utility as identifiers of those at risk for fractures associated with bone metabolism disorders. The baboon (Papio hamadryas) exhibits extensive biological similarities to humans making it particularly well suited to studies of bone maintenance and turnover. METHODS: We measured serum bone ALP and OC in 591 baboons. RESULTS: We report significant sex and age effects and present reference ranges and percentile distributions for these markers. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to characterize normal variation in bone ALP and OC levels in baboons and to assess the age and sex effects on this variation. The results provide much-needed reference standards to allow researchers to evaluate the status of their animals in cross-sectional studies and assess the meaning of changes in bone ALP and OC levels in longitudinal studies.     

Continued decline in tree euphorbias (Euphorbia tetragona and E. triangularis) on the Great Fish River Reserve,Eastern Cape,South Africa

A dramatic decline averaging 43% over a 4‐year period has occurred in tree Euphorbia (Euphorbia tetragona and Euphorbia triangularis) populations on the Great Fish River Reserve, South Africa. These changes are evident from data gathered by general vegetation monitoring methods as well as from a focused study of four tree Euphorbia populations. The decline from 2003 to 2007 was more marked for E. triangularis than for E. tetragona and was accompanied by a general absence of seedlings and a reduced presence of younger age classes of both species, decreasing the proportion of younger trees in the populations. The role of megaherbivores, specifically the black rhinoceros, in these changes is well established. However, the impact of baboon activity, leading to damage to tree crowns and upper branches, is also substantial, especially on E. triangularis populations. Damaged crowns were recorded significantly more often for E. triangularis than for E. tetragona, and the damage frequency increased with decreasing tree height. Thus, our work provides the first evidence that these two closely related Euphorbia species may be affected differently by herbivory.     

Reproductive parameters of mandrills at the Tulsa Zoo

The genital swelling patterns and birth records of female mandrills housed at the Tulsa Zoo between 1979 and 1992 were examined to determine various reproductive parameters. Mean age at first adolescent genital swelling was 2.7 years (sd = .55), first adult swelling was 3.7 years (sd = .64), and first conception was 5.1 years (sd = 1.30). Genital swelling cycle duration averaged 39.6 days (n = 33 cycles), with the swelling phase averaging 19.5 days (n = 51 cycles). There was no interindividual difference in cycle length (F = 1.26, P = .31) or swelling duration (F = 0.65, P = .58), nor was there a difference in cycle length (F = 0.47, P = .50) or swelling duration (F = 1.27, P = .27) before and after first parturition. Duration of gestation was estimated to be 165.9 days (sd = 3.3; n = 17 pregnancies). Lactational anestrus averaged 10.1 months, whereas mean interbirth interval was 17.9 months (n = 11). There was a significant negative correlation between age of the mother and interbirth interval (r = ?;0.648, P = .03). Data presented in this report provide a comprehensive profile of reproductive parameters for zoo-housed mandrills, which may aid other facilities in the reproductive management of their captive groups. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Age- and Sex-Related Variations in Clear Calls of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Papio ursinus</Emphasis>

Changes in vocalizations during ontogeny can in principle be related to three factors: growth, maturation, and experience, i.e., learning. While learning is a prerequisite for the proper development of speech, it hardly appears to play a role in the development of the species-typical vocal behavior of nonhuman primates. Nonetheless, subjects of different age and sex often exhibit prominent variation in the structure of their vocalizations. We investigated ontogenetic changes and the emergence of sex-related differences in the acoustic structure of Chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) clear calls. We recorded the vocalizations emitted by individuals separated from the rest of the group or from particular individuals, in a group of baboons in the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Botswana. We analyzed calls from 58 baboons of both sexes and all age classes. While the structure of the call appeared to be fixed from birth, call duration, the distribution of energy, and the fundamental frequency of the calls, including modulation, varied with age and sex of the caller. We discuss how body size may explain the variations. Some of the variables exhibited a different profile of variation with age between the sexes, with significant differences becoming apparent around puberty. The emergence of these sexual differences may be explained by the onset of sexual dimorphism in body size and mass. To which degree the hormonal status contributes to variation in the calling remains to be investigated.