猕猴觅食策略的地域性差异

A study of the foraging strategies of Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) in wild and provisioned free-ranging groups

本文通过1年连续野外观察(2015年12月至2016月11月),对比研究了广东省内伶仃—福田国家级自然保护区野生群和台山上川岛猕猴省级自然保护区内半野生投食群的猕猴觅食策略异同,分析了食物数量和食物营养对猕猴觅食行为的影响,探讨了猕猴对生境变化的应对策略及其适应机制。研究结果表明,野生群和半野生群猕猴均偏好取食低灰分果实。另外,比起取食较少的果实,半野生群猕猴主要取食的果实具有低含水量和低蛋白等特点。全年来看,野生群猕猴偏好取食分布数量多的果实;半野生群猕猴食果频率月间波动受环境果实量影响,符合能量最大化理论。野生群和半野生群猕猴采食乔木树叶的行为均不受乔木数量的影响;而且两者采食所有生活型植被的叶的行为不受叶营养的影响。本研究表明猕猴会根据环境的食物资源数量和质量调整其觅食策略,具有对不同生活环境灵活适应的能力。

We conducted a comparative study for one-year(from December 2015 to November 2016)on foraging strategies of rhesus macaques(Macaca mulatta)in wild and provisioned free-ranging groups.The former group was distributed on Neilingding Island and the latter on Shangchuan Island.Both habitats have similar ecological conditions.In both groups,macaques selected fruit as their major food source.Macaques in the provisioned free-ranging group selected fruits with low crude protein and moisture content,whereas those in the wild group were not highly selective.Available fruit resources and nutrient content affected fruit choice of macaques.Throughout the year,both wild and provisioned macaques try to maximize energy gain per unit time with different behavioral strategies.The former continuously selected fruit as their major foods source,while the latter shifted feeding frequency of their fruit diet according to temporal variations of fruit availability.There was no significant relationship between density of trees and leaf consumption,as well as no significant difference in moisture content,crude protein,crude lipid,neutral detergent fibre and crude ash between the major leaf source and other leaf sources in both groups.This study revealed rhesus macaque feeding strategy and behavioral flexibility in response to resource variations in their habitats.