Li Yuhui, Ma Guangzhi, Zhou Qihai, Huang Zhonghao
Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guilin, China.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
Folia Primatol (Basel). 2020;91(5):495-511. doi: 10.1159/000506593. Epub 2020 Apr 14.
The activity budget is important for understanding behavioural variability and adaptation in primates. Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) found in the limestone forest of Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve, Southwest China, primarily feed on young leaves of Bonia saxatilis (a shrubby, karst-endemic bamboo). To understand how a specific bamboo leaf-based diet and ecological factors affect activity budget, one group of Assamese macaques was studied using instantaneous scan sampling for 1 year. The macaques spent most of their time feeding (32.7 ± 5.4%), followed by resting (28.6 ± 6.3%), moving (28.6 ± 5.3%), grooming (8.0 ± 3.0%), playing (1.7 ± 1.6%) and other activities (0.4 ± 0.2%). Their activity budget was similar to that of typical frugivorous primates and bamboo-dominated primates, which spent more time on active behaviours (feeding and moving, 61.3 ± 6.0%) than on inactive behaviours (resting and grooming, 36.6 ± 6.4%). The macaques spent significantly more time resting during the fruit-lean season and more time moving during the fruit-rich season. Their activity budget was significantly affected by diet. Resting time increased with decreased fruit consumption, whereas moving time decreased with the increasing mature leaf consumption. Playing time decreased when the macaques consumed more young bamboo leaves. The activity budget was also influenced by food availability and climatic factors. Resting time increased with decreasing temperature, whereas moving time increased with increasing day length and young leaf availability. Grooming time increased with decreasing day length and increasing temperature, and playing time increased with increasing day length. Our findings provide evidence of the importance of diet, food availability, temperature and day length in coping with seasonal variation in ecological factors, highlighting the need to increase knowledge of the behavioural ecology of the Assamese macaques living in the unique limestone forest and to understand the influence of a bamboo-dominated diet and ecological factors on their survival.
活动预算对于理解灵长类动物的行为变异性和适应性很重要。在中国西南部广西弄岗国家级自然保护区的石灰岩森林中发现的阿萨姆猕猴（Macaca assamensis）主要以石山竹（一种灌木状、喀斯特特有竹子）的嫩叶为食。为了了解特定的以竹叶为基础的饮食和生态因素如何影响活动预算，一组阿萨姆猕猴被采用瞬时扫描取样法进行了为期1年的研究。猕猴大部分时间用于进食（32.7±5.4%），其次是休息（28.6±6.3%）、移动（28.6±5.3%）、梳理毛发（8.0±3.0%）、玩耍（1.7±1.6%）和其他活动（0.4±0.2%）。它们的活动预算与典型的食果灵长类动物和以竹子为主食的灵长类动物相似，后者在活跃行为（进食和移动，61.3±6.0%）上花费的时间比在不活跃行为（休息和梳理毛发，36.6±6.4%）上更多。猕猴在水果匮乏季节休息时间显著增加，在水果丰富季节移动时间显著增加。它们的活动预算受到饮食的显著影响。休息时间随着水果摄入量的减少而增加，而移动时间随着成熟叶片摄入量的增加而减少。当猕猴食用更多嫩竹叶时，玩耍时间减少。活动预算还受到食物可获得性和气候因素的影响。休息时间随着温度降低而增加，而移动时间随着日照时长和嫩叶可获得性的增加而增加。梳理毛发时间随着日照时长减少和温度升高而增加，玩耍时间随着日照时长增加而增加。我们的研究结果证明了饮食、食物可获得性、温度和日照时长在应对生态因素季节性变化方面的重要性，强调了有必要增加对生活在独特石灰岩森林中的阿萨姆猕猴行为生态学的了解，并理解以竹子为主的饮食和生态因素对它们生存的影响。
