School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Institute of Mountain Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 29;11(1):23091. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-01972-2.
The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) is native to the main islands of Japan, except Hokkaido, and is the most northerly living non-human primate. In the Chubu Sangaku National Park of the Japanese Alps, macaques live in one of the coldest areas of the world, with snow cover limiting the availability of preferred food sources. Winter is typically a bottleneck for food availability potentially resulting in marked energy deficits, and mortality may result from famine. However, streams with groundwater upwelling flow during the winter with a constant water temperature of about 5 °C are easily accessible for Japanese macaques to search for riverine biota. We used metabarcoding (Cytochrome c oxidase I) of fecal samples from Japanese macaques to determine their wintertime diet. Here we provide the first robust evidence that Japanese macaques feed on freshwater biota, including brown trout, riverine insects and molluscs, in Chubu Sangaku National Park. These additional food sources likely aid their winter survival.
日本猕猴（Macaca fuscata）原产于日本的主要岛屿，除北海道外，是生活在最北部的非人类灵长类动物。在日本阿尔卑斯山的中部山区国家公园，猕猴生活在世界上最寒冷的地区之一，积雪覆盖限制了它们喜爱的食物来源的可获得性。冬季通常是食物供应的瓶颈，可能导致明显的能量不足，并且可能因饥荒而导致死亡。然而，在冬季，有地下水上升流的溪流以约 5°C 的恒定水温流动，这为日本猕猴寻找河流生物提供了便利。我们使用粪便样本的代谢组学（细胞色素 c 氧化酶 I）来确定日本猕猴的冬季饮食。在这里，我们首次提供了确凿的证据，证明日本猕猴在中部山区国家公园以包括虹鳟鱼、河流昆虫和软体动物在内的淡水生物为食。这些额外的食物来源可能有助于它们在冬季的生存。
