Loudon James E, Lewis Alycia E, Turner Trudy R, Howells Michaela E, Lieurance Alysha, Pender Jack E
Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Primates. 2022 Sep;63(5):525-533. doi: 10.1007/s10329-022-01002-3. Epub 2022 Aug 14.
Primatologists use ecological models for understanding nonhuman primate (NHP) behavior and biology. Yet few studies have focused on the impacts of naturally occurring and anthropogenically derived toxicants in NHP habitats. For humans and NHPs, toxic levels of heavy metals frequently result in poor health outcomes including improper neurological development, immune system depression, and endocrine disruption. We analyzed the concentrations of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in 48 vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) hair samples collected from eight South African groups living in environments with varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance. We used two systems to categorize anthropogenic disturbance. The first was based on behavioral observations, home range overlap with human modified environments, and interviews with local people. The second system used stable isotope analysis (mean δC and δN hair values) from each group to estimate the consumption of C resources and the utilization of anthropogenically disturbed habitats. Preliminary analyses revealed differences in the Pb and As hair concentrations across the field sites (p < 0.05). Comparisons between anthropogenic disturbance using observations and interviews revealed differences in As (p < 0.01). In contrast, comparisons between categories using δC hair values revealed differences in Pb (p < 0.05). The results from this study suggest that multiple approaches using both qualitative and quantitative data should be employed to estimate the relationship between anthropogenic disturbance and environmental toxicants. Since many NHP populations share their habitats with humans, efforts to improve these landscapes would likely be beneficial for NHP and human health.
灵长类动物学家使用生态模型来理解非人类灵长类动物（NHP）的行为和生物学特性。然而，很少有研究关注NHP栖息地中自然产生的和人为衍生的有毒物质的影响。对于人类和NHP来说，重金属的毒性水平常常导致健康状况不佳，包括神经发育异常、免疫系统抑制和内分泌紊乱。我们分析了从生活在不同程度人为干扰环境中的八个南非群体采集的48份绿猴（Chlorocebus pygerythrus）毛发样本中的铅（Pb）、砷（As）和镉（Cd）浓度。我们使用两种系统对人为干扰进行分类。第一种基于行为观察、与人类改造环境的活动范围重叠以及与当地人的访谈。第二种系统使用每组的稳定同位素分析（毛发中δC和δN的平均值）来估计碳资源的消耗和对人为干扰栖息地的利用情况。初步分析显示，不同野外地点的毛发中铅和砷的浓度存在差异（p < 0.05）。通过观察和访谈对人为干扰进行比较，发现砷存在差异（p < 0.01）。相比之下，使用毛发δC值对类别进行比较，发现铅存在差异（p < 0.05）。这项研究的结果表明，应该采用定性和定量数据相结合的多种方法来估计人为干扰与环境有毒物质之间的关系。由于许多NHP种群与人类共享栖息地，改善这些景观的努力可能对NHP和人类健康都有益。
