Wang Yuxin, Zhong Xukai, Zhu Changyue, Qi Xuming, Feng Yexing, Fan Pengfei
School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Bawangling Branch of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration, Changjiang, China.
Am J Primatol. 2025 Apr;87(4):e70018. doi: 10.1002/ajp.70018.
The lack of knowledge regarding the basic ecological traits of an endangered species may lead to traps in habitat restoration efforts. Understanding the ranging ecology of endangered species is essential in avoiding these traps. The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), the world's rarest primate, reportedly takes refuge in suboptimal montane habitats and occupies an abnormally large home range, resulting in suggestions for enhancing montane habitat quality with high priority. However, these conservation suggestions and actions are not based on solid science. For the first time, we habituated two groups of Hainan gibbon, and studied their ranging ecology over a year from January to December 2022. We found that the average home range size of these groups was 164.5 ± 70.6 ha (95% KDE-href) and 155.2 ± 71.1 ha (95% MCP), which is comparable to other Nomascus gibbons and represents an adaptive trait in response to their heterogeneous habitat. Furthermore, gibbons have shown a preference for higher-altitude habitats between 800 and 1100 m, where food is more abundant than in low-altitude habitats. Our findings, combined with the evidence of favorable food conditions and short interbirth intervals of the Hainan gibbon, indicate that montane habitats meet gibbons' life-history requirements and are suitable for them. The idea that "montane habitat is suboptimal" is a cognitive trap. Given the Hainan gibbons' isolated habitat is approaching saturation, we suggest prioritizing ecological corridor construction to enable gibbons to rapidly gain access to other suitable montane forests.
对濒危物种基本生态特征缺乏了解可能会导致栖息地恢复工作陷入困境。了解濒危物种的活动范围生态学对于避免这些困境至关重要。海南长臂猿（Nomascus hainanus）是世界上最稀有的灵长类动物，据报道它们在不太理想的山地栖息地避难，占据着异常大的活动范围，这导致人们建议优先提高山地栖息地质量。然而，这些保护建议和行动并非基于坚实的科学依据。我们首次对两组海南长臂猿进行了驯化，并在2022年1月至12月的一年时间里研究了它们的活动范围生态学。我们发现，这些群体的平均活动范围大小分别为164.5±70.6公顷（95%核密度估计值）和155.2±71.1公顷（95%最小凸多边形法），这与其他黑冠长臂猿相当，代表了它们对异质栖息地的一种适应性特征。此外，长臂猿表现出对海拔800至1100米的高海拔栖息地的偏好，那里的食物比低海拔栖息地更为丰富。我们的研究结果，再加上海南长臂猿食物条件良好和产仔间隔短的证据，表明山地栖息地满足了长臂猿的生活史需求，适合它们生存。“山地栖息地不理想”这一观点是一种认知陷阱。鉴于海南长臂猿孤立的栖息地已接近饱和，我们建议优先建设生态走廊，以使长臂猿能够迅速进入其他合适的山地森林。
