Lucas P W, Corlett R T
Department of Anatomy, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Am J Primatol. 1998;45(1):29-44. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2345(1998)45:1<29::AID-AJP4>3.0.CO;2-Y.
We review here the methods by which long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis) process seeds in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore, and the factors that influence this. Feeding observations have revealed that these macaques either destroy seeds in their mouth with their teeth, spit them out whole from the mouth after removing much of the flesh, or else clean the flesh off them at the front of the mouth and then drop them. Absence of these observed behaviors is associated with the presence of intact seeds in the feces, indicating that macaques swallow some seeds whole. All these options were exhibited by one group of macaques and were not random alternatives; evidence links their frequency to the type of fruit (fleshy vs. dry) and the size of the seed(s). Adaptations of the mouth of long-tailed macaques, such as gape and the presence of well-innervated cheek pouches and relatively large incisor and postcanine teeth, are predicted to influence these thresholds strongly. In a faunally depleted reserve like Bukit Timah, this dispersal is effective, but we see no evidence in this of coevolution between macaques and fruits. Many seeds in the macaque diet are probably dispersed more effectively by other vertebrates, such as birds, bats, gibbons, and civets, when these are present. However, in sites where large vertebrates have been eliminated, macaques may become important for dispersing large, large-seeded fruits.
我们在此回顾长尾猕猴（食蟹猕猴指名亚种）在新加坡武吉知马自然保护区处理种子的方法以及影响这一过程的因素。喂食观察表明，这些猕猴要么用牙齿在口中破坏种子，要么在去除大部分果肉后将种子完整地从口中吐出，要么在嘴前清理掉果肉然后丢弃种子。粪便中存在完整种子与未观察到这些行为相关，这表明猕猴会将一些种子整个吞下。一组猕猴展示了所有这些方式，且并非随意选择；有证据表明它们的频率与果实类型（肉质果与干果）和种子大小有关。长尾猕猴口腔的适应性特征，如张口度、神经分布良好的颊囊以及相对较大的门齿和犬齿后牙，预计会对这些阈值产生强烈影响。在像武吉知马这样动物种类匮乏的保护区，这种传播是有效的，但我们在此未发现猕猴与果实之间协同进化的证据。猕猴食谱中的许多种子，在鸟类、蝙蝠、长臂猿和果子狸等其他脊椎动物存在时，可能会被它们更有效地传播。然而，在大型脊椎动物已被消灭的地区，猕猴对于传播大型、大粒种子的果实可能变得很重要。
