DEAR EDITOR Deforestation represents one of the greatest threats to tropical forest mammals, and the situation is greatly exacerbated by bushmeat hunting. To construct informed conservation plans,information must be g...DEAR EDITOR Deforestation represents one of the greatest threats to tropical forest mammals, and the situation is greatly exacerbated by bushmeat hunting. To construct informed conservation plans,information must be gathered about responses to habitat degradation, regeneration, and hunting over a sufficiently long period to allow demographic responses.展开更多
Background:Tropical forests are repositories of much of the world’s biodiversity and are critical for mitigation of climate change.Yet,the drivers of forest dynamics are poorly understood.This is in large part due to...Background:Tropical forests are repositories of much of the world’s biodiversity and are critical for mitigation of climate change.Yet,the drivers of forest dynamics are poorly understood.This is in large part due to the lack of long-term data on forest change and changes in drivers.Methodology:We quantify changes in tree abundance,diversity,and stand structure along transects first enumerated in 1978 and resampled 2019 in Kibale National Park,Uganda.We tested five predictions.First,based on the purported role of seed dispersal and herbivory and our quantification of changes in the abundance of frugivores and herbivores,we tested two predictions of how faunal change could have influenced forest composition.Second,based on an evaluation of life history strategies,we tested two predictions concerning how the forest could have changed following disturbance that happened prior to written history.Finally,based on a 50-year climate record,we evaluate the possible influence of climate change on forest dynamics.Results:More trees were present on the assessed transects in 2019(508)than in 1978(436),species richness remained similar,but diversity declined as the number of dominant species increased.Rainfall increased by only 3 mm over the 50 years but this had not significant effect on forest changes measured here.Annual average monthly maximum temperature increased significantly by 1.05℃ over 50 years.The abundance of frugivorous and folivorous primates and elephants increased over the 50 years of monitoring.Neither the prediction that an increase in abundance of seed dispersing frugivores increases the abundance of their preferred fruiting tree species,nor that as an increase in folivore abundance causes a decline in their preferred species were supported.As predicted,light-demanding species decreased in abundance while shade-tolerant species increased as expected from Kibale being disturbed prior to historical records.Finally,while temperature increased over the 50 years,we found no means to predict a priori how individual species would respond.Conclusions:Our study revealed subtle changes in the tree community over 40 years,sizable increases in primate numbers,a substantial increase in the elephant population and an increase in local temperature.Yet,a clear picture of what set of interactions impact the change in the tree community remains elusive.Our data on tree life-history strategies and frugivore/herbivore foraging preferences suggest that trees species are under opposing pressures.展开更多
DEAR EDITOR,Movement patterns can reflect species-specific characteristics of individuals and animal groups at a given scale. Accurate three-dimensional(3D) assessment can quantify the relationship between movement pa...DEAR EDITOR,Movement patterns can reflect species-specific characteristics of individuals and animal groups at a given scale. Accurate three-dimensional(3D) assessment can quantify the relationship between movement patterns of an animal and its unique habitat. Here, we evaluated the effects of habitat structure on movement patterns of the golden snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana). We used airborne light detection and ranging(LiDAR) to map the 3D structure of the temperate forest in the Qinling Mountains(Shaanxi, China).展开更多
In mammal herbivores,fiber digestion usually occurs predominantly in either the foregut or the hindgut.Reports of mechanisms showing synergistic function in both gut regions for the digestion of fiber and other nutrie...In mammal herbivores,fiber digestion usually occurs predominantly in either the foregut or the hindgut.Reports of mechanisms showing synergistic function in both gut regions for the digestion of fiber and other nutrients in wild mammals are rare because it requires integrative study of anatomy,physiology,and gut microbiome.Colobine monkeys(Colobinae)are folivorous,with high-fiber foods fermented primarily in their foreguts.展开更多
Globally,habitat degradation is accelerating,especially in the tropics.Changes to interface habitats can increase environmental overlap among nonhuman primates,people,and domestic animals and change stress levels in w...Globally,habitat degradation is accelerating,especially in the tropics.Changes to interface habitats can increase environmental overlap among nonhuman primates,people,and domestic animals and change stress levels in wildlife,leading to changes in their risk of parasite infections.However,the direction and consequences of these changes are unclear,since animals may benefit by exploiting human resources(e.g.,improving nutritional health by eating nutritious crops)and decreasing susceptibility to infection,or interactions with humans may lead to chronic stress and increased susceptibility to infection.Vervet monkeys are an excellent model to understand parasitic disease transmission because of their tolerance to anthropogenic disturbance.Here we quantify the gastrointestinal parasites of a group of vervet monkeys(Chlorocebus aethiops)near Lake Nabugabo,Uganda,that frequently overlaps with people in their use of a highly modified environment.We compare the parasites found in this population to seven other sites where vervet monkey gastrointestinal parasites have been identified.The vervets of Lake Nabugabo have the greatest richness of parasites documented to date.We discuss how this may reflect differences in sampling intensity or differences in the types of habitat where vervet parasites have been sampled.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Programme of Research and Development,Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2016YFC0503202)National Natural Science Foundation of China (31870396)an IDRC grant “Climate Change and Increasing Human-Wildlife Conflict”。
文摘DEAR EDITOR Deforestation represents one of the greatest threats to tropical forest mammals, and the situation is greatly exacerbated by bushmeat hunting. To construct informed conservation plans,information must be gathered about responses to habitat degradation, regeneration, and hunting over a sufficiently long period to allow demographic responses.
基金the IDRC grant“Climate change and increasing human-wildlife conflict”,National Science Foundation of China(No.31,870,396)supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft(DFG)Research Group“Sociality and Health in Primates”(FOR2136)CG-A received a postdoctoral scholarship from DGAPA-UNAM.
文摘Background:Tropical forests are repositories of much of the world’s biodiversity and are critical for mitigation of climate change.Yet,the drivers of forest dynamics are poorly understood.This is in large part due to the lack of long-term data on forest change and changes in drivers.Methodology:We quantify changes in tree abundance,diversity,and stand structure along transects first enumerated in 1978 and resampled 2019 in Kibale National Park,Uganda.We tested five predictions.First,based on the purported role of seed dispersal and herbivory and our quantification of changes in the abundance of frugivores and herbivores,we tested two predictions of how faunal change could have influenced forest composition.Second,based on an evaluation of life history strategies,we tested two predictions concerning how the forest could have changed following disturbance that happened prior to written history.Finally,based on a 50-year climate record,we evaluate the possible influence of climate change on forest dynamics.Results:More trees were present on the assessed transects in 2019(508)than in 1978(436),species richness remained similar,but diversity declined as the number of dominant species increased.Rainfall increased by only 3 mm over the 50 years but this had not significant effect on forest changes measured here.Annual average monthly maximum temperature increased significantly by 1.05℃ over 50 years.The abundance of frugivorous and folivorous primates and elephants increased over the 50 years of monitoring.Neither the prediction that an increase in abundance of seed dispersing frugivores increases the abundance of their preferred fruiting tree species,nor that as an increase in folivore abundance causes a decline in their preferred species were supported.As predicted,light-demanding species decreased in abundance while shade-tolerant species increased as expected from Kibale being disturbed prior to historical records.Finally,while temperature increased over the 50 years,we found no means to predict a priori how individual species would respond.Conclusions:Our study revealed subtle changes in the tree community over 40 years,sizable increases in primate numbers,a substantial increase in the elephant population and an increase in local temperature.Yet,a clear picture of what set of interactions impact the change in the tree community remains elusive.Our data on tree life-history strategies and frugivore/herbivore foraging preferences suggest that trees species are under opposing pressures.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB31020302)National Natural Science Foundation of China (32170507, 31730104,31870396, and 32070450)。
文摘DEAR EDITOR,Movement patterns can reflect species-specific characteristics of individuals and animal groups at a given scale. Accurate three-dimensional(3D) assessment can quantify the relationship between movement patterns of an animal and its unique habitat. Here, we evaluated the effects of habitat structure on movement patterns of the golden snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana). We used airborne light detection and ranging(LiDAR) to map the 3D structure of the temperate forest in the Qinling Mountains(Shaanxi, China).
基金This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31730104,31872247,31870396,32000297,32070450,and 32070453)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB31020302)+1 种基金key program of Forestry Science Research of Shaanxi(SHLY-2018-07)and Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province in China,2018JC-022,2016JZ009.D.W.D.is supported by a Talents 1000 Fellowship of Shaanxi Province.
文摘In mammal herbivores,fiber digestion usually occurs predominantly in either the foregut or the hindgut.Reports of mechanisms showing synergistic function in both gut regions for the digestion of fiber and other nutrients in wild mammals are rare because it requires integrative study of anatomy,physiology,and gut microbiome.Colobine monkeys(Colobinae)are folivorous,with high-fiber foods fermented primarily in their foreguts.
文摘Globally,habitat degradation is accelerating,especially in the tropics.Changes to interface habitats can increase environmental overlap among nonhuman primates,people,and domestic animals and change stress levels in wildlife,leading to changes in their risk of parasite infections.However,the direction and consequences of these changes are unclear,since animals may benefit by exploiting human resources(e.g.,improving nutritional health by eating nutritious crops)and decreasing susceptibility to infection,or interactions with humans may lead to chronic stress and increased susceptibility to infection.Vervet monkeys are an excellent model to understand parasitic disease transmission because of their tolerance to anthropogenic disturbance.Here we quantify the gastrointestinal parasites of a group of vervet monkeys(Chlorocebus aethiops)near Lake Nabugabo,Uganda,that frequently overlaps with people in their use of a highly modified environment.We compare the parasites found in this population to seven other sites where vervet monkey gastrointestinal parasites have been identified.The vervets of Lake Nabugabo have the greatest richness of parasites documented to date.We discuss how this may reflect differences in sampling intensity or differences in the types of habitat where vervet parasites have been sampled.
