{"title":"Altitudinal Ranging Pattern of Critically Endangered Cao Vit Gibbon in Karst Forest: Pinpointing the Reforestation Sites","authors":"Yuxin Wang, Xukai Zhong, Changyong Ma, Haigang Ma, Jiang Yang, Cuipao He, Pengfei Fan","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cao vit gibbon (<i>Nomascus nasutus</i>) is one of the world's 25 most endangered primate species, with only one population of 11 groups living in a small karst forest patch along the China–Vietnam international border. Assisted habitat regeneration is underway in both China and Vietnam to conserve the species. However, the lack of crucial information on habitat use and habitat preferences of these gibbons could severely compromise the conservation outcomes. To understand gibbon habitat use patterns and guide ongoing habitat restoration, we studied the ranging behavior of two cao vit gibbon groups in Bangliang Gibbon Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China. We established vegetation plots within gibbon's habitat along the altitudinal gradient. Then quantified food distribution in different altitudinal ranges. Both groups avoided using areas above 800 m, but preferred lower areas, and they spent more time feeding in low-altitude areas compared to high-altitude areas. Our analysis revealed that the altitudinal ranging pattern was affected by both food distribution and temperature. The gibbons preferred altitudes that provided more food for their diet, and their selectivity for lower altitudes increased as temperatures dropped while they adopted an energy-conserving strategy during cold seasons. Our results suggested that gibbons prefer habitats at lower altitudes, which serve as important feeding sites and provide refuges during cold exposure. Therefore, we strongly propose prioritizing reforestation in areas below 750 m by planting important food species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natalia Maya Lastra, Pedro A. D. Dias, David Roberto Chavira Ramírez, Ariadna Rangel Negrín
{"title":"“Dear Enemies”, “Nasty Neighbors”, and the Strength in Numbers: Exploring the Behavioral and Hormonal Responses of Mantled Howler Monkey Males to Simulated Intruder Loud Calls","authors":"Natalia Maya Lastra, Pedro A. D. Dias, David Roberto Chavira Ramírez, Ariadna Rangel Negrín","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Loud calls are critical for primate intergroup communication, influencing resource defense, territorial boundaries, and conflict management. This study examined the interplay of familiarity and numeric odds in shaping the behavioral and hormonal responses of male mantled howler monkeys (<i>Alouatta palliata</i>) to simulated intruder calls. Using playback experiments, we tested whether responses were consistent with “dear enemy” dynamics, which predict stronger responses to unfamiliar intruders, or “nasty neighbor” dynamics, which predict stronger responses to familiar intruders. Additionally, we assessed the influence of numeric odds, hypothesizing stronger responses under favorable conditions. Behavioral responses, including vocalization and approach latencies, were primarily influenced by numeric odds, with shorter latencies observed under favorable odds. Vocal duration, however, was longer when intruders were familiar, consistent with “nasty neighbor” dynamics. Hormonal responses, measured via fecal glucocorticoid and testosterone metabolites, increased in response to unfamiliar intruders, supporting “dear enemy” predictions. Interaction effects showed that familiarity modulated approach duration and latency when numeric odds were unfavorable. These findings reveal the distinct roles of numeric odds and familiarity in shaping immediate and prolonged responses to intruders. Numeric odds influenced engagement decisions, while familiarity was related to stress-related hormonal changes and vocal communication strategies. This study contributes to the understanding of intergroup dynamics by clarifying the role of competitive asymmetries and social relationships in conflict management. Future work incorporating multimodal cues and ecological variability will further elucidate the adaptive significance of these responses.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovation, Inhibition and Flexibility in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)","authors":"Josephine Hubbard, Brenda McCowan","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Innovation is a key component of behavioral flexibility. When individuals are presented with novel problems, their ability to behave flexibly often relies upon their exploratory tendencies, motivational states and intrinsic traits. Studies of repeated innovation pose additional benefits to understand mechanisms of behavioral flexibility, including measuring persistence, exploration and inhibitory control when learned solutions are blocked. The multi-access box (MAB) paradigm tests repeated innovation without prior training and minimal habituation. We tested fifty adult captive female rhesus macaques (<i>Macaca mulatta</i>) with a MAB to evaluate the role of individual traits on repeated innovation and explore the relationship between inhibitory responses and innovation. We found that exploratory diversity positively predicted repeated innovation, as has been reported for previous studies. We also found that traits such as age and personality influenced innovation, where younger individuals and those that scored high on nervousness had higher innovation scores. However, we did not find any relationship between inhibitory responses and innovation. Our study provides the first assessment of repeated innovation in rhesus macaques using a MAB design and highlights the importance of individual traits for repeated innovation in this species.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70027","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine R. Amato, Janaína P. Back, Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro, Júlio César Bicca-Marques
{"title":"Supplementation With Human Foods Affects the Gut Microbiota of Wild Howler Monkeys","authors":"Katherine R. Amato, Janaína P. Back, Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro, Júlio César Bicca-Marques","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wild primates face a wide range of anthropogenic influences globally that impact their health, fitness, and survival. One area of potential impact that has been particularly understudied is the supplementation of wild primate diets with human foods. Although the consumption of human foods represents a substantial dietary change for wild primates, knowledge of how it impacts their physiology and behavior is limited. Here we explore how human food supplementation impacts wild primates by comparing the gut microbiomes of free-ranging brown howler monkeys (<i>Alouatta guariba</i>) in periurban Brazil that do or do not have access to human foods. We found that howler monkeys consuming human foods had reduced gut microbial diversity and reduced relative abundances of fiber degrading microbial taxa, which has been associated with negative health consequences in other animals, including humans. However, the effect size of these differences was relatively small and varied over time. Additionally, the composition of the gut microbiome varied significantly across months, regardless of the access to human foods. We suggest that the biology of this howler monkey population is minimally impacted by human foods. Further empirical research will help clarify the relationship between human food supplementation and health across primate populations, facilitating conservation applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arthur Georges Naas, John Bosu Mensah, Pierre-Michel Forget, Éric Guilbert, Anthony Herrel
{"title":"Tails in Action: Comparative Use of the Prehensile Tail and Substrate in Alouatta macconnelli, Sapajus apella, and Potos flavus","authors":"Arthur Georges Naas, John Bosu Mensah, Pierre-Michel Forget, Éric Guilbert, Anthony Herrel","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Arboreal habitats are three-dimensionally complex and are composed of substrates that differ in size, compliance, and continuity. In response, arboreal vertebrates have evolved morphological and behavioral traits allowing them to successfully move through these environments. Prehensile tails constitute one of such adaptations, yet remain poorly studied. Variation in prehensile tail use between species might result in anatomical variations, as has been shown in primates but remains undocumented in most species. The present study, therefore, sought to describe prehensile tail use and substrate type utilization between two primates, the Guianan red howler (<i>Alouatta macconnelli</i>) and Brown capuchin (<i>Sapajus apella</i>) and one carnivoran, the Kinkajou (<i>Potos flavus</i>). To do so, we used 1431 photographs obtained from camera traps placed in the canopy in French Guyana. The results showed that <i>P. flavus</i> exhibits a greater diversity of overall positional and prehensile tail-associated behaviors compared to <i>S. apella</i> and <i>A. macconnelli</i>. Moreover, <i>P. flavus</i> used its tail for both stability and mass-bearing purposes during locomotor and postural behaviors, while <i>A</i>. <i>macconnelli</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>apella</i> used their tails mainly for mass bearing and stability, respectively, and this was only during postural behaviors. <i>P. flavus</i> mostly used large substrates but <i>A. macconnelli</i> used more small substrates. <i>S. apella</i> showed a preference for both medium and large substrates. Multivariate analyses showed that the three species were well discriminated regarding positional behaviors, with <i>P. flavus</i> exhibiting several postural and especially locomotor behaviors not shared by the two primate species, as well as a combination of behaviors shared with either of the two aforementioned species. <i>A. macconnelli</i> was mainly characterized by suspensory posture and vertical displacements, whereas <i>S. apella</i> mainly used above-branch postures using its tail to anchor itself.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70025","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yong Lu, Lu Zhang, Yan Wang, Changshan Gao, Xinyan Bian, Yanhong Nie, Qiang Sun
{"title":"Enhancing Breeding Success Through Simple Intrauterine Insemination in Large-Scale Cynomolgus Macaque Colony","authors":"Yong Lu, Lu Zhang, Yan Wang, Changshan Gao, Xinyan Bian, Yanhong Nie, Qiang Sun","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70028","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajp.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Ultrasound-guided intrauterine insemination (IUI) has been successfully employed in cynomolgus macaques, yet its effectiveness in large-scale, multi-age cohorts has not been fully explored. Here, we implemented IUI within large breeding colonies to boost pregnancy rates in cynomolgus macaques. Ovulation timing was estimated by monitoring menstrual bleeding, after which IUI was performed. We then compared single menstrual cycle (SMC) pregnancy rates between IUI groups and harem-style mating groups. Our findings revealed that the overall pregnancy rate in the IUI group was significantly higher than in the harem-style breeding group across all ages. Notably, this advantage was mainly attributable to monkeys over 10 years old; in contrast, no significant difference was observed among 4–5-year-old and 6–10-year-old monkeys. Although pregnant females in the IUI group exhibited a higher birth rate compared to those in harem-style breeding, this difference was not statistically significant. Collectively, these results establish a basis for refining reproductive technologies in older cynomolgus macaque breeding programs and highlight potential improvements in managing large-scale colonies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143676658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David K. Mwaura, Jordan A. Anderson, Daniel M. Kiboi, Mercy Y. Akinyi, Jenny Tung
{"title":"Enhancing Student Comprehension of Paternity Assignment in Molecular Primatology: A Pilot Study Using a Shiny Web Application in Kenya","authors":"David K. Mwaura, Jordan A. Anderson, Daniel M. Kiboi, Mercy Y. Akinyi, Jenny Tung","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70024","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajp.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Kinship is a major determinant of affiliative and mating behavior in primates. In field studies, identifying kin typically relies in part on genetic analysis, especially for discriminating paternal relationships. Such analyses assume knowledge of Mendelian inheritance, genotyping technologies, and basic statistical inference. Consequently, they can be difficult for students to grasp, particularly through traditional lecture formats. Here, we investigate whether integrating an additional active learning approach—interaction with <i>DadApp</i>, an application built using the R package <i>Shiny</i> that implements a popular paternity inference approach in an accessible graphical user interface—improves student understanding of genetic kinship analysis in molecular primatology. We do so in the context of a nontraditional learning environment in Kenya, a developing nation in which students have limited access to technology, and where the efficacy of educational Shiny apps has never been assessed. Twenty-eight (28) participants with diverse educational backgrounds attended an introductory lecture on genetics and paternity inference, completed a pre-test, interacted with <i>DadApp</i> via a structured set of exercises and questions, and then completed a post-test and survey about their experience and subjective understanding. Post-test scores significantly improved relative to pre-test scores (<i>p</i> = 3.75 × 10<sup>−</sup><sup>6</sup>), indicating enhanced learning outcomes. Further, student interest and confidence in the subject matter significantly increased after the practical session with <i>DadApp</i>. Our results suggest that Shiny web app-based active learning approaches have potential benefits in communicating complex topics in molecular primatology, including in resource-limited settings where such methods have not yet experienced high penetrance.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143676563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yangkai Ru, Jilai Zhao, Paul A. Garber, Wenbo Li, Huijuan Pan
{"title":"Factors Affecting the Diet and Activity Budget of Wild Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana)","authors":"Yangkai Ru, Jilai Zhao, Paul A. Garber, Wenbo Li, Huijuan Pan","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Behavioral and dietary flexibility allow primates to effectively exploit resources that fluctuate in time and space. Here we examined monthly variation in the diet and activity budget of a wild nonprovisioned group of Tibetan macaques inhabiting Mt. Huangshan, China. From October 2022 to September 2023, we recorded the behavior of a group of wild macaques and collected data on food availability, temperature, rainfall, and day length. We found that over a 12-month period, the Tibetan macaques fed on 109 plant species. The main food types consumed were fruits (54.5%), leaves (24.3%), seeds (7.7%), stems (6.5%), flowers (4.0%), and buds (2.5%). Tibetan macaques were found to target fruits as a main resource during months in which fruits were most abundant. During months when fruits were scarce, they increased their consumption of leaves, seeds, and stems. The top three plant species each month accounted for 70.7% of total feeding time indicating that their foraging effort focused on a small number of highly productive plant species each month. The Tibetan macaque daily activity budget was dominated by feeding (3.98 h or 33.7%) and resting (3.81 h or 32.8%), followed by traveling (2.40 h or 20.9%) and socializing (1.45 h or 12.6%). When time spent feeding on leaves increased, the Tibetan macaques experienced a significant increase in time spent resting and a significant decrease in time spent feeding. In addition, during the months of December and January, pine seeds were found to be an important food for Tibetan macaques. It is possible that increasing lipid consumption during the cold winter months serves to offset the additional costs of thermoregulation. Our results indicate that Tibetan macaques flexibly adjusted their diet and activity patterns in response to monthly variation in temperature, rainfall, and food availability across a range of forest types in east-central China.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143645726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn, Suchinda Malaivijitnond, Suthirote Meesawat, Krishna N. Balasubramaniam, Brenda McCowan
{"title":"Assessing the Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Infection Among Free-Ranging Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Thailand","authors":"Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn, Suchinda Malaivijitnond, Suthirote Meesawat, Krishna N. Balasubramaniam, Brenda McCowan","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70023","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The threat of disease transmission at the intersection of human-wildlife interfaces underscores the urgent need for detailed studies on the transmission of human-borne pathogens across species, especially among nonhuman primates in urban areas. This research focuses on the social and demographic determinants of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> complex (MTBC) infection in free-ranging long-tailed macaques (<i>Macaca fascicularis</i>) in Thailand. Behavioral observations and noninvasive biological specimens (freshly defecated feces and rope-baited oral samples) were collected from 98 long-tailed macaques living in Wat Khao Thamon, southern Thailand, between August 2021 and February 2022. We detected the MTBC antigen using IS<i>6110</i> nested-PCR method in 11 out of 98 monkeys (11.22%). Logistic GLMs revealed that the risk of MTBC acquisition was higher among macaques with frequent human-macaque interactions, whereas increased social grooming of conspecifics showed a nonsignificant trend toward reducing the risk. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic exposure increases the risk of MTBC infection among macaques, but this risk may be mitigated (socially buffered) by increased within-group affiliative interactions. More generally, the potential for increased disease prevalence in wildlife with frequent human interactions or reduced social buffering highlights the need to consider animal socio-demography when developing strategies to understand and prevent the transmission of diseases between humans and wildlife.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143639224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joshua Bauld, David Lehmann, Luc F. Bussière, Emma R. Bush, Edmond Dimoto, Jean-Thoussaint Dikangadissi, Tharcisse Ukizintambara, Elizabeth C. White, Jason Newton, Isabel L. Jones, Lee J. T. White, Ruth Musgrave, Katharine A. Abernethy
{"title":"Rare Long-Term Data Reveal the Seasonal Dietary Plasticity of Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) in Response to Fruiting Tree Phenology","authors":"Joshua Bauld, David Lehmann, Luc F. Bussière, Emma R. Bush, Edmond Dimoto, Jean-Thoussaint Dikangadissi, Tharcisse Ukizintambara, Elizabeth C. White, Jason Newton, Isabel L. Jones, Lee J. T. White, Ruth Musgrave, Katharine A. Abernethy","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding primate dietary plasticity provides insights into trait evolution and resilience to environmental change. Here, we investigate the feeding ecology of mandrills (<i>Mandrillus sphinx</i>), a species that forms groups of close to 1000 individuals, which presumably impacts feeding ecology by creating exceptionally high feeding competition. Mandrills are also threatened by habitat loss and climate change, and a full understanding of their dietary plasticity is essential to ongoing conservation efforts. Evidence suggests that mandrills are generalist feeders and consume a wide variety of resources to compensate for shortfalls in fruit availability. However, a lack of long-term data on fruit production within the mandrill geographic range means that it is unknown whether the flexible feeding strategies observed previously are stable over multiple years. We combined two rare data sets comprising 8 years of fecal collection and fruit availability to assess the dietary flexibility of mandrills in Lopé National Park, Gabon. We found fruit to be the most frequently consumed resource and fruit consumption covaried positively with fruit availability, peaking during periods of fruit abundance. Mandrill dietary diversity increased during periods of fruit scarcity, through greater consumption of animal prey, leaves, seeds, and other plant fibers. These results demonstrate that mandrills are primarily frugivorous, but that they are also highly flexible feeders, able to respond to temporal variation in fruit production over several annual cycles. In addition, we found that mandrills varied in the extent to which they preferred different fruit taxa. Lipid-rich oil palm (<i>Elaeis guineensis</i>) fruits were by far the most frequently consumed resource and may constitute a staple resource for mandrills in the study site. Our multiyear study provides robust evidence for generalist feeding behavior by mandrills, which may be driven by extreme group sizes or past environmental fluctuations and provide resilience to future environmental change.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143638650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}