American Journal of Primatology最新文献

{"title":"Validating a Mixed Qualitative Behavioral Assessment for Adult Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) I: Baseline Monitoring","authors":"Kylen N. Gartland,&nbsp;Emily Bovee,&nbsp;Grace Fuller","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Traditional qualitative behavioral assessments (QBAs) employ a unique whole-animal approach to measure animal welfare with a focus on affective elements. QBAs require comprehensive validation including reliability across multiple raters, subjects, and institutions, as well as consistency with other validated assessment measures. In 2016, the Detroit Zoological Society developed and began internally validating the Gorilla Behavioral Assessment Tool (GBAT), followed by internal applications of a revised GBAT in 2021. This study continues these validation efforts through the multi-institutional application of the GBAT in baseline conditions. Five zoological institutions participated in this study, creating a study population of 15 adult male western lowland gorillas (<i>Gorilla gorilla gorilla</i>) and more than 40 staff. Care staff collected fecal samples from each gorilla, and two staff from each institution completed the GBAT for each gorilla daily. Three of the five institutions collected focal behavioral data. We calculated inter-rater reliability using Gwet's AC₂, establishing near-perfect reliability across all tested items. We found no significant variation in reliability between institutions. We used the behavioral data and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites for construct validation. A combination of Spearman's correlations and generalized linear mixed models demonstrated statistically significant relationships between seven of the 12 tested GBAT items and other established measures. Integration of physical and behavioral indicators of welfare alongside affective indicators alters the GBAT from a traditional QBA into what we propose as a mixed or M-QBA. Our work demonstrates how an M-QBA allows for a more comprehensive assessment of animal welfare with implications for broader research applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143447057","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":"Development of Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Facial Musculature: Implications for Macaque Social Behavior Ontogeny","authors":"Jordan T. Pater,&nbsp;Clare M. Kimock,&nbsp;Sarah E. Downing,&nbsp;Bridget M. Waller,&nbsp;Anne M. Burrows","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rhesus macaques (<i>Macaca mulatta</i>) have long been used as a model for the evolution of some aspects of human social behavior and they are among the most completely understood species of the macaque genus. Rhesus macaques have a despotic dominance hierarchy with a well-documented facial display repertoire. However, we know little about the ontogenetic changes in gross facial musculature and how this might relate to corresponding facial display behavior. In an effort to illuminate our understanding, we dissected facial masks from 13 <i>M. mulatta</i> cadavers that died naturally, shortly after birth or were stillborn, and we compared these results to those from adult rhesus macaques. Results reveal that, unlike the adults in the present study, infant rhesus macaques have extrinsic external ear muscles and muscles associated with the lower lip that are very gracile and poorly developed. Musculature associated with the upper lip and nares are well developed, individually distinct, and robust, like those of the adults in our sample and adult <i>M. mulatta</i>. However, we were unable to locate the zygomaticus major muscle in any fetal/infant sample. These results may reflect simple variation in mimetic muscle ontogeny, differences related to facial allometry, or they could reflect a behaviorally meaningful adaptation to different life stages of macaque ontogeny.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143431113","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":"Assessing the Determinants of Platyrrhine Quadrupedal Gait Kinematics in an Ecological and Phylogenetic Framework","authors":"Liza J. Shapiro,&nbsp;Noah T. Dunham,&nbsp;Allison McNamara,&nbsp;Jesse W. Young,&nbsp;Tobin L. Hieronymus","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Laboratory studies have broadened our understanding of primate arboreal locomotor biomechanics and adaptation but are necessarily limited in species availability and substrate complexity. In this field study, we filmed the locomotion of 11 species of platyrrhines (Ecuador and Costa Rica; <i>n</i> = 1234 strides) and remotely measured substrate diameter and orientation. We then explored ecological and phylogenetic influences on quadrupedal kinematics in multivariate space using redundancy analysis combined with variation partitioning. Among all species, phylogenetic relatedness more strongly influenced quadrupedal kinematics than variation in substrate. Callitrichines were maximally divergent from other taxa, driven by their preferred use of higher speed asymmetrical gaits. Pitheciids were also distinctive in their use of lower limb phases, including lateral sequence gaits. The biomechanical implications of interspecific differences in body mass and limb proportions account for a substantial portion of the phylogenetic-based variation. Body mass and kinematic variation were inversely related–whereas the larger taxa (atelids) were relatively restricted in kinematic space, and preferred more stable, symmetrical gaits, the smallest species (callitrichines) used faster, more asymmetrical and less cautious gaits along with symmetrical gaits. Intermembral index had a positive relationship with limb phase, consistent with higher limb phases in atelines compared to pitheciids. Substrate alone accounted for only 2% of kinematic variation among all taxa, with substrate orientation influencing kinematics more than diameter. Substrate effects, though weak, were generally consistent with predictions and with previous laboratory and field-based research. Excluding callitrichines and asymmetrical gaits, the influence of substrate alone remained low (2%), and the phylogenetic signal dropped from 31% to 8%. The substantial residual kinematic variation may be attributable to substrate or morphological variables not measured here, but could also reflect basic biomechanical patterns shared by all taxa that serve them well when moving arboreally, regardless of the challenges provided by any particular substrate.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143431112","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":"Using 3D Photogrammetry to Quantify Usable Space in Zoo-Housed Primate Habitats","authors":"Charles P. Ritzler,&nbsp;Stephen V. Mather,&nbsp;India T. Johnson,&nbsp;Patricia M. Dennis,&nbsp;Kristen E. Lukas,&nbsp;Diana C. Koester","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70002","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Studies of zoo animal space use typically use ground-level measurements as a proxy for “usable space,” but this method ignores above ground areas that are behaviorally relevant to arboreal species. Previous work has proposed different methods to calculate usable above ground space, but each has presented different limitations, ranging from the estimation of areas of dense complexity to the significant manual effort needed to physically measure spaces. To address these limitations, we tested a new, 3D photogrammetry-based method (“3DP method”) for calculating usable space in the habitats of two zoo-housed primate species (crowned lemur [<i>Eulemur coronatus</i>], and Bornean orangutan [<i>Pongo pygmaeus</i>]). 3D photogrammetry generates a 3D point cloud and subsequent mesh, using physically captured images, with geometric, measurable properties. Our method was compared to a previously published method, based in SketchUp, (“MSU method”) for both quantification of usable space (surface area, volume) and efficiency of model generation (active and passive work required). The 3DP method generated similar results for both usable surface area and volume for the crowned lemur habitat, while requiring 82% less active work from the user. Furthermore, the 3DP method was able to calculate usable space in a habitat (Bornean orangutan) that was 13,274% larger than the crowned lemur habitat, and substantially larger than any habitat where the MSU method has been applied in published work. Overall, the 3DP method decreased the ratio of active to passive work required for calculating usable space in zoo habitats with complex vertical space, and is flexible enough to be applied to habitats of varying sizes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143423996","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}

{"title":"Social Rank, Female Competition for Food, and Behavioral Time-Budgets in the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey Rhinopithecus roxellana Multi-Level Society","authors":"Shujun He,&nbsp;Yi Yang,&nbsp;Zhenfeng Hu,&nbsp;Fan Wu,&nbsp;Chengliang Wang,&nbsp;Wenyong Tian,&nbsp;Rui-Feng Bai,&nbsp;Gao Qi,&nbsp;Yule Xie,&nbsp;Baoguo Li,&nbsp;Songtao Guo,&nbsp;Derek W. Dunn","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Competition within primate groups often translates to a social hierarchy, with high-rank individuals gaining privileged access to resources, especially food. Golden snub-nosed monkeys <i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i> live in a multi-level society, with multiple one-male units (OMUs), each containing a single adult male and several females, forming a breeding-band. High-rank males have increased access to high-value foods and spend less time feeding and more time being groomed by females, potentially enhancing social cohesion within their OMUs. The adults of each OMU mainly feed and socialize together, with food competition predominantly acting at the OMU level. We thus predicted that adult females by association attain the rank and feeding privileges of their OMU leader males, and make similar time-budget trade-offs. By food-provisioning a wild breeding-band during winter and spring, when natural foods are abundant or limited, respectively, we found that females of high-rank OMUs ate more provisioned foods at higher rates, especially during winter when provisioned foods had increased value. In winter, females of low-rank OMUs fed for longer on natural foods and females of high-rank OMUs longer on provisioned foods. Females of high-rank OMUs spent longer being groomed by other OMU members, especially during winter. Our results are consistent with females attaining the feeding privileges of their OMU leader male, enhanced during winter due to increased value of provisioned foods, high thermal demands, and reduced natural food availability. Importantly, the feeding privileges attained by females of high rank OMUs were less pronounced than those previously found for leader males, possibly due to higher tolerance between females of different OMUs. We suggest that behavioral time-budget effects of food competition in female <i>R. roxellana</i> enhance cohesion in high-rank OMUs, contributing to OMU integrity and, hence, the social structure of this multi-level society.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397200","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":"Continuous Provisioning Increases Breeding Success of Black-and-White Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China","authors":"Li Cao,&nbsp;Feng Liu,&nbsp;Long-Jie Guo,&nbsp;Qing-Lei Sun,&nbsp;Sang Ge,&nbsp;Bo-Yan Li,&nbsp;Ying Zhou,&nbsp;Xue-Lan Fang,&nbsp;Ying Geng,&nbsp;Wei-Bin Song,&nbsp;Cyril C. Grueter,&nbsp;Yan-Peng Li,&nbsp;Liang-Wei Cui,&nbsp;Wen Xiao","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The high energy demands of primates during pregnancy and lactation often limit their breeding success due to the availability of food resources. Until now, few studies have focused on the effects of continuous provisioning on primate reproduction. To assess the impact of continuous provisioning on breeding success, we collected data on female reproductive status (primiparous or multiparous), maternal age of births, births, deaths, and sex of infants in a free-ranging semi-provisioned band (FSB) of <i>Rhinopithecus bieti</i> in China from 2010 to 2023. Our results indicate that provisioning significantly increases infant survival. After 8 years of provisioning, 11 females began a pattern of giving birth to infants in two continuous years, skipping reproduction in the third year, and resuming in the fourth year. Continuous provisioning led to a year-by-year reduction in the interbirth interval (IBI) and a gradual decrease in the primiparous age. The percentage of consecutively breeding females (CBFs) and their offspring increased annually and with the mother's ages. Conversely, the percentage of offspring from non-consecutively breeding females (NBFs) decreased over time and with maternal age. Each CBF annually produced 9.4% more infants compared to NBFs. Compared to NBFs, CBFs had a higher maternal age at births, a higher fertility rate, a higher infant survival rate, and a 11.7% shorter IBI. Furthermore, compared to the non-provisioned wild band (NPB), females in the FSB gave birth 128 days earlier, had an 18.9% annual increase in the number of offspring per female, and showed 1.2 times higher infant survival beyond 12 months. Our study demonstrates that provisioning significantly enhances reproductive success and population size. However, before promoting provisioning as a conservation tool to stabilize and recover endangered wildlife populations, it is essential to thoroughly evaluate its potential risks, such as nutritional imbalances, increased stress, and the transmission of diseases.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397201","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":"Running the Risk: Road-Crossing Behavior in Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in an Anthropogenic Habitat in Uganda","authors":"Marie Tellier,&nbsp;François Druelle,&nbsp;Marie Cibot,&nbsp;Johnmary Baruzaliire,&nbsp;Tom Sabiiti,&nbsp;Matthew R. McLennan","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent research highlights the behavioral flexibility of wild chimpanzees in response to human-induced changes in their environment, including agricultural and infrastructural development. The expansion of road networks threatens chimpanzee populations across Africa. Studying their road-crossing behavior, especially outside protected areas where road impacts are greatest, helps identify factors influencing their choices and flexibility. This study seeks to gain a deeper understanding of how chimpanzees navigate busy roads and assess the danger posed by roads. Such insights are needed to develop effective conservation strategies in regions facing escalating human impact, including recommendations for the design and management of traffic on existing and future roads. Using a dataset of 129 video-recorded road crossings spanning 38 months, we analyzed the behavioral adjustments of chimpanzees in Bulindi, Uganda, when crossing a recently paved, busy main road within their home range. Using generalized linear mixed models, we investigated chimpanzee risk perception, protective and cooperative behaviors, vigilance, and progression order during road crossings. We identified variations in their behavior according to age-sex of individuals, group composition, and level of risk. We found that Bulindi chimpanzees exhibit behavioral strategies to reduce risks of collision or close encounters with humans on the road, as previously described. However, they were less vigilant than expected. We suggest that the chimpanzees have developed tolerance of the risks presented by the road, owing to their long history of crossing it before it was tarmacked and widened, and their familiarity with local people and motor traffic. Our results provide further evidence of the flexibility of wild chimpanzees. However, road crossings remain highly risky for large mammals like great apes, necessitating measures to mitigate the impact of road development on this and other endangered species (e.g. speed bumps, police enforcement, public awareness raising).</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370072","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}

{"title":"Evaluating the Co-Occurrence of Abnormal Behaviors in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)","authors":"Jessica C. Whitham,&nbsp;Katie Hall,&nbsp;Lance J. Miller","doi":"10.1002/ajp.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.70001","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>For decades, welfare scientists have focused on investigating and mitigating the abnormal behaviors—including repetitive stereotypic behaviors and abnormal stances/postures—displayed by chimpanzees residing in professionally managed settings. In an effort to design feasible and practical welfare assessments, researchers often pool abnormal behaviors into subcategories. However, this approach can result in the creation of heterogeneous subcategories comprised of behaviors that do not statistically co-occur. This study examined the co-occurrence of abnormal behaviors in 41 adult chimpanzees living in 16 facilities accredited by Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Specifically, we employed principal component analysis and regression analyses to investigate the following behaviors: self-directed hair pluck, idiosyncratic body manipulations (e.g., eye-poking), and idiosyncratic movements/postures (e.g., rocking). We found: (1) none of the behaviors loaded onto the same component, and (2) no significant relationships were discovered by performing the regression analyses. These findings suggest that self-directed hair pluck, idiosyncratic body manipulations, and idiosyncratic movements/postures are heterogeneous and should be scored separately in future studies of adult chimpanzees. Though this study cannot provide insight into the potential triggers for these specific behaviors, the lack of positive associations suggests that they may have unrelated triggers and treatments. Ultimately, future research should attempt to reduce and eliminate abnormal behaviors by introducing tailored interventions to the husbandry routine and/or environment. The findings of this study can be extended to other taxa. Specifically, welfare researchers should analyze individual abnormal behaviors separately, instead of forming subcategories of abnormal behaviors, unless behaviors are found to statistically co-occur.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143248889","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":"Use of Nonhuman Primates in Periodontal Disease Research: Contribution of the Caribbean Primate Research Center and Cayo Santiago Rhesus Colony","authors":"Jeffrey L. Ebersole,&nbsp;M. J. Novak,&nbsp;D. Cappelli,&nbsp;D. R. Dawson III,&nbsp;O. A. Gonzalez","doi":"10.1002/ajp.23724","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23724","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This review article provides a historical summary regarding the use, value, and validity of the nonhuman primate model of periodontal disease. The information provided cites results regarding the features of naturally occurring periodontitis in various nonhuman primate species, as well as the implementation of a model of experimental periodontitis. Clinical similarities to human disease are discussed, as well as the use of these models to document physiological and pathophysiological tissue changes in the periodontium related to the initiation and progression of the disease. Additionally, the use of these analytics in examination of the tissue characteristics of the disease, and the utility of nonhuman primates in testing and describing various therapeutic modalities are described. As periodontitis represents a disease of an oral microbiome dysbiosis, features of the altered microbiome in the disease in nonhuman primates are related to similar findings in the human condition. The review then provides a summary of the features of local and systemic host responses to a periodontal infection in an array of nonhuman primate species. This includes attributes of innate immunity, acute and chronic inflammation, and adaptive immune responses. Finally, extensive information is presented regarding the role of <i>Macaca mulatta</i> derived from the Cayo Santiago community in evaluating critical biologic details of disease initiation, progression, and resolution. This unique resource afforded the capacity to relate risk and expression of disease and traits of the responses to age, sex, and matriline derivation (e.g., heritability) of the animals. The Cayo Santiago colony continues to provide a critical preclinical model for assessment of molecular aspects of the disease process that can lead to both new targets for therapeutics and consideration of vaccine approaches to preventing and/or treating this global disease.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143111795","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":"Why Didn't the Sifaka Cross the Road? Divergence of Propithecus edwardsi Gut Microbiomes Across Geographic Barriers in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar","authors":"Mariah E. Donohue,&nbsp;Alicia Lamb,&nbsp;Abigail E. Absangba,&nbsp;Eliette Noromalala,&nbsp;David R. Weisenbeck,&nbsp;Rebecca M. Stumpf,&nbsp;Patricia C. Wright","doi":"10.1002/ajp.23732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23732","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study uses a biogeographic framework to identify patterns of gut microbiome divergence in an endangered lemur species endemic to Madagascar's southeastern rainforests, the Milne-Edwards's sifaka (<i>Propithecus edwardsi)</i>. Specifically, we tested the effects of (1) geographic barriers, (2) habitat disturbance, and (3) geographic distance on gut microbiome alpha and beta diversity. We selected 10 social groups from 4 sites in Ranomafana National Park with varied histories of selective logging. Sites were spaced between 4 and 17 km apart falling on either side of two parallel barriers to animal movement: the Namorona River and the RN25 highway. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we found the greatest beta diversity differentiation to occur between social groups, with significant divisions on opposite sides of geographic barriers (road/river). Habitat disturbance had the most significant effect on alpha diversity, though, contrary to many other studies, disturbance was associated with higher microbial species richness. Without biomedical context, it is unclear whether microbiome differences observed herein are neutral, adaptive, or maladaptive. However, microbiome divergence associated with the road/river may be a symptom of reduced host gene flow, warranting further investigation and perhaps conservation action (e.g., construction of wildlife bridges). Finally, this work demonstrates that significant microbiome variation can accrue over small sampling areas, lending new insight into host-microbe-environmental interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7662,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Primatology","volume":"87 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajp.23732","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143111794","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}