Dispersal patterns in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys

Egg rejection is a crucial defence strategy against brood parasitism, that requires the host to correctly recognise the foreign egg. Rejection behaviour has thus evolved in many hosts, facilitated by the visual differences between the parasitic and host eggs, and driving hosts to rely on colour and pattern cues.On the other hand, the need to recognise non-egg-shaped objects to carry out nest sanitation led birds to evolve the ability to discriminate and eject objects using mainly shape cues. However, little is known regarding the evolutionary significance of rejection behaviour in general and the cognitive processes underlying it. Here, we investigated the response of the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) during prelaying and laying stages to four objects types that differed in shape (eggs vs stars) and colour/pattern (mimetic vs non-mimetic) to investigate 1) what cognitive mechanisms are involved in object discrimination and 2) whether egg rejection is a direct defence against brood parasitism, or simply a product of nest sanitation. We found that swallows ejected stars more often than eggs in both stages, indicating that swallows possess a template for the shape of their eggs. Since the effect of colour/pattern on ejection decisions was minor, we suggest that barn swallows have not evolved a direct defence against brood parasitism but instead, egg ejection might be a product of their welldeveloped nest sanitation behaviour. Nonetheless, the fact that mimetic eggs were ejected especially in the pre-laying stage shows that nest sanitation could be an effective defence against poorly timed brood parasitism.

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Nest sanitation as an effective defence against brood parasitism

Šulc

Hughes

Mari

et al. 2022

Anim Cogn

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Microplastics and gut microbiomes impact on Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the Three Parallel Rivers region in China

Xia,

Zhou,

et al. 2024

Front. Microbiol.

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BackgroundMicroplastics (MPs) has been rapidly increasing and interacting with wildlife. As the highest altitudes inhabited non-human primate, Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) have been proven to be an umbrella and flagship species to indicate ecosystem changes and help develop environmental management strategies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the behavioral and ecological reasons for the types, content and differences of MPs in the feces of R. bieti, and explored the effects of MPs on gut microbiome of R. bieti.MethodsWe used the Agilent 8700 LDIR to identify the abundance and size distribution of MPs in fecal samples, and then analyzed the causes of differences in MPs content by combining data from different populations (wild group, provisioned wild group) and dominance hierarchy. At the same times, the relationships were investigated between gut microbiome diversity and MPs content.ResultsWe first demonstrate MPs ingestion by R. bieti, which highlights the potential impacts of MPs pollution in such high-altitude, inaccessible protected areas. A total of 36 types of MPs were detected, with an average of 75.263 ± 58.141MPs/g. Food provisioning and tourism significantly increased the content of MPs in the feces of R. bieti, but tourism alone did not significantly increase the content of MPs as food provisioning. At the same time, the study found that there was no significant difference in the content of MPs between different sex groups, however, the feces MPs content of adult R. bieti was significantly lower than that of juvenile, and the social dominance hierarchies among OMUs was positively correlated with the exposure of MPs. The current level of MPs pollution did not cause gut microbiome dysbiosis of R. bieti.ConclusionOur study proved from behavioral and ecological perspectives that the R. bieti exposure to MPs was related to provisioned food, and was closely related to dominance hierarchy and age. From the perspective of intestinal microbiology, it was proved that the current intake of MPs did not cause gut microbiome dysbiosis of R. bieti. Our study provided scientific basis for formulating effective protection measures and promoting the effective protection of rare and endangered animals.

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Moderate Genetic Diversity of MHC Genes in an Isolated Small Population of Black-and-White Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti)

Yan,

Song,

Liang

et al. 2024

Animals

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Genetic diversity is an essential indicator that echoes the natural selection and environmental adaptation of a species. Isolated small populations are vulnerable to genetic drift, inbreeding, and limited gene flow; thus, assessing their genetic diversity is critical in conservation. In this study, we studied the genetic diversity of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) using neutral microsatellites and five adaptive major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. Two DQA1 alleles, two DQB1 alleles, two DRB1 alleles, two DRB5 alleles, and three DPB1 alleles were isolated from a population. The results indicate that neutral microsatellites demonstrate a high degree of heterozygosity and polymorphism, while adaptive MHC genes display a high degree of heterozygosity and moderate polymorphism. The results also show that balancing selection has prominently influenced the MHC diversity of the species during evolution: (1) significant positive selection is identified at several amino acid sites (primarily at and near antigen-binding sites) of the DRB1, DRB5, and DQB1 genes; (2) phylogenetic analyses display the patterns of trans-species evolution for all MHC loci. This study provides valuable genetic diversity insights into black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys, which dwell at the highest altitude and have experienced the harshest environmental selection of all primates globally since the Pleistocene. Such results provide valuable scientific evidence and a reference for making or amending conservation strategies for this endangered primate species.

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Dispersal patterns in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys

Cited by 3 publications

References 72 publications

Nest sanitation as an effective defence against brood parasitism

Nest sanitation as an effective defence against brood parasitism

Microplastics and gut microbiomes impact on Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the Three Parallel Rivers region in China

Moderate Genetic Diversity of MHC Genes in an Isolated Small Population of Black-and-White Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti)

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