Identity Construction and Symbolic Association in Farmer-Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) Interconnections in St. Kitts

Dore, Kerry M.; Eller, Andrea R.; Eller, Jackie

doi:10.1159/000479064

“…Where primates share habitats closely with people and eat crops habitually, residents may view them as a significant hindrance to livelihood security and economic growth (Dore, Eller, & Eller, 2018; McLennan & Hill, 2012; Paterson & Wallis, 2005). Long‐term data are needed to establish whether potential benefits (e.g., energetic, reproductive) of foraging in agricultural matrix habitats outweigh fitness costs from human‐driven mortality risk for chimpanzees and other adaptable primates (cf.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

McLennan

¹

,

Lorenti

²

,

Sabiiti

³

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

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Behavioral flexibility, including an ability to modify feeding behavior, is a key trait enabling primates to survive in forest fragments. In human-dominated landscapes, unprotected forest fragments can become progressively degraded, and may be cleared entirely, challenging the capacity of primates to adjust to the changes. We examined responses of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) to major habitat change: that is, clearance of forest fragments for agriculture. Over 7 years, fragments in Bulindi, Uganda, were reduced in size by 80%. We compared the chimpanzees' diet at the start and end of this period of rapid deforestation, using data derived mainly from fecal analysis. Similar to other long-term study populations, chimpanzees in Bulindi have a diverse diet comprising over 169 plant foods. However, extensive deforestation seemed to impact their feeding ecology. Dietary changes after fragment clearance included reduced overall frugivory, reduced intake of figs (Ficus spp.; formerly a dietary "staple" for these chimpanzees), and reduced variety of fruits in fecal samples. Nevertheless, the magnitude of most changes was remarkably minor given the extent of forest loss. Agricultural fruits increased in dietary importance, with crops accounting for a greater proportion of fruits in fecal samples after deforestation. In particular, cultivated jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) became a "staple" food for the chimpanzees but was scarcely eaten before fragment clearance. Crops offer some nutritional benefits for primates, being high in carbohydrate energy and low in hard-to-digest fiber. Thus, crop feeding may have offset foraging costs associated with loss of wild foods and reduced overall frugivory for the chimpanzees. The adaptability of many primates offers hope for their conservation in fragmented, rural landscapes. However, long-term data are needed to establish whether potential benefits (i.e. energetic, reproductive) of foraging in agricultural matrix habitats outweigh fitness costs from anthropogenic mortality risk for chimpanzees and other adaptable primates. K E Y W O R D S behavioral flexibility, crop feeding, deforestation, foraging adaptations, fragmentation, unprotected habitats

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“…Green monkeys (Ch. sabaeus) are also endemic to the Caribbean islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Barbados, having been brought to the islands over 300 years ago [29], where they are densely populated and have frequent contact with humans [27]. The established Caribbean populations have since spread to the islands of St. Martin/St.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies

Schmitt

¹

,

Bergey

²

,

Jasinska

³

et al. 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has devastated health infrastructure around the world. Both ACE2 (an entry receptor) and TMPRSS2 (used by the virus for spike protein priming) are key proteins to SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, enabling progression to COVID-19 in humans. Comparative genomic research into critical ACE2 binding sites, associated with the spike receptor binding domain, has suggested that African and Asian primates may also be susceptible to disease from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.) are a widespread non-human primate with well-established potential as a bi-directional zoonotic/anthroponotic agent due to high levels of human interaction throughout their range in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. To characterize potential functional variation in savanna monkey ACE2 and TMPRSS2, we inspected recently published genomic data from 245 savanna monkeys, including 163 wild monkeys from Africa and the Caribbean and 82 captive monkeys from the Vervet Research Colony (VRC). We found several missense variants. One missense variant in ACE2 (X:14,077,550; Asp30Gly), common in Ch. sabaeus, causes a change in amino acid residue that has been inferred to reduce binding efficiency of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting potentially reduced susceptibility. The remaining populations appear as susceptible as humans, based on these

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“…are a catarrhine primate that is ubiquitous throughout sub-Saharan African savanna environments [25]. They are often characterized as problem animals within this range due to their easy co-habitation with human settlements ranging from rural farmland to densely packed urban areas [26] [27] [28]. Green monkeys (Ch.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies

Schmitt

¹

,

Bergey

²

,

Jasinska

³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has devastated health infrastructure around the world. Both ACE2 (an entry receptor) and TMPRSS2 (used by the virus for spike protein priming) are key proteins to SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, enabling progression to COVID-19 in humans. Comparative genomic research into critical ACE2 binding sites, associated with the spike receptor binding domain, has suggested that Old World primates may also be susceptible to disease from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.) are a widespread non-human primate with well-established potential as a bi-directional zoonotic/anthroponotic agent due to high levels of human interaction throughout their range in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. To characterize potential functional variation in savanna monkey ACE2 and TMPRSS2, we inspected recently published genomic data from 245 savanna monkeys, including 163 wild monkeys from Africa and the Caribbean and 82 captive monkeys from the Vervet Research Colony (VRC). We found several missense variants. One missense variant in ACE2 (X:14,077,550; Asp30Gly), common in Ch. sabaeus, causes a change in amino acid residue that has been inferred to reduce binding efficiency of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting potentially reduced susceptibility. The remaining populations appear as susceptible as humans, based on these criteria for receptor usage. All missense variants observed in wild Ch. sabaeus populations are also present in the VRC, along with two splice acceptor variants (at X:14,065,076) not observed in the wild sample that are potentially disruptive to ACE2 function. The presence of these variants in the VRC suggests a promising model for SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine and therapy development. In keeping with a One Health approach, characterizing actual susceptibility and potential for bi-directional zoonotic/anthroponotic transfer in savanna monkey populations may be an important consideration for controlling COVID-19 epidemics in communities with frequent human/non-human primate interactions that, in many cases, may have limited health infrastructure.

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Identity Construction and Symbolic Association in Farmer-Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) Interconnections in St. Kitts

Cited by 43 publications

References 19 publications

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

Forest fragments become farmland: Dietary Response of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) to fast‐changing anthropogenic landscapes

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies

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