Seasonal variation in the body fat of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata.

Hamada, Yohei; Hayakawa, Seiji; Suzuki, Juri; Watanabe, Kouichi; Ohkura, Satoshi

doi:10.3106/mammalstudy.28.79

Cited by 34 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The monkeys, therefore, exhibit a ''save energy'' strategy during winter [Nakagawa, 1997a]. On the Shimokita Peninsula, the northernmost habitat of the Japanese macaque, the body weight of the monkeys decreases by 17% during winter [Nakayama et al, 1999] due to the loss of body fat deposited during the fall, which reaches about 15% of their total body weight [Hamada et al, 2003]. Therefore, food supply during the fall is critical for both reproduction and survival of these animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term variation in fruiting and the food habits of wild Japanese nacaques on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan

et al. 2006

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We studied the relationship between the food habits of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and the availability of nuts (Fagus crenata, Zelkova serrata, Carpinus spp., and Torreya nucifera) on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan, from 1997 to 2005 to examine the long-term variations in both food habits and availability. The food habits of the monkeys showed clear seasonal changes: the staple foods were woody leaves and flowers in spring (May and June), woody leaves and seeds or fruits other than nuts in summer (July and August), nuts and seeds or fruits other than nuts in fall (September-November), and herbaceous plants in winter (December-April). The availability of nuts, combinations of masting species, and energy production varied among years. Food habits varied among years, but the magnitude of variability of food habits differed among seasons, with large variability during summer and winter, and small variability in spring. Food availability was poor in summer and winter, but in several years the monkeys were able to consume nuts during those seasons. We emphasize the importance of conducting long-term studies on both food availability and the food habits of animals in the temperate zone.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term variation in fruiting and the food habits of wild Japanese nacaques on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan

et al. 2006

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“…Various other methods are also used to assess the nutritional status of captive and wild animals such as carcass analysis (Lewis et al, 1986;Rutenberg et al, 1987;Zihlman and McFarland, 2000), dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) (Hamada et al, 2003;Takahashi et al, 2006), total body electroconductivity (TOBEC) (Power et al, 2001), blood sampling to assess insulin, leptin, or cholesterol levels (Chen et al, 2002;Kemnitz et al, 2002;Muehlenbein et al, 2005;Takahashi et al, 2006;Whitten and Turner, 2008;Garcia et al, 2010), and urine sampling to measure ketones or C-peptide (Knott, 1998;Sherry and Ellison, 2007;Deschner et al, 2008). Determination of nutritional status and energy balance can also be monitored by using the labeled-water technique (Altmann et al, 1993;Garcia et al, 2004;Blanc et al, 2005;Schmid and Speakman, 2009;Simmen et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussion Body Composition In Female Japanese Macaques and mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In brief, we monitored body mass, body length, arm and calf circumferences, and skinfold thickness at three different sites (abdominal, supra-iliac, subscapular). By summing the skinfold thickness at those three sites, we therefore calculated the total skinfold thickness (TS) for each individual (Hamada et al, 2003). Female physical condition was assessed as the relationship between: 1) body mass (BM) and length using the Quetelet Index (QI) (Bowman and Lee, 1995;Garcia et al, 2004) defined as follows: QI 5 (BM in kg)/(crownrump length in m) 2 .…”

Section: Experimental Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is exacerbated in seasonally breeding animals, especially for females, which are characterized by annual changes in body mass and adiposity (Rousseau et al, 2003). In the seasonal environment, primates accumulate and subsequently loose energy stores in a yearly body mass gainloss cycle (Mori, 1979;Richard et al, 2000;Kurita et al, 2002;Hamada et al, 2003;Pusey et al, 2005) and most of the increase/decrease in mass seems due to an increase/decrease in fat reserves. During periods of food scarcity, endogenous lipids are the main source of energy utilized and proteins are spared.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) show marked seasonal changes in body mass in response to the predictable cycle of food allocation (Kurita et al, 2002;Hamada et al, 2003). They inhabit an environment characterized by an extreme seasonality in terms of both temperature and precipitation variation, and they are found at the most northerly extent of any primate's range.…”

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Energetic consequences of seasonal breeding in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Garcia¹,

Huffman

Shimizu

et al. 2011

American J Phys Anthropol

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Japanese macaques inhabit a relatively cold environment and females of this species could have developed strategies of energy economy to face the sometimes-harsh seasonal conditions of temperate climates, as well as reproductive costs, and thus regulate their energy balance. Here, we explore the relationship between nutritional status, body composition, seasonality, and reproductive status using isotope-labeled water, anthropometric measurements, and leptin assays from 14 captive female Japanese macaques. Our results indicated that body mass provided the best predictor of fat-free mass and fat mass. These females varied in estimated percent body fat between 8 and 25% (18% on average at the beginning of the mating season and 13% during the birth season). Higher body mass and body fat content were observed at the beginning of the mating season, which supports the hypothesis that individual females need to attain a sufficient physical condition to cover energy costs associated with mating activity, and to survive under severe ecological conditions in winter with high thermoregulatory costs. We found a relationship between conception rates and energetic condition or body fat, with females that conceived during one mating season being fatter after the end of their previous mating season. Together, these results suggest that, even in captive settings with constant food availability, seasonal breeding entails relatively high energy costs, and that females with higher energy status could invest more in reproductive activities and could afford to reproduce more rapidly.

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Seasonal and reproductive variation in body condition in captive female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Garcia

Huffman

Shimizu

2009

American J Primatol

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The geographic distribution of Japanese macaques includes populations with the most northern range of any primate species. Not surprisingly, females of this species are characterized by physiological adaptations and unique fat deposition mechanisms that facilitate their survival through the sometimes-harsh seasonal conditions of temperate climates, as well as sustaining the metabolic costs of mating, pregnancy, and lactation. Here, we explore the relationship between nutritional status, seasonality, and reproductive status using anthropometric and leptin measures from 14 captive female Japanese macaques. No seasonal patterns were found in the levels of leptin, but there were differences between seasons in anthropometric measures, specifically between the beginning and the end of the mating season. Females gained weight and accumulated energy reserves in fall to prepare for mating activity, and to survive the severe conditions of winter, which is also the period of gestation if pregnancy occurs. Lactating females had larger total skinfolds relative to nonlactating individuals, and females with older babies at the beginning of the mating season had larger abdominal skinfolds than did those with younger babies. There was a relationship between the likelihood of conception and nutritional status, with females that conceived during one mating season being in better condition at the end of their previous mating season. Together, these results suggest that, even in captive settings, seasonal breeding has a cost on the energetic demands of mating, and that higher condition (i.e. fatter) females could afford the demands of lactation and reproduced more rapidly.

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Seasonal variation in the body fat of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata.

Cited by 34 publications

References 18 publications

Long-term variation in fruiting and the food habits of wild Japanese nacaques on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan

Long-term variation in fruiting and the food habits of wild Japanese nacaques on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan

Energetic consequences of seasonal breeding in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Seasonal and reproductive variation in body condition in captive female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

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