The rhesus macaque as a success story of the Anthropocene

Abstract

Of all the non-human primate species studied by researchers, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is likely the most widely used across biological disciplines. Rhesus macaques have thrived during the Anthropocene and now have the largest natural range of any non-human primate. They are highly social, exhibit marked genetic diversity, and display remarkable niche flexibility (which allows them to live in a range of habitats and survive on a variety of diets). These characteristics mean that rhesus macaques are well-suited for understanding the links between sociality, health and fitness, and also for investigating intra-specific variation, adaptation and other topics in evolutionary ecology.

Towards an integrated understanding of dietary phenotypes

“…From the perspective of nutritional ecology, rhesus macaques are a particularly interesting primate. They are the most widespread and ecologically diverse non-human primate, with a highly varied generalist omnivore diet that typically reflects whatever foods are common in their environment [67]. Based on nutrient regulation theory discussed above (figure 3), their varied diet led Cui et al .…”

“…From the perspective of nutritional ecology, rhesus macaques are a particularly interesting primate. They are the most widespread and ecologically diverse non-human primate, with a highly varied generalist omnivore diet that typically reflects whatever foods are common in their environment [67]. Based on nutrient regulation theory discussed above (figure 3), their varied diet led Cui et al [59] to predict that rhesus macaques would show the generalist pattern of macronutrient regulation, in which total macronutrient (fat + carbohydrate + protein) intake is maintained constant at the level of the intake target regardless of the macronutrient mix of the available diet.…”

The biology of aging in a social world: insights from free-ranging rhesus macaques

“…1.2 The deeply-phenotyped Cayo Santiago macaques: Cayo Santiago, a 15.2-hectare tropical island off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, is home today to approximately 1,500 rhesus macaques. This field site, which is managed by the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC) at the University of Puerto Rico, is the longestrunning and most intensively studied population of nonhuman primates in the world (Cooper et al, 2022a). All resident rhesus macaques on the island are the descendants of 409 animals introduced to the island from India in 1938 by primatologist Clarence Ray Carpenter for behavioral research.…”

“…Rhesus macaques are a particularly useful non-human primate model owing to their frequent use in biomedical research since the late 1800s (Cooper et al, 2022a). Laboratory and observational studies have demonstrated shared genetics, anatomy, neurology, physiology, immunology, behavior, and life-history with humans (Chiou et al, 2020; Colman, 2018; Roth et al, 2004).…”

The nanopore sequencing of a Chinese rhesus macaque revealed patterns of methylation, recombination, and selection for structural variations

“…Parkinson’s disease [11, 12], cataract [13, 14], cardiovascular diseases [15], infertility [16, 17], etc. This popularity is probably due to its biological, evolutionary, and ecological features, including adaptive flexibility, widespread distribution, population abundance, genetic closeness to human than other model species (i.e., mouse, fruit fly, and zebrafish), and highly diverse genomic variants [18, 19]. As one of the most evolutionarily and ecologically successful nonhuman primates [20, 21].…”