Dissertation Research: Grouping Patterns and Foraging Strategies in Two Sympatric Mangabey Species

这项研究将调查生活在中非共和国Mondika研究站同一地区的两个山竹物种--Cercocebus galertes Agilis和Cercocebus albigena的群体规模、凝聚力和群体间间距的决定因素。据报道，这两个山竹物种尽管在形态和生态上相似，但在分组模式上有所不同。据报道，阿尔比吉纳金龟子生活在相对稳定的社会单元中，而银斑狗鱼群体通常分裂成亚群，但在其他时候聚集成大群体(或“超级群体”)。这里提出的研究将测试特定生态因素(如食物供应的波动)和社会因素(如优势等级，以及婴儿和发情雌性的存在)如何影响群体规模、凝聚力和间隔的假设。方法将包括对这两个山竹物种进行行为抽样，以及监测其环境中食物的可获得性的生态抽样。这项研究的结果将加深我们对灵长类社会性进化的理解。此外，这项研究将首次提供关于两个共生的山竹物种的社会组织和觅食策略的长期数据。收集的行为数据可以与形态和分子数据一起用于解决令人困惑的芒果类系统发育以及与其他东半球猴子(如狒狒和猕猴)的亲缘关系的问题。

This study will investigate the determinants of group size, cohesion, and inter-group spacing in two mangabey species, Cercocebus galeritus agilis and Cercocebus albigena, that live in the same areas of the Mondika Research Station, Central African Republic. These two mangabey species reportedly differ in their grouping patterns despite their morphological and ecological similarities. C. albigena reportedly lives in relatively stable social units, whereas C. galeritus groups often fragment into subgroups, yet at other times aggregate into large hordes (or 'supergroups'). The study proposed here will test hypotheses of how specific ecological factors (such as fluctuations in food availability) and social factors (such as dominance hierarchies, and the presence of infants and estrus females) influence group size, cohesion, and spacing. Methods will include behavioral sampling of the two mangabey species as well as ecological sampling to monitor the availability of food in their environment. Results of this study will enhance our understanding of the evolution of primate sociality. In addition, this study will provide the first long-term data on social organization and foraging strategies in two sympatric mangabey species. The behavioral data collected can be used with morphological and molecular data to address the puzzling issue of mangabey phylogeny and affinities with other old world monkeys such as baboons and macaques.