Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Reproductive Ecology of an Endangered Primate: Diet and Foraging Behavior Alteration in Adult Female Sanje Mangabeys (Cercocebus sanjei)

这项研究有助于描述灵长类生殖与环境之间的相互关系，并提供对雌性生殖模式的变化如何代表对当地条件的适应性反应以确保生殖成功的理解。目前尚不清楚哪种生殖策略在灵长类动物中占主导地位；即“经典模式”，其中受孕与高食物可获得性相关；“替代模式”，其中哺乳与高食物可获得性相关；或“不季节性”，即未观察到明显的出生模式。这项研究将研究坦桑尼亚Udzungwa山脉特有的濒危Sanje mangaby(Cercocebus Sanjei)的繁殖季节性。主要目的是确定雌性是否表现出生殖季节性，以及生殖模式是否受到外部因素(如食物可获得性)和/或内在因素(如雌性优势和身体状况)的影响。还将调查这些变量之间的相互关系。因此，该项目旨在了解影响灵长类生殖的外部变量和内部变量之间的复杂关系，从而为灵长类生态学和进化生物学中的重要理论领域提供信息。这项研究的学术价值包括阐明该物种的生殖生态学。将审查生殖期间成功获取能量和营养的战略，以及生殖阶段的寄生风险和食地作用与寄生和/或怀孕的关系。将收集22只成年雌性桑杰·曼加比在一个年度周期内的社会和觅食行为的数据。将采集粪便和尿液样本，分别确定生殖期和非生殖期的寄生虫流行率以及能量平衡。将对雌鸟消耗的食物进行营养含量分析，并每月监测12个生态地块，以评估栖息地内的食物供应情况。濒危的Sanje mangabys剩余种群仅得到部分保护，在其分布的相当大范围内受到栖息地丧失的影响。因此，这项研究的更广泛影响包括提供有关它们生殖生态的信息，特别是对雌性生殖成功至关重要的资源，这是成功保护措施的关键。此外，参与该项目的坦桑尼亚人将对保护工作至关重要，随之而来的知识转让将促进他们的继续就业，并促进当地对坦桑尼亚生物多样性的欣赏。最后，这个项目将为研究生提供研究经验，并为博士论文提供基础。

This study contributes to delineating interrelationships between primate reproduction and environment and provides understanding of how variation in female reproductive patterns represents an adaptive response to local conditions to ensure reproductive success. It is presently unknown which reproductive strategy is dominant among primates; i.e., the "classic pattern", where conception is correlated with high food availability; the "alternative pattern", where lactation correlates with high food availability; or "aseasonality", where no discernable pattern in births is observed. This study will examine reproductive seasonality in the Endangered Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei), endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. The main objective is to determine whether females express reproductive seasonality, and if reproductive patterns are influenced by extrinsic factors, such as food availability, and/or intrinsic factors, such as female dominance and body condition. The inter-relationship between these variables will also be investigated. As such, this project aims to understand the complex relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic variables acting upon primate reproduction and, therefore, informs important theoretical areas within primate ecology and evolutionary biology. The intellectual merit of this study includes the elucidation of the reproductive ecology of this species. The strategies for successful acquisition of energy and nutrients during reproductive periods will be examined as will the risk of parasitism during reproductive phases and the role of geophagy in relation to parasitism and/or pregnancy. Data will be collected on the social and foraging behavior of 22 adult female Sanje mangabeys over one annual cycle. Fecal and urine samples will be collected to determine parasite prevalence between reproductive and non-reproductive periods, and energy balance, respectively. Food consumed by females will be analyzed for nutritional content, and 12 ecological plots will be monitored monthly in order to assess food availability within the habitat. The remaining population of Endangered Sanje mangabeys is only partially protected and subject to habitat loss in a substantial area of their distribution. As such, the broader implications of this study include providing information on their reproductive ecology, especially resources vital for female reproductive success, which is key to successful conservation measures. In addition, the Tanzanians participating in the project will be vital to conservation efforts, and the attendant knowledge transfer will promote their continued employment and foster local appreciation of Tanzanian biodiversity. Finally, this project will provide research experience for a graduate student and provide the basis for a doctoral dissertation.