Study on intergroup transfer of male Japanese monkeys using ALGOS system

本研究的目的是探讨已经离开纳塔尔群体的年轻成年日本雄性猴的生活史。我们记录的运动模式的外围男性仍然是本纳塔尔组的成员，使用无线电遥测系统（ALGOS系统）。收集了日本冈山县Katsuyama的一组自由放养的日本猴（Macaca fuscata）的数据。自1958年以来，这一群体一直在提供，所有个体的母系宗谱关系和正确年龄都是已知的。已经进行了大量的ALGOS系统研究，以确定各种哺乳动物物种的栖息地和候鸟的飞行路线。然而，很少有研究解决森林生物物种的这些问题。在这项研究中，遥测系统是否适用于日本猴子进行了四年的探索。在开发出性能良好的发射器并探索将其附着到猴子身上的方法后，我们反复改进了该系统。我们的严格检查证实，可以几乎正确地估计安装发射器的猴子的位置。研究期间，主群中出现了由几只外围雄性、成年雌性和幼年组成的分支群，但没有发生群分裂。此外，关于来自胜山组的年轻成年男性和估计已经离开其他组的成年男性的运动模式的数据表明，在整个研究期间，几乎没有发生来自胜山组的男性离开和来自其他组的男性移民到该组的情况。因此，在这项研究中，很难确定男性移民的过程或外围男性的运动模式。然而，我们能够得到的证据表明，ALGOS系统是完全适用于森林生活的物种运动模式的实证研究。

The purpose of this study was to explore the life history of young adult Japanese male monkeys who have already leaved the natal group. We recorded movement patterns of peripheral males who were still members of this natal group, using radio-telemetry system (ALGOS system). Data was collected for a free-ranging group of Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) at Katsuyama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. This group has been provisioned since 1958, and the maternal genealogical relationships and the correct ages of all individuals are known.Numerous studies with ALGOS system have been conducted to identify the habitats in various mammal species and the flyways of migratory birds. However, there have been few studies addressing these issues for forest-living species. In this study, whether the telemetry system was applicable to Japanese monkeys was explored over four years. After developing a transmitter of good performance and exploring a way to attach it to monkeys, we improved the system repeatedly. Our critical examination confirmed that the location of the monkeys to whom the transmitter was attached could be nearly correctly estimated.During the study period, a branch group consisting of several peripheral males, adult females, and juveniles emerged from the main group, but group fission did not occur. In addition, data on the movement patterns of young adult males from the Katsuyama group and full adult males who were estimated to have left the other groups indicated that male-leaving from the Katsuyama group and male immigration to this group from the other groups have hardly occurred throughout the study period. Hence, it was hard to determine the process of a male immigration or the movement patterns of peripheral males in this study. However, we were able to get the evidence that ALGOS system was fully applicable to empirical researches on movement patterns of forest-living species.