The impact of climate on the birth pattern of Rhinopithecus roxellana in different regions
The mating and reproduction of most non-human primates undergo strict seasonality,which are not only influ-enced by their own reproductive mechanisms,but also by the climate,altitude,and food supply in their habitats.Under-standing the seasonal differences in the birth of the same primate species residing in different regions can help identify the impact of environmental variables on animal reproduction.From January 2023 to August 2023,by using focal ani-mal sampling,we analyzed the relationship between climate and birth season in two groups of habituated Rhinopithecus roxellana populations in the Sichuan Baihe National Reserve(Baihe group)and the Dalongtan area in the Hubei Shen-nongjia National Park(Shennongjia group),China.The results showed that births occurred mainly between March and May in the two populations,but a few individuals were born in January,February,July,and August in the Baihe group.The birth patterns of the two groups were different,but the birth events were all distributed during periods of warming temperatures and rising precipitation.We detected a positive correlation between the weekly changes in infant/adult fe-male values(I/F)and the weekly average temperature and precipitation in the Baihe group.The weekly variation of in-fant/adult female values(I/F)in the Shennongjia group is positively correlated with the weekly average temperature,but the correlation with weekly precipitation is not significant.The increase in temperature may be a factor in promoting the environmental response of pregnant female monkeys to childbirth,while precipitation can trigger reproductive events by affecting the food supply.
万方数据
维普
