Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
epidemiological, and economic relationships, suggesting a need for increased
attention to this topic to uncover how all of these factors interact. As the overall
range of many free-ranging primates continues to diminish, understanding the
patterns of interaction between non-human primates and sympatric humans will
facilitate future management issues, disease research, and behavioral investi-
gations (Chapman and Peres,
2001
; Fuentes and Wolfe,
2002
; Fuentes,
2006
,).
Studying the macaques at Padangtegal can contribute to the overall attempt to
understand the
Macaca mulatta-fascicularis
group's relative success in south
and southeast Asia where they have overlapped with human settlements and
use areas for many millennia.
Specifically documenting the pattern of demographic changes across time in
the Padangtegal population might allow us to better understand how to facili-
tate management procedures that will maintain a healthy macaque population
and minimize the potential negative impacts (e.g., pathogen transmission,
crop raiding, or other elements) to the human populations. Also, by examining
behavioral patterns such as object manipulation and infant taking we might
be able to gain insight into the range of potential behavioral expression when
macaques are relieved of specific selective stressors such as food and predation
stress.
Conclusions
Given the results of research at the Padangtegal site a few general conclusions
can be made:
1. Activity patterns of
Macaca fascicularis
groups in this population are gen-
erally similar to other
M. fascicularis
populations.
2. General activity patterns are similar for adult females and males in this
population, with females engaging in more affiliation and holding of infants,
and males resting more than females.
3. The diet of these macaques is heavily provisioned and thus this popula-
tion may be free from nutritional stress and therefore exhibit behaviors
that otherwise may be suppressed by increased foraging pressures (e.g.,
increased object manipulation).
4. The demographic history suggests that population growth is high and will
continue to increase in rate with current management practices. It may be
that the population growth was curbed by epidemics in the past and there-
fore the pathogen environment might be a significant selective force on
commensal populations of macaques (or at least on this population).
