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Seasonality of reproduction of wild black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Mt. Lasha, Yunnan, China

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Abstract

Black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) inhabit one of the harshest habitats by any nonhuman primate. Reliable predictive cues to initiate reproduction may be particularly critical for R. bieti because they inhabit such seasonally energetically challenging environments. To better understand the seasonal distribution of and predictive cues to reproduction, we collected breeding and birth data in a population of R. bieti at Mt. Lasha in Yunling Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China, from January 2008 to May 2010, using a combination of 10-min instantaneous scans and ad libitum observations. We examined variations in temperature, rainfall, and food availability, as well as photoperiod differences between Mt. Lasha and the more northerly Xiaochangdu to identify environmental influences on the timing of reproductive events. Our data show the area exhibited distinct seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, temperature, and food availability. Mating occurred year-round, but peaked in August, coinciding with the end of the period of highest temperatures and food availability, and during the peak rainfall. Copulation frequency peaked 1 month after corresponding peaks in staple foods, rainfall, and minimum temperatures, and 3–4 months after peaks in high-quality foods. Births were significantly seasonal, with a birth peak from mid-February to early April, and a mean birth date of 14 March. Eleven births occurred in 41 days in 2009, and 16 births occurred in 52 days in 2010. Births occurred during periods of increasing temperatures and food availability. Our findings are suggestive of at least one environmental control of conception timing, and support the notion that food availability during key reproductive stages is an ultimate factor for birth seasonality, but provide no supporting evidence for photoperiod during the conception season as a proximate cue to reproduction in R. bieti.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society (GRANT #7962-05), TNC “Conservation Ecology of Yunnan Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Two Geographic Extremes of Species Range,” PhD Funding from Dali University, National Natural Science Foundation of China (#31160422, #30960084, #30960085), Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province (ZK09A313), Key Subject of Wildlife Conservation and Utilization in Yunnan Province (XKZ200904), and “Ecological assessment of priority conservation areas of trans-Himalaya” supported by MEP of China. We would have been unable to do this research without the help of our assistant, Zhang Jin-Fu. We thank the Yunling Nature Reserve for permitting us to work there, and kindly offering necessary help during our study. We would also like to thank Dr. Cyril Grueter and an anonymous reviewer for their detailed and constructive comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, 671003, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Pang Huang, Matthew B. Scott, Shuang-Jin Wang & Wen Xiao

  2. Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Pang Huang, Liang-Wei Cui & Shuang-Jin Wang

  3. Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Kunming, 650223, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China

    Liang-Wei Cui & Wen Xiao

Authors
  1. Zhi-Pang Huang
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  2. Liang-Wei Cui
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  3. Matthew B. Scott
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  4. Shuang-Jin Wang
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  5. Wen Xiao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wen Xiao.

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Z.-P. Huang and L.-W. Cui contributed equally to this work.

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Huang, ZP., Cui, LW., Scott, M.B. et al. Seasonality of reproduction of wild black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Mt. Lasha, Yunnan, China. Primates 53, 237–245 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-012-0305-7

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