Evol Ecol Res 5: 1103-1109 (2003)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

How supplemental food may induce abnormality

in wild Japanese macaque populations

Jin Yoshimura,1,2,3* Takayuki Fujiki,1 Takahisa Kawai1 and Hiroyasu Amagai1

1Department of Systems Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu 432-8561, Japan,  2Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA and 3Marine Biosystems Research Center, Chiba University, 1 Uchiura, Amatsu-Kominato, Chiba 299-5502, Japan

Address all correspondence to Jin Yoshimura, Department of Systems Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu 432-8561, Japan.
e-mail: jin@sys.eng.shizuoka.ac.jp

ABSTRACT

Food has been supplied to many wild Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) populations in Japan since the 1950s. Since then, the monkeys have often exhibited various physical abnormalities such as anomalies and malformation of the limbs and other body parts. No conclusive explanation exists for these anomalies. Here we propose a new population-level hypothesis: feeding relaxes selection intensity such that abnormal babies tend to be born and survive to adulthood. We build a discrete population dynamic model and use it to simulate successfully the macaque population of Mt. Takasaki. Contrary to our usual intuition that a bad effect is caused by a bad factor, in some situations frequent abnormalities could be caused by the shift to a good environment.

Keywords: abnormalities, feedings, Japanese macaque, selection intensity.

DOWNLOAD A FREE, FULL PDF COPY
IF you are connected using the IP of a subscribing institution (library, laboratory, etc.)
or through its VPN.

 

        © 2003 Jin Yoshimura. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

       Subscribing institutions/libraries may grant individuals the privilege of making a single copy of an EER article for non-commercial educational or non-commercial research purposes. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also use articles for non-commercial educational purposes by making any number of copies for course packs or course reserve collections. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also loan single copies of articles to non-commercial libraries for educational purposes.

       All copies of abstracts and articles must preserve their copyright notice without modification.