| A Japanese Macaque infant in the forest of northern Japan.
S. Turner |
| GF researcher Sarah Turner, with one of the Japanese Macaques she is studying at Awajishima, Japan
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| Investigators |
| Sarah Turner, (M.Sc. canditate), University of Victoria
Dr. Lisa Gould, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria
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What is the Issue? |
| HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURE ON FOREST DWELLING SPECIES |
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Japanese macaques inhabit some of the most northerly and industrialized habitat of any non-human primate. Since the 1960's, many members of the free-ranging population of macaques have been born with malformations of the limbs and digits, which research links to pesticides used on the monkeys' food sources and other environmental pollution. Research indicates that these congenital malformations reduce an individual's ecological fitness, but many individuals with malformations do survive into reproductive age. Maternal care of malformed infants seems to be critical to their survival. This research will broaden our understanding of the maternal care and behavioural ecology of Macaca fuscata. It will help to learn more about how the macaque societies respond and adapt to human environmental pressures, and explore the extent of malformation in the population. Understanding how malformations affect social behaviour is key to understanding the human impact on the macaques and developing appropriate conservation measures.
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What is our goal? |
| MONITOR AND UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON PRIMATES, TO ASSIST IN DEVELOPING CONSERVATION STRATEGIES FOR THIS SPECIES.
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Where we currently stand. |
| Field work for this project will take place from May to August 2001, and the analysis will be completed by August 2002. Levels of maternal care and degrees of malformation in infants will be examined and compared. The project will result in a M.Sc. Thesis and two peer-reviewed publications as well as an informational poster that will present the research in a more generally accessible format to help raise awareness of the issue.
Read Sarah Turner's email update on her field work click here.
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You can help this project - find out how. |
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