SOLUTION: AU Biology Snub Nosed Monkeys Video Questions

1
2
Part 1: Video: Snub-nosed Monkeys: (12 points; 3 pts each): Watch the 50-minute video
“Mystery Monkeys of Shangri-La” at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqg7a_IGnJw. If
it is blocked, google a video search for the video title. The video lasts 50 minutes or so.
Note: The video deals with issues of orphaning/infant abandoning in a group of nonhuman primates. Please let me know if you request a different video to watch.
Answer the following questions:
1. The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) has a complex, multi-level social
structure that is both fission-fusion and unimale/multi-female. Describe all of the social
structures you saw in the video.
2. Describe the role that other monkeys played in helping the neglected monkey as he grew.
How important were they for his survival?
3. What foods do the snub-nosed monkeys eat over the course of the year, and how does
this affect their social dynamics?
4. In 2-3 sentences, describe one example of how dominance affects subadults as they
grow up.
3
Part 2: Ethogram and ad libitum notes for Liontailed Macaque: (12 pts;3pts per behavior):
An ethogram is a list of definitions for all behaviors relevant to a behavioral study question. For
example, look at the following ethogram that was used in a study of the activity budget of a
group of ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta):
i. Resting: stationary positioning, not engaged in other behavior, eyes may be closed or shut
ii. Feeding/foraging: ingestion/investigation (smelling,tasting,looking) of food items
iii. Moving: physical displacement between two points, but does not include any other behaviors
iv. Other social: any other behavior that is social (involving the communication between two or more
group members)
v. Other nonsocial: any other behavior that is nonsocial
These are good entries for a simple ethogram. Why are they good? Here are some rules/guidelines for
how to create good ethogram entries:
i. The categories are mutually exclusive; only one can occur at a given moment.
Bad Entry: Resting=stationary positioning; Feeding=chewing on food. Why is this bad? Two
behaviors could occur at the same time.
ii. Each category is defined in such a way that other researchers could observe and tally the behavior
the same way.
Bad Entry: Getting even=Primate A revenge attacks Primate B.
Why is this bad? Could you really read a primate’s mind to determine it was seeking revenge?
iii. Each behavior is defined with 2-4 observable cues (3-4 is usually best).
Bad Entry: Moving=Changing body position.
Why is this bad? Technically, the body position changes every time you chew. Moving and
Feeding could occur at the same time.
iv. Each behavior is REPEATABLE; the behavior occurs among all group members.
Bad Entry: Primate A grooms Primate B.
Why is this bad? The behavior that is repeatable is GROOMS. Define that by the action, not by
who performs it. Groom could be defined as follows: The investigation, physical manipu-lation (via
hand or mouth), and possible removal of objects from a primate’s fur or skin.
Ad libitum notes: You will recall from the lecture in which I studied “bored” behaviors in class, the
recording of notes ad libitum allows the observer to provide more color and thorough description to
what is being observed. You’ll recall Jim’s notes about students who were bored in my class.
Watch the following video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PouT-YwSUe4
(Cercopithecoidea: Macaca silenus) in Valparai, India (Shaji Mathilakam)
1. Create an ethogram entry in which you define an example of an affiliative social behavior,
with 3-4 observable cues, to define that behavior. Keep in mind the issues discussed as to
what makes a good ethogram entry. Provide the time mark on the video when you saw the
behavior, and give the behavior a name.
Time: ______ : Name of affiliative social behavior: __________
4
2. Create an ethogram entry in which you define one form of locomotion, with 3-4 observable
cues, to define that behavior. Keep in mind the issues discussed as to what makes a good
ethogram entry. Provide the time mark on the video when you saw the behavior, and give
the behavior a name.
Time: ______ : Name of locomotion behavior 1: __________
3. Create an ethogram entry in which you define a second form of locomotion, with 3-4
observable cues, to define that behavior. Keep in mind the issues discussed as to what makes
a good ethogram entry. Provide the time mark on the video when you saw the behavior, and
give the behavior a name.
Time: ______ : Name of locomotion behavior 2: __________
4. Write ad libitum notes (4-5 sentences) describing one affiliative behavior you observed
among the liontailed macaques.
5
Part 3: Quantitative Behavioral Observation 15 pts total
You will observe primates (mountain gorillas). Maximize the screen, and start at the beginning
in the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SROgqN0G0Ro
• Resting: stationary position, not engaged in other behavior,eyes may be closed or shut
• Feeding/foraging: ingestion or investigation (smelling, tasting, looking at) of food
• Moving: physical displacement between two points, but does not include any other behaviors
• Other social: any other behavior that is social (involving the communication between two or
more group members)
• Other nonsocial: any other behavior that is nonsocial
5. Table: Present all of the data you collected for each 30-second interval. (7pts)
Time
#Rest #Feed/Forage #Move #OthSocial
#OthNonSoc
0:45
1:15
1:45
2:15
2:45
3:15
3:45
4:15
4:45
5:15
5:45
6:15
6:45
7:15
7:45
8:15
8:45
9:15
9:45
Total
6.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Tally the results. (5 pts)
Give the total number of instances of behavior you recorded:________
What percent of this number was spent resting? (100 x #RestingTotal/your answer in a.):
____________
What percent of this number was spent feeding or foraging? (100 x
#Feed/ForageTotal/your answer in a.): ____________
What percent of this number was spent moving? (100 x #MovingTotal/your answer in
a.): ____________
What percent of this number was spent othersocial? (100 x #OtherSocialTotal/your
answer in a.): ____________
6
7.
When observing gorillas, contrast what you observed during the time marks
versus what you observed overall. Describe to what extent your observations
adequately reflected what was going on in the group. (3 pts)
Part 4: Alpha Male 6 pts total (2 points each): Watch the 15-minute video “Alpha Male:”

8. From the video, in 2-3 sentences how is female rank established?
9. From the video, in 2-3 sentences how do males achieve high rank?
10. What genus and species is the Java Macaque alpha male in this video? The Java
macaque has several common names, including long-tailed macaque. You may use Wiki
for only this part of the question. Spell, capitalize, and italicize correctly.
Ecology: The study of relations between
organisms and between organisms and their
nonliving environment.– Richard 1984 (Primates in Nature)
Habitat: the total complex of available resources
Niche: All those resources relevant to an organism’s life
Ecosystem
Ecosyste
Light, chemicals, water
Abiotic
(Non-living)
Biotic
(Living)
Plants, animals
(Producers, consumers)
Complex relationship between consumers and producers
 Primate consume a variety of:

› Frugivory (fruit): PLANT (most common)
› Folivory (leaves): PLANT
› Insectivory (insects): PLANT CONSUMER
› Gummivory (plant exudates): PLANT
› Faunivory (animal): PLANT CONSUMER

Fruit
› Limited in time & space
› Locate & discern item
› Assess toxicity & ripeness

Leaves
› Difficult to digest cellulose

Insects
› Noxious; often too tiny for value
Plant exudates: Gouge a tree
 Animal matter: Nutrition vs. effort


Why attract primates?
› Pollination
› Seed dispersal
› Predator/Competitor avoidance
 What predators? Insects!!
 What competitors? Other plants

How to attract primates?
› Food (color, scent)
› Primate predator avoidance

Co-evolution between angiosperms
(flowering plants) and primates.
Lowland gorilla and
Afromomum herbs in
mutually beneficial
relationship.

Predator protection
›

•
More eyes and ears is an
advantage, except for cryptic species
Resource use vs. depletion
Group: A set of individuals that regularly
interact, communicate, and spend time
with one another

Social Structure: Components of a
social system; Numbers (age, sex)


Social Organization: Patterns of social
interaction within & between groups
Social Behavior: Interaction between
individuals within the same group
› Agonistic: contested social behavior
› Affiliative: those behaviors that
promote social bonds
Macaca silenus
› Solitary, but social
› Unimale/unifemale
› Multimale/unifemale (Cooperative breeding)
› Unimale/multifemale (Usually w/all-male groups)
› Multimale/Multifemale (Most common)
› Fission-fusion
› NOTE: Don’t confuse with mating systems

How does primate habitat use relate to
social structure?
Overlapping individual ranges of
solitary, but social
galagos/bushbabies (from
Crompton, 1984)




Individuals have their own ranges
Individual ranges overlap
Individuals recognize other group members
Orangutan; Many lorisoids
Symphalangus syndactylus in Sumatra (Photo by Andie Ang)

Rare; Not the same as
monogamy
›
›

Reduces resource depletion
Facilitates crypticity
Hylobatids; red-bellied lemurs



Uncommon
Also have all-male groups
Some Cercopithecoids
›
Colobines: Leaf-eating monkeys
› Guenons: General OW Monkeys

Often associated w/sexual
dimorphism
›
Difference in size by sex
Mandrillus sphinx; an adult male (shown on left) mandrill, averages
double the typical female body weight.
Macaca nigra (Black macaque)


Lemur catta
Most common
Usually, females remain in natal groups
Leontopithecus rosalia
Saguinus imperator
Cooperative breeding
 Tamarins, marmosets (small NW Monkeys)
 Twinning & male parental care
 One reproductively active female

›
›
Suppresses breeding in other females
Male parental care reduces energy loss in mother

Group breaks apart (fission) and rejoins (fusion)
›
›
›
›

Subgroup: independently functioning subsets of a social group
Regularly interact w/daily subsets of large community
May prevent resource depletion
Chimpanzee, bonobo, ruffed lemur
May be associated with marked seasonality
›
Shoshone!



Allopatry: Primate species generally don’t live alone
Sympatry: Primate species that share the same habitat.
How can you share the same range?
› Resource partitioning/niche separation
 Most common
 Use the same resources in different proportions
› Habitat isolation
 Use neighboring habitats
 Altitude gradients
› Over-/super-abundant resources
› Competition
 Potential exclusion
 Rare

How do primates interact between species?
› Polyspecific association:2 or more species function as if
one social group

Relethford: “Behavior that is learned and socially transmitted rather
than instinctual and genetically transmitted.”
› Japanese macaque sweet potato washing
› Japanese macaque wheat eating


Helpful video:

Alter definitions to exclude primates
Culture is shared, learned, based on symbols
› Any non-food related behaviors?
› Note: primates can use symbols
› How to test symbolic thought?


Refers to established patterns of access to resources
Measured/assessed looking at:
› Who wins agonistic encounters
› Who has preferred access to resources
 Males: Going mainly for females
 Females: Going mainly for food

Contest competition
›
›
›
›
Clumped, valuable resources
Resources scarce & valuable
Resources worth fighting for
Contest access to particular
resources
 Stable dominance hierarchies
 Alliances
 Close bonds

Scramble competition
›
›
›
›
Dispersed, low value resources
Food distributed evenly
Food items not worth fighting for
Scramble to get enough food, no
direct competition



Unstable dominance hierarchies
Fewer alliances
Weaker bonds
Scramble
Contest
Flow-diagram of the two main strings of ideas both dubbed the ‘socio-ecological model’: a
model relating to grouping patterns and mating systems and to grouping patterns and female
social structure.
Ecology
Social System
Food abundance,
distribution, and quality
Predation (including
parasites & diseases)
Mating System
Grouping pattern
• Size
• Composition
• Cohesion
Social Organization
Social Risks
Derived from: Andreas Koenig et al. 2013. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B;368:20120348













Slide 1: Left: Lemur catta (photo by BZF); Center: Brachyteles arachnoides (A. Young/NatGeo); Right: Mandrillus
sphynx (Acrenae/NatGeo).
Slide 3: Top left: A leaf-eating proboscis monkey, in mangrove swamp (Laman/NatGeo); TopRight: fat-tailed dwarf
lemur (BZF); Bottom: male crowned lemur eating Lantana fruit (BZF).
Slide 4: Lowland gorilla and Afromomum herbs in complex mutually beneficial relationship (Nicholls/NatGeo).
Slide 5: Macaca silenus social group (photo by Arvind Singh). Accessed 7/18/18 from:
https://www.techgape.com/2015/03/lion-tailed-macaque-india.html.
Slide 7: Galago moholi photos: Top: Accessed 7/18/18 from: https://dewetswild.com/tag/galago-moholi/. Bottom:
Photo by Michelle Sauther.
Slide 8: Symphalangus syndactylus in Sumatra (Photo by Andie Ang).
Slide 9: Mandrillus sphinx sexual dimorphism photo by Bernard Walton / naturepl.com (http://www.naturepl.com).
Slide 10: Left: Macaca nigra (photo by Randall Kyes), accessed 7/18/18 from: https://phys.org/news/2013-01-outlookdwindling-black-macaque-population.html; Right: Lemur catta (photo by BZF).
Slide 11: Left: Golden-lion tamarin (Ceboidea: Woodland Park Zoo) w/male carrying infant; Right: Emperor tamarin
(Saguinus imperator) photo by Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters, accessed 7/18/18 from:
https://carolannsteinhoff.com/may-29-2015-newsletter/.
Slide 12: Bonobo (Pan paniscus) subgroup. Photo by Satoshi Harata, Luo Scientific Reserve, DR Congo. Accessed
7/18/18 from: http://www.bonoboconservation.com/bonobos/.
Slide 14: Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) eating sweet potatoes they washed. Photo by T. Matsuzawa. From:
Matsuzawa T, WC McGrew. 2008. Kinji Imanishi and 60 years of Japanese primatology. Current Biology 18(14):
R587-R591.
Slide 14: Video: “Are chimpanzees cultural?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhacaxJ240Q
Slide 17: KoenigA, CJ Scarry, BCWheeler & C Borries. 2013. Variation in grouping patterns, mating systems and
social structure: what socio-ecological models attempt to explain. Phil Trans R Soc B 368: 20120348.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0348
▪ Ethogram
▪ Glossary of terms relevant to your study
▪ All relevant behaviors
▪ 3-5 observable cues
▪ Subject to modification
▪ Durations of each behavior
▪ Order of precedence






Pen tap
Clock stare
Electronic device
Yawn/sigh
Cross arms
Other bored
▪ Glorified note-taking
▪ Qualitative
▪ Useful
▪ Rare behaviors
▪ Quick/complex behaviors
▪ Detailed description
▪ Not so useful
▪ Inappropriate for statistics
▪ Not quantitative (regularized, voluminous)


Eight descriptions of bored behavior (two from the same person)
Examples
▪ Subject wearing white sweatshirt is covering mouth and yawning. Mouth
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
remains covered by hands after each yawn.
Subject in back row is asleep; head is tilted back 45 degrees & eyes are
closed. A little drool is dribbling down the subject’s face.
Subject immediately behind me is now asleep; eyes are closed; eyes are
blinking; probably not heavy sleep.
Looking off blankly into space is common among bored students
Subject in blue sweatshirt is kneading hands and staring off into space.
He is placing hands in front of his face. He stares into his hands in front
of his face which are moving over each other. Slow eye-blinks.
Bored subjects seen:
▪ twisting/fiddling with hair (female students)
▪ not doing any note-taking
▪ Useful
▪ Appropriate for statistics
▪ Regularized, voluminous
▪ Mutually exclusive categories per variable
▪ Limited number of variables
▪ Maintain field of vision/Out of view
▪ Record behavior/don’t initiate it

Detailed following of
ONE individual
▪
▪

Useful
▪
▪
▪

Continuous
Instantaneous (set
intervals)
Precise durations
Sequences of behaviors
(continuous)
Fine details
Problems
▪
▪
Requires recognition of
individual
Rigorous (fatigue)
Can you identify each male?
Occurrences
Leah’s Attentiveness: 3-minute samples
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Notes
Studious
Yawn
Behavior
PenTap
Bored
▪ Quantitative
▪ Instantaneous picture of group’s behavior
▪ Useful
▪ Portrays overall behavior
▪ Not so useful
▪ Must follow all the group
▪ Sacrifice individual detail
# of Bored Students: 5-minute samples
(n=27 students)
30
20
Other Bored
Elect
Head
10
Attentive
0
1
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Ad libitum: Dude/dudette texts while I stare at his/her screen. I wonder
how much the data plan costs.
▪ Quantitative
▪ Instantaneous picture whenever a behavior occurs
▪ Useful
▪ Fine detail about specific events
▪ Not so useful
▪ Limited statistics
Occurrences
Leah’s Attentiveness: All Occur
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
10:40
10:50
11:00
11:10
Time
Attentive
Bored
Neutral
11:20





Slide 3: Homer Simpson images from: http://smashdown.blogspot.com, http://hero.wikia.com/wiki/Homer_Simpson,
http://recapguide.com/recap/117/The-Simpsons/season-20/episode-10/#1, http://www.edhumphries.com/2007/07/my-favoritethings-top-5-simpsons-episodes.html, http://www.edhumphries.com/2007/07/my-favorite-things-top-5-simpsonsepisodes.html,
Slide 7: Photos (by BZF) of male crowned lemurs from Analabe, Madagascar.
Slide 9: Photo by Ransom/NatGeo: Baboon group in savanna.
Slide 11: Photo (by BZF) of ringtailed lemurs.
Slide 13-18: Photos by BZF of EKU Winter Term field schools.
In the field
All photos by BZF unless
otherwise identified
Mt. d’Ambre
*
Madagascar
*
* Field site: Ampamelonaben
* New site: Analabe
Left photo accessed through Google Earth.
Right photo accessed 10/1/06 through:
www.geology.com
Mt. d’Ambre from 10 km east (BZ Freed)
What not to do with your advisor’s wife’s car (Courtesy D Baum; BZ Freed driver)
Left: Bush taxi (BZ Freed); Right: Surveying west of Mt. d’Ambre (Courtesy D Baum)
Clockwise from upper left: bee
orchid, impatience, Pachypodium
flower close-up, Pachypodium with
habitat, buttresses of large Canarium
tree (All photos by BZ Freed, except
bottom left by RA Freed)
Clockwise from upper left: River by
camp, camp life, pygmy red
kingfisher, ringtailed mongoose (All
photos by BZ Freed)
Clockwise from upper left: BZF observing
lemurs (RA Freed); habituation (RA Freed);
gathering a plant sample (BZ Freed); plant
sample (BZ Freed)
BZF Focal Animal Data Sheet
Crowned
Average Daily % of
Feeding IARs
Cum. %
Lantana camara
23.53
23.53
Leea spinea
15.34
38.87
Erythroxylum ferrugineum
5.62
44.49
Grisollea myrianthea
4.69
49.18
Piper umbellatum
4.34
53.52
77 other species
46.48
100.00
Sanford’s
Average Daily % of
Feeding IARs
Cum. %
Leea spinea
18.49
18.49
Ficus pyrifolia
10.71
29.20
Lantana camara
9.08
38.28
Rothmania sp.
5.74
44.02
Drypetes madagascariensis
3.66
47.68
81 other species
52.32
100.00
Clockwise from far left: Crowned lemur (CL) male
feeding on flowers in treelet, male juvenile, males
grooming/resting, male juvenile feeding on Leea spinea
fruit, female and two males in a subgroup, female
w/infant moving in a bush (All Photos by BZ Freed)
Clockwise from upper left: SL female w/infant, CL juvenile (L)
and SL adult male (R) feeding in same Lantana bush, SL fullbody photo of a male, SL female (All Photos by BZ Freed)
Minutes/Day in PSA
200
150
Rest/Groom
Feed/Forage
Travel
100
Other
50
0
d
ne
w
o
Cr
d’s
for
n
Sa
Wet
d
ne
w
o
Cr
d’s
for
n
Sa
Dry
d
ne
w
o
Cr
d’s
for
n
Sa
Hot




Predator Avoidance (most common)
Communal Childcare
Chance
Niche Expansion
▪ Both species can survive in more habitats
▪ Reduces seasonal resource crashes


Resource Partitioning
Superabundant resources
▪ Leea spinea
▪ Lantana camara

Proto-Cooperation

Purchase answer to see full
attachment