Ranging behavior of eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) in a northern montane forest in Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China.
Generally, food abundance and distribution exert important influence on primate ranging behavior. Hoolock gibbons (genus Hoolock) live in lowland and montane forests in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China. All information about hoolock gibbons comes from studies on western hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) living in lowland forest. Between August 2010 and September 2011, we studied the ranging behavior of one habituated group of eastern hoolock gibbon (H. leuconedys) living in a seasonal montane forest in Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China. Results show that the study group did not increase foraging effort, calculated in this study as the daily path length, when fruit was less available. Instead, the gibbons fed more on leaves and decreased traveling to conserve energy. They relied heavily on a single food species in most study months which was patchily distributed within their total (14-month) home range, and during most months they used only a small portion of their total home range. In order to find enough food, the group shifted its monthly home range according to the seasonal availability of food species. To satisfy their annual food requirements, they occupied a total home range of 93 ha. The absence of neighboring groups of gibbons and the presence of tsaoko cardamom (Amomum tsaoko) plantations may also have influenced the ranging behavior of the group. Further long-term studies of neighboring groups living in intact forests are required to assess these effects.
Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, 671000, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, Southeast Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.|School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, People's Republic of China.
Dao
D
Zhang
Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, 671000, People's Republic of China.
Han-Lan
HL
Fei
Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, Southeast Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
Sheng-Dong
SD
Yuan
Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, 671000, People's Republic of China.|Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, Southeast Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China.
Wen-Mo
WM
Sun
College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, Sichuan, 625014, People's Republic of China.
Qing-Yong
QY
Ni
Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province, Southeast Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China. gcuilw@gmail.com.
Liang-Wei
LW
Cui
Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, 671000, People's Republic of China. fanpf1981@gmail.com.
Peng-Fei
PF
Fan
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D065928:Forests; D006922:Hylobates / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D013731:Territoriality
Behavioral adaptation; Daily path length; Home range size; Monthly home range; Seasonal forest