Behavioral Ecology of Kunming Primate Research Center

1 Principal Investigator: Qi-Kun Zhao
E-mail: zhaoqk @mail.kiz.ac.cn

Education: Animal Physiology, Peking University (Beijing, China) in 1959-65, and primate ethology, Dept. Anthropol., ASU, Tempe, Arizona, USA in 1984-85 (as visiting scholar).

Position: Head of Primate Behavior Study Group, KIZ (1981?); full professor (1995?). Retired in 2001, but re-engaged for Projects on Rhinopithecus bieti (2003?).

Grantee: Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research (USA), National Geographic Society (USA), CAS, and Natural Science Foundation of China.

Editorial Board Member of international Journals: Int. J. Primatol. (1995 ?); and Oecol. Mont. (1996?).

Award: Natural Science Reward of CAS (First Class, 1998).

Other Credit: Invited to join the Citizen Ambassador Program of 1995, a sexology delegation to Eastern Europe (Eisenhower DD initiated the program after World War II); to nominate candidates for the “2005 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences”, in field of “Biological Sciences (Evolution, Behavior, Ecology, Environment)”.

Selected publications:

Zhao, Q.-K. 1993. Sexual behavior of Tibetan macaques at Mt. Emei, China. Primates 34: 431-444.

Zhao, Q.-K. 1994a. Seasonal changes in body weight of Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei, China. Am. J. Primatol. 32: 223-226.

Zhao, Q-K. 1994b. Birth timing shift with altitude and its ecological complication for Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei, China. Oecol. Mont.3: 24-26.

Zhao, Q.-K. 1996. Male-infant-male interactions in Tibetan macaques. Primates 37: 135-143.

Zhao, Q.-K. 1996. Etho-ecology of Tibetan macaques at Mount Emei, China. In Evolution and Ecology of Macaque Societies, ed. J E Fa & D G Lindburg, pp. 263-289. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Zhao, Q.-K. 1997. Intergroup interactions in Tibetan Macaques at Mt. Emei, China. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 104: 459-470.

Zhao, Q.-K. Deng, Z.-Y. & Xu, J.-M. 1991. Natural foods and their ecological implications for Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei, China. Folia Primatol. 57: 1-15.

Zhao Q-K & Deng Z-Y. 1992. Dramatic consequences of food handouts to Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei, China. Folia Primatol. 58: 24-31.

Zhao Q-K, He S-J, Wu B-Q & Nash LT. 1988. Excrement distribution and habitat use in Rhinopithecus bieti in winter. Am. J. Primatol. 16: 275-284.

See “Recent Publications of the Group” for more.

3 Group Members

Staff
Ph. D. candidate

Principal Investigator
Member
Current
Left with the degree

Prof. Zhao Q-K
Dr. Quan R-C

Dr. Xiao W
Xiang Z-F

Huo S, Ren G-P
Yang S-J, Cui L-W

Ding W, Liu Z-H

4 Study Field and Progress Made in Recent Years
3-1 Behavioral ecology of Macaca thibetana (Fig. 1). Working on the synthesis of published data/information, Zhao has constructed two models for better understanding of (1) the significance of individual observation results, and (2) the behavioral adaptation of the macaque to their environment, including artificial one.

1) The channels from food attributes to behavioral expression in intergroup relations (Fig. 2). The model includes (1) information on the environmental regulation of reproduction, (2) quantitative evidences of behavior (i) supporting Darwin (1871)-Trivers’ (1972) hypothesis or theory of sexual selection, and (ii) enriching Waser’s (1976) gas model of intergroup interaction rates (in space).

2) An ecosystem formed among Tibetan macaques, visitors, local villagers and management authority at Mt. Emei, a World Heritage Site for Nature and Culture (Fig.3). This system developed with the success of China’s economic reform, or tourism without proper management. A mass of food-handouts from visitors to the macaque droved the previous commensalisms to conflict? mainly due to the monkey’s operant conditioning to visitors as potential feeders, up to 46% of the visitors were frightened to call for help, robbed or wounded in encounter with one of about 10 groups of the macaques in a certain season. Attempts to restore the harmony between human and nature should be initiated from popularization of behavioral science, realization of social justness, and update of Buddhist creeds regarding wildlife (Zhao 2004).

3-2 Ethoecology of Rhinopithecus bieti (Fig. 1).

This is the long-term topic for this study group. Progress has recently been made in certain aspects of ecology: 1) 90 species-parts eaten were recorded for a group in the middle of the species range. This much extends the diet reported for a northern group (NG), which mainly depends on lichens in fir forest. The result brings us more confidence in their survivor. Considering of the renewing rate of main foods, we have got a key for understanding of why the NG shifts its home range annually and southern-low groups do not (Ding & Zhao 2004). 2) Under the pressure of predation and ever-cold climate, a group showed a series of strategic trade-offs in the choice of sleeping sites when influencing factors are in interaction or conflict, such as need for safety vs. energy cost of traveling, avoiding strong wind vs. having a high sun-basking potential, etc (Liu & Zhao, 2004).

3-3 Conservation biology. 1) Using satellite images (SI, 1997) and aerial photos based topographic maps (1958), we specified the current status of R. bieti habitat, its degradation and causation in Yunnan in past 40 yrs. (Xiao et al 2004) (Fig. 4). The same work is now extending to cover Tibet with more advanced technology. 2) There is fruitful work on Waterbirds at wetlands in NW Yunnan (Quan et al 2002, 2003).

5 Projects

Two Sub-projects: Rhinopithecus bieti and Macaca thibetana in “Reproductive Ethoecology of Vertebrates” (CAS)

Sub-project: Animals (R. bieti and Waterbords) in “Biodiversity in NW Yunnan” (Yunnan – TNC).

Functional Ecology of Rhinopithecus bieti (CAS), in cooperation with University of Wisconsin.

R. bieti Habitat and population: Yunnan and Tibet (CEPF/TNC, WWF).

6 Recent Publications of the Group
Ding, W. & Zhao, Q.-K. 2004. Rhinopithecus bieti at Tacheng, Yunnan: Diet, and daytime activities. Int. J. Primatol. 25: 583-598.

Liu, Z.-H. & Zhao, Q.-K. 2004. Sleeping sites of Rhinopithecus bieti at Mt. Fuhe, Yunnan. Primates 45: 241-248.

Quan R-C, Wen X-J, Yang X-J. 2002. Effects of human activities on migratory waterbirds at Lashi Lake, China. Biol. Cons. 108: 273-279.

Quan R-C, Cui LW, Wen XJ. 2003. Sexual differences in vigilance of paired Ruddy Shelduck in winter. Waterbirds 26: 335-337.

Xiao, W., Ding, W., Cui, L.-W., Zhou, R.-L. & Zhao, Q.-K. 2003. Habitat Degradation of Rhinopithecus bieti in Yunnan, China. Int. J. Primatol. 24: 389-398.

Yang, S.-J. & Zhao, Q.-K. 2001. Bamboo leaf-based diet of Rhinopithecus bieti at Lijiang, China. Folia Primatol. 72: 92-95.

Zhao, Q.-K. 1999. Responses to seasonal changes in nutrient-quality and patchiness of food in a multi-group community of Tibetan macaques at Mt. Emei. Int. J. Primatol. 20: 511-524.

Zhao, Q.-K. 2004 (in press). Tibetan macaques, visitors, and local people at Mt. Emei: Problems and countermeasures. In Commensalism and Conflict: The Primate-Human Interface, ed. J. D. Paterson. Vol. 5 in Special Topics in Primatology, ed. J. Wallis. American Society of Primatologists.