Does the past artificial alternation of vegetation affect population dynamics of a local population of Japanese macaques?

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25450210
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Sugiura Hideki 京都大学, 野生動物研究センター, 准教授 (80314243)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: ニホンザル / 人為的改変 / 二次林 / 個体群 / 個体密度 / 屋久島

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Western low land of Yakushima Island, which have been designated as World Natural Heritage, is generally thought as a virgin forest. Actually, however, the area have been used for logging about 40-100 years ago and was changed into secondary forest. The central part of this area have been logged almost completely, and number of monkeys increased there recently. Some groups of monkeys shifted their home range from the central part to northern part and the number of monkeys decreased there. These results suggest that monkeys increased in the central part and some of them moved to peripheral part with a lower population density, and decreased the population there. Past artificial, heterogeneous alternation of vegetation may make preferable and preferable habitat and make the monkey population unstable.

Free Research Field

霊長類学