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Variation in hair δ13C and δ15N values in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from Singapore

Primates volume 55, pages 25–34 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Much of the primatology literature on stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) has focused on African and New World species, with comparatively little research published on Asian primates. Here we present hair δ13C and δ15N isotope values for a sample of 33 long-tailed macaques from Singapore. We evaluate the suggestion by a previous researcher that forest degradation and biodiversity loss in Singapore have led to a decline in macaque trophic level. The results of our analysis indicated significant spatial variability in δ13C but not δ15N. The range of variation in δ13C was consistent with a diet based on C3 resources, with one group exhibiting low values consistent with a closed canopy environment. Relative to other macaque species from Europe and Asia, the macaques from Singapore exhibited a low mean δ13C value but mid-range mean δ15N value. Previous research suggesting a decline in macaque trophic level is not supported by the results of our study.

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Notes

  1. Recent research has indicated that with random sampling the minimum sample size needed to estimate the population mean is n = 5 (Schillaci and Schillaci 2009).

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Parks Board (Singapore), especially Sharon Chan, for supporting the project. We thank Dr. James Louden and Dr. Mark Schurr for their insightful comments and criticisms of earlier drafts. Trapping and data-collection procedures used for this study were approved by the institutional animal care and use committee of the University of Toronto (protocol no. 20005356). Partial funding for this project was provided by the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the University of Toronto Connaught Fund (awarded to M.A.S.). Thanks are due to Cayce Gulbransen (U.S. Geological Survey) for conducting the stable isotope analyses. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of our funders. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada

    Michael A. Schillaci

  2. Institute of Marine Science, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

    J. Margaret Castellini

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Denver, USA

    Craig A. Stricker

  4. National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

    Lisa Jones-Engel

  5. Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Benjamin P. Y.-H. Lee

  6. Conservation Division, National Parks Board, Singapore, Singapore

    Benjamin P. Y.-H. Lee

  7. Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, USA

    Todd M. O’Hara

Authors
  1. Michael A. Schillaci
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  2. J. Margaret Castellini
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  3. Craig A. Stricker
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  4. Lisa Jones-Engel
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  5. Benjamin P. Y.-H. Lee
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  6. Todd M. O’Hara
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Correspondence to Michael A. Schillaci.

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Schillaci, M.A., Castellini, J.M., Stricker, C.A. et al. Variation in hair δ13C and δ15N values in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) from Singapore. Primates 55, 25–34 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-013-0361-7

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Keywords

  • Stable isotopes
  • δ13C
  • δ15N
  • Primates
  • Macaques
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Singapore