Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Variation in Spatial Cohesiveness in a Group of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

  • Published:
International Journal of Primatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The spatial cohesiveness of a group is an important element that characterizes the social structure of group-living species. Moreover, remaining cohesive is crucial if individuals are to coordinate their activities and reach collective decisions. We measured interindividual spacing in a group of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) to assess the spatial cohesiveness of a social group quantitatively. We used simultaneous focal animal sampling, with 2 observers recording individuals’ locations with a global positioning system (GPS) during 3 seasons. Interindividual distances differed among seasons; they were short in autumn (mean ± SD: 25.6 ± 20.1 m), intermediate in winter (mean ± SD: 46.3 ± 35.7 m), and long in summer (mean ± SD: 62.3 ± 47.1 m). Measurements taken in summer revealed extremely wide spacing (maximum: 1225 m), suggesting subgrouping. Distances also varied with activity during each season; they were short during resting and grooming, intermediate during foraging, and long during moving. Group cohesion was also influenced by food distribution. More group members were ≤20 m of the focal individual during foraging on clumped food than foraging on scattered food in each season, and the group foraged on clumped food most frequently in autumn. Individuals were also likely to aggregate at resting/grooming sites and clumped food patches and to disperse when moving within a day. These results demonstrate that Japanese macaques show considerable variation in spatial cohesiveness both within short time periods, e.g., 1 d, and among seasons, and that they adjust group cohesiveness flexibly depending on the food conditions and foraging tactics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agetsuma, N., & Nakagawa, N. (1998). Effects of habitat differences on feeding behaviors of Japanese monkeys: comparison between Yakushima and Kinkazan. Primates, 39, 275–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aureli, F., Schaffner, C. M., Boesch, C., Bearder, S. K., Call, J., Chapman, C. A., et al. (2008). Fission-fusion dynamics: new research frameworks. Current Anthropology, 49, 627–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, J. D., & Baldwin, J. (1972). The ecology and behavior of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi) in natural forest in western Panama. Folia Primatologica, 18, 161–184.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bezanson, M., Garber, P. A., Murphy, J. T., & Premo, L. S. (2008). Patterns of subgrouping and spatial affiliation in a community of mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata). American Journal of Primatology, 70, 282–293.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boinski, S. (1987). Habitat use by squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi) in Costa Rica. Folia Primatologica, 49, 151–167.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapais, B., Gauthier, C., PrudHomme, J., & Vasey, P. (1997). Relatedness threshold for nepotism in Japanese macaques. Animal Behaviour, 53, 1089–1101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chivers, D. P., Brown, G. E., & Smith, R. J. F. (1995). Familiarity and shoal cohesion in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas)—implications for antipredator behavior. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 73, 955–960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conradt, L., & Roper, T. J. (2005). Consensus decision making in animals. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 20, 449–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowlishaw, G. (1999). Ecological and social determinants of spacing behaviour in desert baboon groups. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 45, 67–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Eon, R. G., & Delparte, D. (2005). Effects of radio-collar position and orientation on GPS radio-collar performance, and the implications of PDOP in data screening. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42, 383–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, J. (1986). Social rejection, exclusion, and shunning among the Gombe chimpanzees. Ethology and Sociobiology, 7, 227–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, S. (1975). Variation of vocal pattern with social situation in the Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata): A field study. In L. A. Rosenblum (Ed.), Primate Behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 1–102). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W. D. (1971). Geometry for selfish herd. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 31, 295–311.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hanya, G. (2010). Ecological adaptations of temperate primates: Population density of Japanese macaques. In N. Nakagawa, M. Nakamichi, & H. Sugiura (Eds.), The Japanese Macaques. Tokyo: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hashimoto, C., Suzuki, S., Takenoshita, Y., Yamagiwa, J., Basabose, A. K., & Furuichi, T. (2003). How fruit abundance affects the chimpanzee party size: a comparison between four study sites. Primates, 44, 77–81.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayakawa, S. (2007). Female defensibility in small troops of Japanese macaques vis-a-vis nontroop males and copulation on the periphery of the troop. International Journal of Primatology, 28, 73–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, D. A., & Okayasu, N. (1995). Absence of "youngest ascendancy" in the dominance relations of sisters in wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata yakui). Behaviour, 132, 367–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iida, T. (1999). Predation of Japanese macaque Macaca fuscata by mountain hawk eagle Spizaetus nipalensis. Japanese Journal of Ornithology, 47, 125–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Irwin, M. T. (2007). Living in forest fragments reduces group cohesion in diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in eastern Madagascar by reducing food patch size. American Journal of Primatology, 69, 434–447.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Itani, J. (1954). In K. Imanishi (Ed.), The monkeys of Mt. Takasaki (in Japanese). Tokyo: Kobunsha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Itani, J. (1963). Vocal communication of the wild Japanese monkey. Primates, 4, 11–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Izawa, K. (2009). Studies of wild Japanese macaques (in Japanese). Tokyo: Dobutsusha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, A. (2010). Group cohesiveness during collective movements: travelling apart together. Behavioural Processes, 84, 678–680.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janson, C. H. (1988). Intra-specific food competition and primate social structure: a synthesis. Behaviour, 105, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janson, C. H. (1990a). Ecological consequences of individual spatial choice in foraging groups of brown capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella. Animal Behaviour, 40, 922–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janson, C. H. (1990b). Social correlates of individual spatial choice in foraging groups of brown capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella. Animal Behaviour, 40, 910–921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karczmarski, L., Wursig, B., Gailey, G., Larson, K. W., & Vanderlip, C. (2005). Spinner dolphins in a remote Hawaiian atoll: social grouping and population structure. Behavioral Ecology, 16, 675–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koda, H., Shimooka, Y., & Sugiura, H. (2008). Effects of caller activity and habitat visibility on contact call rate of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). American Journal of Primatology, 70, 1055–1063.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koyama, N. (1967). On dominance rank and kinship of a wild Japanese monkey troop in Arashiyama. Primates, 8, 189–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kummer, H. (1971). Primate societies: Group techniques of ecological adaptation. Chicago: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurita, H., Shimomura, T., & Fujita, T. (2002). Temporal variation in Japanese macaque bodily mass. International Journal of Primatology, 23, 411–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto-Oda, A., Hosaka, K., Huffman, M. A., & Kawanaka, K. (1998). Factors affecting party size in chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains. International Journal of Primatology, 19, 999–1011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumura, S. (2001). The myth of despotism and nepotism: Dominance and kinship in matrilineal societies of macaques. In T. Matsuzawa (Ed.), Primate origins of human cognition and behavior (pp. 441–462). Tokyo: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakagawa, N. (1997). Determinants of the dramatic seasonal changes in the intake of energy and protein by Japanese monkeys in a cool temperate forest. American Journal of Primatology, 41, 267–288.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakagawa, N., Nakamichi, M., & Sugiura, H. (Eds.). (2010). The Japanese macaques. Tokyo: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakamichi, M., & Yamada, K. (2010). Lifetime social development in female Japanese macaques. In N. Nakagawa, M. Nakamichi, & H. Sugiura (Eds.), The Japanese macaques (pp. 241–270). Tokyo: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nishida, T. (1968). The social group of wild chimpanzees in the Mahali Mountains. Primates, 9, 167–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okayasu, N. (1987). Coo sound communication. Quaternary Anthropology, 19, 12–30 (in Japanese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, J. G. (1981). Spatial structure in foraging groups of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys Cebus nigrivittatus. Animal Behaviour, 29, 1036–1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rolando, A., Caldoni, R., De Sanctis, A., & Laiolo, P. (2001). Vigilance and neighbour distance in foraging flocks of red-billed choughs, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax. Journal of Zoology, 253, 225–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sato, S. (1988). Monkeys of the Kinkazan A group (in Japanese). Japanese Monkeys in Miyagi Prefecture, 3, 6–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimooka, Y. (2003). Seasonal variation in association patterns of wild spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth belzebuth) at La Macarena, Colombia. Primates, 44, 83–90.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sibly, R. M., Nott, H. M., & Fletcher, D. J. (1990). Splitting behaviour into bouts. Animal Behaviour, 39, 63–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slater, P. J., & Lester, N. P. (1982). Minimising errors in splitting behaviour into bouts. Behaviour, 79, 153–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sterck, E. H. M., Watts, D. P., & vanSchaik, C. P. (1997). The evolution of female social relationships in nonhuman primates. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 41, 291–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strier, K. B. (1989). Effects of patch size on feeding associations in muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides). Folia Primatologica, 52, 70–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strier, K. B. (1992). Atelinae adaptations—behavioral strategies and ecological constraints. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 88, 515–524.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strier, K. B., Mendes, F. D., Rimoli, J., & Rimoli, A. O. (1993). Demography and social structure of one group of muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides). International Journal of Primatology, 14, 513–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sueur, C., Petit, O., & Deneubourg, J. L. (2010). Short-term group fission processes in macaques: A social networking approach. Journal of Experimental Biology, 213, 1338–1346.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sugiura, H. (1993). Temporal and acoustic correlates in vocal exchange of coo calls in Japanese macaques. Behaviour, 124, 207–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sugiyama, Y., & Ohsawa, H. (1982). Population dynamics of Japanese macaques at Ryozenyama: III. Female desertion of the troop. Primates, 23, 31–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symington, M. M. (1988). Food competition and foraging party size in the black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus chamek). Behaviour, 105, 117–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuji, Y., & Takatsuki, S. (2004). Food habits and home range use of Japanese macaques on an island inhabited by deer. Ecological Research, 19, 381–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuji, Y., Fujita, S., Sugiura, H., Saito, C., & Takatsuki, S. (2006). Long-term variation in fruiting and the food habits of wild Japanese macaques on Kinkazan island, northern Japan. American Journal of Primatology, 68, 1068–1080.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Schaik, C. P., & van Noordwijk, M. A. (1986). The hidden costs of sociality: Intra-group variation in feeding strategies in Sumatran long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Behaviour, 99, 296–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wada, K., & Matsuzawa, T. (1986). A new approach to evaluating troop deployment in wild Japanese monkeys. International Journal of Primatology, 7, 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waser, P. M. (1984). “Chance” and mixed-species associations. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 15, 197–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitesides, G. H., Oates, J. F., Green, S. M., & Kluberdanz, R. P. (1988). Estimating primate densities from transects in a West-African rain-forest—a comparison of techniques. Journal of Animal Ecology, 57, 345–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitten, P. L. (1988). Effects of patch quality and feeding subgroup size on feeding success in vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus Aethiops). Behaviour, 105, 35–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrangham, R. W. (1980). An ecological model of female-bonded primate groups. Behaviour, 75, 262–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagiwa, J. (1999). Socioecological factors influencing population structure of gorillas and chimpanzees. Primates, 40, 87–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagiwa, J., & Hill, D. A. (1998). Intraspecific variation in the social organization of Japanese macaques: Past and present scope of field studies in natural habitats. Primates, 39, 257–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Kosei Izawa for supporting the overall research activities on Kinkazan Island, the staff at Kinkazan Koganeyama Shrine for the use of its facilities, and Ms. Yoko Sugiura for data collection. We thank Drs. Andrew J. King, Cédric Sueur, Peter Henzi, Joanna M. Setchell, and an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C, No. 22570219) from JSPS to H. Sigiura, a Grant for Biodiversity Research of the 21st Century COE (A14), and a Grant for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Research of the Global COE (A06) to Kyoto University.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yamato Tsuji

    Present address: Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

  2. Hideki Sugiura

    Present address: Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan

  3. Yukiko Shimooka

    Present address: Department of Natural & Environmental Science, Teikyo University of Science, 2525 Yatsusawa, Uenohara, Yamanashi, 606-8502, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan

    Hideki Sugiura & Yukiko Shimooka

  2. School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Yamato Tsuji

Authors
  1. Hideki Sugiura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yukiko Shimooka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yamato Tsuji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hideki Sugiura.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sugiura, H., Shimooka, Y. & Tsuji, Y. Variation in Spatial Cohesiveness in a Group of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata). Int J Primatol 32, 1348–1366 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9533-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9533-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation