Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate

Abstract Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-li...

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Autores principales:	Anna Holzner, Krishna N. Balasubramaniam, Brigitte M. Weiß, Nadine Ruppert, Anja Widdig
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/6f1ae0a87da24fdabc93a6d477454881
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:6f1ae0a87da24fdabc93a6d4774548812021-12-02T15:54:45ZOil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate10.1038/s41598-021-89783-32045-2322https://doaj.org/article/6f1ae0a87da24fdabc93a6d4774548812021-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89783-3https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for significant behavioural modifications in sociality of southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food despite elevated predation risk. Specifically, we found critical reductions of key positive social interactions but higher rates of aggression in the plantation interior compared to the plantation edge (i.e. plantation areas bordering the forest) and the forest. At the plantation edge, affiliation even increased compared to the forest, while central positions in the macaques' social network structure shifted from high-ranking adult females and immatures to low-ranking individuals. Further, plantations also affected mother–infant relationships, with macaque mothers being more protective in the open plantation environment. We suggest that although primates can temporarily persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to permanently adapt requires the presence of close-by forest and comes with a trade-off in sociality, potentially hampering individual fitness and infant survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species’ adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.Anna HolznerKrishna N. BalasubramaniamBrigitte M. WeißNadine RuppertAnja WiddigNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Anna Holzner Krishna N. Balasubramaniam Brigitte M. Weiß Nadine Ruppert Anja Widdig Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
description	Abstract Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for significant behavioural modifications in sociality of southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food despite elevated predation risk. Specifically, we found critical reductions of key positive social interactions but higher rates of aggression in the plantation interior compared to the plantation edge (i.e. plantation areas bordering the forest) and the forest. At the plantation edge, affiliation even increased compared to the forest, while central positions in the macaques' social network structure shifted from high-ranking adult females and immatures to low-ranking individuals. Further, plantations also affected mother–infant relationships, with macaque mothers being more protective in the open plantation environment. We suggest that although primates can temporarily persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to permanently adapt requires the presence of close-by forest and comes with a trade-off in sociality, potentially hampering individual fitness and infant survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species’ adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.
format	article
author	Anna Holzner Krishna N. Balasubramaniam Brigitte M. Weiß Nadine Ruppert Anja Widdig
author_facet	Anna Holzner Krishna N. Balasubramaniam Brigitte M. Weiß Nadine Ruppert Anja Widdig
author_sort	Anna Holzner
title	Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
title_short	Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
title_full	Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
title_fullStr	Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
title_full_unstemmed	Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
title_sort	oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened malaysian primate
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/6f1ae0a87da24fdabc93a6d477454881
work_keys_str_mv	AT annaholzner oilpalmcultivationcriticallyaffectssocialityinathreatenedmalaysianprimate AT krishnanbalasubramaniam oilpalmcultivationcriticallyaffectssocialityinathreatenedmalaysianprimate AT brigittemweiß oilpalmcultivationcriticallyaffectssocialityinathreatenedmalaysianprimate AT nadineruppert oilpalmcultivationcriticallyaffectssocialityinathreatenedmalaysianprimate AT anjawiddig oilpalmcultivationcriticallyaffectssocialityinathreatenedmalaysianprimate
_version_	1718385453558661120

Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate

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