Within- and Between-Group Feeding Competition in Siberut Macaques (Macaca Siberu) and Assamese Macaques (Macaca Assamensis)
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Within- and between-group feeding competition in Siberut macaques (Macaca siberu) and Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) Dissertation for the award of the degree "Doctor rerum naturalium" (Dr.rer.nat.) of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen within the doctoral program Biology of the Georg-August University School of Science (GAUSS) submitted by Christin Richter from Leipzig Göttingen, 2014 Thesis committee First supervisor: Prof. Dr. Julia Ostner Courant Research Centre (CRC) Evolution of Social Behaviour, JRG Social Evolution in Primates, Georg-August-University Göttingen Second supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter M. Kappeler Department for Sociobiology/ Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen Adviser (“Anleiter”): Dr. Oliver Schülke Courant Research Centre (CRC) Evolution of Social Behaviour, JRG Social Evolution in Primates, Georg-August-University Göttingen Members of the examination board Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Julia Ostner Courant Research Centre (CRC) Evolution of Social Behaviour, JRG Social Evolution in Primates, Georg-August-University Göttingen Second Reviewer: Prof. Dr. Eckhard W. Heymann Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Further members of the examination board: Dr. Oliver Schülke, Courant Research Centre (CRC) Evolution of Social Behaviour, JRG Social Evolution in Primates, Georg-August-University Göttingen Dr. Antje Engelhardt, Sexual Selection Group, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research Prof. Prof. h.c., Dr. Michael Mühlenberg, Department of Systematic Conservation Biology, Workgroup Endangered Species Conservation, Georg-August-University Göttingen PD Dr. Matthias Waltert, Department of Systematic Conservation Biology, Workgroup Endangered Species Conservation, Georg-August-University Göttingen Date of oral examination: 11. Feb. 2014 This thesis is dedicated to Siberut and its people Table of Contents Table of Contents Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................iii Summary ........................................................................................................................vii Zusammenfassung ......................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: General Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Theoretical background ......................................................................................... 3 1.2 The concepts of within- and between-group competition ........................................ 6 1.3 Feeding competition and ranging behavior .......................................................... 10 1.4 Neglected aspects of socioecological theory and aims of the study ..................... 12 Chapter 2: Ecology of an endemic primate species (Macaca siberu) on Siberut Island, Indonesia .................................................................................................................. 17 2.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 19 2.3 Methods ............................................................................................................... 22 2.4 Results................................................................................................................. 28 2.5 Discussion and conclusions ................................................................................. 49 2.6 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 55 Chapter 3: Food resource characteristics and predictors of food-related aggression in wild Siberut macaques (Macaca siberu), an oceanic island species with low predation risk ............................................................................................................................ 57 3.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................... 58 3.2 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 59 3.3 Methods ............................................................................................................... 62 3.4 Results................................................................................................................. 69 3.5 Discussion ........................................................................................................... 77 3.6 Summary and outlook .......................................................................................... 83 3.7 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 84 Chapter 4: Males matter: More males increase home range size and female reproductive success in wild Assamese macaques ....................................................................... 85 4.1 Abstract ............................................................................................................... 86 4.2 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 87 4.3 Methods ............................................................................................................... 90 4.4 Results................................................................................................................. 97 4.5 Discussion ......................................................................................................... 103 4.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 107 i Table of Contents 4.7 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 107 4.8 Appendix ........................................................................................................... 109 Chapter 5: General Discussion ................................................................................... 111 5.1 Summary of results ............................................................................................ 112 5.2 Predation risk and feeding competition .............................................................. 115 5.3 Male food resource defense .............................................................................. 120 5.4 Outlook and future directions ............................................................................. 127 References ................................................................................................................. 131 Curriculum Vitae ......................................................................................................... 163 Declaration .................................................................................................................. 167 ii Acknowledgements Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible and successful without the great help of many people. First of all, I would like to thank Oliver Schülke and Julia Ostner for their supervision, trust and support, and for accompanying and shaping my scientific career during the last seven years since the start of my Diploma thesis. Thanks for all your valuable comments, and for always pointing me towards the right directions, to see and understand the bigger picture. I thank Peter M. Kappeler for his support and for becoming a co-supervisor of my thesis. I thank Eckhard W. Heymann for helping me out in the last minute to become my second reviewer for my thesis. I am thankful to Antje Engelhardt, Michael Mühlenberg and Matthias Waltert for their willingness to become members of my examination board. I am grateful to Keith Hodges and Christophe Abegg for allowing me to conduct my study within the premises of the Siberut Conservation Programme (SCP), and to Pak Agil for his collaboration. I thank the Indonesian authorities (LIPI, RISTEK, DEPDAGRI, DIKTI, PKSDA Padang) for granting me the research permits to conduct my study. Thanks to all SCP members for their help: Thomas Ziegler, Christophe Abegg, Siti Aminah, Edith Sabara, Fauzan, Pak Dodi and Dodo. Thanks especially to Marcel Quinten for his great coordination and management. My deepest gratefulness goes to all the people in Siberut who helped me that Siberut became my home during these 2.5 years. Masura bagatta! Especially thanks to Pak Tarzan, who became my second dad and always took care for me. Thanks for your loyalty and help, even during the most difficult times, when flood and epidemic hit Politcioman, and the massive earthquake cut off all logistics. Thanks for still helping me during this time as best as possible, while everybody else was just caring for his own survival. I am grateful to my guides Pak Safrizal, Bang Risel, Pak Tongam, Pak Teiba, Pak Bitcar, Pak Mathias and Pak Mitchen, and also Peator, Pak Hermanto and Pak Lucian who kindly helped out when needed. Without you I would have lost bokkoi more quickly, and would have stepped on a cobra several times, while being focused on the monkeys in the trees. Thanks to Pak Safrizal and Pak Mathias for carrying me several kilometers back