Forest fragmentation and edge effects are two major threats to primate populations. Primates inhabiting fragmented landscapes must survive in a more degraded environment, often with lower food availability compared to continuous forests. Such conditions can have deleterious effects on animal physiological health, yet some primates thrive in these habitats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFruit bats (genus Pteropus) are typically island-endemic species important in seed dispersal and reforestation that are vulnerable to increased extinction risk. An effective method of reducing extinction risk in vulnerable species that cannot be conserved in their native habitat is establishing an ex-situ captive breeding programme. Due to anthropogenic threats and low population numbers, in the early 1990s, a captive breeding programme was established at Jersey Zoo, British Isles, for Critically Endangered Livingstone's fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeforestation and habitat fragmentation is the primary threat to primate populations. The primates that live within degraded and anthropogenically disturbed habitats typical of fragmented landscapes have to cope with lower availability of resources in comparison to primates in continuous, undisturbed forests. While some species are sensitive to forest fragmentation, some evidence exists to suggest that primates can alter their behavior and adapt to such changes, which enables their survival in suboptimal habitat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMale dominance hierarchies have been studied in many animals but rarely in bats (Chiroptera). The dominance rank of social animals may dictate access to resources and mates; therefore, it has important implications for an individual's fitness and is crucial for successful captive management. Between January and December 2018, at both Bristol Zoo Gardens (Bristol, UK) and Jersey Zoo (Jersey, British Isles), we observed 19 male Livingstone's fruit bats using focal follows for 345 h overall, noting the outcome of all agonistic interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Over the past decades, primate populations have been declining. Four years ago, >60% of species were listed as threatened. As the rate of loss accelerates and new IUCN assessments are being published, we used IUCN Red List assessments and peer-reviewed literature published within the last 5 yr to evaluate the status of primates globally, by region and by taxonomic group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, and is classified as Endangered due to its putatively declining population size, habitat degradation and fragmentation. Previous population size estimates have ranged from 1,350 to 3,500 individuals, with the last direct survey being conducted 15 years before the present study. Previous estimates are now thought to have underestimated the population due to a limited knowledge of group and habitat size, nonsystematic approaches and the use of visual methods that are not suitable for surveying the Sanje mangabey with its semi-terrestrial and elusive behaviors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Cognitive impairment is a pervasive outcome of stroke, reported in over half of patients 6 months post-stroke and is associated with increased disability and a poorer quality of life. Despite the prevalence of post-stroke cognitive impairment, the efficacy of existing psychological interventions for the rehabilitation of cognitive impairment following stroke has yet to be established. The aim of this study is to identify psychological interventions from non-randomised studies that intended to improve post-stroke cognitive function and establish their efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Stroke is one of the primary causes of death and disability worldwide, leaving a considerable proportion of survivors with persistent cognitive and functional deficits. Despite the prevalence of poststroke cognitive impairment, there is no established treatment aimed at improving cognitive function following a stroke. Therefore, the aims of this systematic review are to identify psychological interventions intended to improve poststroke cognitive function and establish their efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimates require secure sleeping sites for periods of rest, but despite their importance, the characteristics of desired sleeping sites are poorly known. Here we investigated the sleeping ecology of a radio-collared population of the Sambirano mouse lemur, , during the nonreproductive season in the Anabohazo forest, northwestern Madagascar. We also investigated their ranging behavior and examined the spatial distribution of sleeping sites within the home ranges of the collared individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCochrane Database Syst Rev
September 2017
Background: For management of pneumothorax that occurs without underlying lung disease, also referred to as primary spontaneous pneumothorax, simple aspiration is technically easier to perform than intercostal tube drainage. In this systematic review, we seek to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of simple aspiration versus intercostal tube drainage for management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax. This review was first published in 2007 and was updated in 2017.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimate vocalizations convey a variety of information to conspecifics. The acoustic traits of these vocalizations are an effective vocal fingerprint to discriminate between sibling species for taxonomic diagnosis. However, the vocal behavior of nocturnal primates has been poorly studied and there are few studies of their vocal repertoires.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability to increase energy storage when food is abundant for later use during late gestation and early lactation is often considered the primary benefit of the capital breeding strategy (clustering conceptions during high food periods, HFP) that promotes reproductive success among females living in unpredictable environments. Capital breeding, however, may also enable preconceptive females to increase hormone production for ovulation, which has been linked to energetic condition in capital breeders, and/or allow females entering the subsequent HFP to increase their energetic condition in order to continue nursing unweaned infants. Here, we investigate whether capital breeding provides these additional benefits in 16 female Sanje mangabeys (Cercocebus sanjei) and determine the dietary strategies used to increase energetic condition (measured by urinary C-peptide: UCP) during the HFP.
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