Leafing, flowering, and fruiting phenology of plants fed on by wild Japanese macaques (<i>Macaca fuscata</i>) on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan

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  • 宮城県金華山島のニホンザル（<i>Macaca fuscata</i>）が採食する樹種の展葉・開花・結実フェノロジー

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<p>I performed a phenological survey on the plant diets of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan. I conducted a monthly survey between April 2021 and March 2023, during which I checked leafing, flowering, and fruiting of 31 plant species along pre-set routes within the home range of a target macaque troop. Subsequently, I examined the relationship between phenology and the macaques’ feeding pattern. For leaves and flowers, the feeding seasons of most plant species corresponded with the first half of the leafing and flowering seasons, respectively. For fruits, on the other hand, feeding often continued after their fruiting season, which may likely be due to macaques’ feeding on fallen fruits on the ground. Additionally, I found that several nut/achene species did not fruit during the study period, likely due to interannual variation in fruiting. To better estimate food availability, which is essential for understanding the feeding strategies of macaques, it may be necessary to perform combined phenological and vegetation surveys across multiple years for obtaining plant density.</p>

Journal

  • Primate Research

    Primate Research 39 (1), 5-12, 2023-06-20

    Primate Society of Japan

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