Abstract
We investigated the structure and seasonality of the proximity network in a group of polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) using social network analysis. The spatial proximity changed seasonally and was affected by temperature and rainfall. Preferred proximity association was not distributed randomly among individuals. Kinship was one explanation for the social structure, as offspring preferred to maintain close proximity with their mothers. The proximity of infants to mothers decreased with age, and independent offspring had lower proximity to mothers than dependent ones. We found that the adult male had different proximity relationships with two different adult females. The frequency of proximity between the male and the infant-carrying female was significantly higher than that between the male and the female who had immigrated carrying one offspring of uncertain paternity into the group. Infanticide avoidance and/or predation protection for dependent infants might explain the proximity relationship differences. Temperature influenced group proximity association, with individual proximity increasing in the cold months and decreasing in the hot months. Group proximity decreased in months with higher anthropogenic disturbance.
Highlights
We investigated the structure and seasonality of the proximity network in a group of polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) using social network analysis
It is reported that spatial distance among individuals is correlated with social relationships (Sade, 1965, 1972) and social organization (Kummer, 1968); spatial proximity between group members is important for studying social structure
E2 GUAN, et al 2002; Dunbar et al, 2009), such as activity budgets (e.g. Theropithecus gelada: Dunbar, 1992; Ateles spp.: Korstjens et al, 2006; Nomascus concolor: Fan et al, 2008; Eulemur fulvus fulvus: Sato, 2012; Nomascus nasutus: Fan et al, 2012) and range behavior (e.g. Theropithecus gelada: Dunbar, 1998; Symphalangus syndactylus: Kim et al, 2011), how social relationships are affected by ecological factors is not well understood, with very few studies conducted on small apes
Summary
We investigated the structure and seasonality of the proximity network in a group of polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) using social network analysis. It is reported that spatial distance among individuals is correlated with social relationships (Sade, 1965, 1972) and social organization (Kummer, 1968); spatial proximity between group members is important for studying social structure. Research reported on a correlation between inter-individual distance and social relationship in Macaca mulatta (Sade, 1965), with further studies using spatial data to represent social structure in different primates (e.g. Symphalangus syndactylus: Chivers, 1971; Papio cynocephalus and Saimiri sciureus: Fairbanks, 1976). No research on the influence of ecological factors to spatial proximity in gibbons has been conducted to date, though Fan et al (2008, 2012) found black crested gibbons and Cao Vit gibbons were more likely to stay together in cold seasons during the night
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