Rhinopithecus Bieti Research Articles

Diet Versus Phylogeny: a Comparison of Gut Microbiota in Captive Colobine Monkey Species

Both diet and host phylogeny shape the gut microbial community, and separating out the effects of these variables can be challenging. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate the impact of diet and phylogeny on the gut microbiota of nine colobine monkey species (N=64 individuals). Colobines are leaf-eating monkeys that fare poorly in captivity-often exhibiting gastrointestinal (GI) problems. This study included eight Asian colobines (Rhinopithecus brelichi, Rhinopithecus roxellana, Rhinopithecus bieti, Pygathrix nemaeus, Nasalis larvatus, Trachypithecus francoisi, Trachypithecus auratus, and Trachypithecus vetulus) and one African colobine (Colobus guereza). Monkeys were housed at five different captive institutes: Panxi Wildlife Rescue Center (Guizhou, China), Beijing Zoo, Beijing Zoo Breeding Center, Singapore Zoo, and Singapore Zoo Primate Conservation Breeding Center. Captive diets varied widely between institutions, but within an institution, all colobine monkey species were fed nearly identical or identical diets. In addition, four monkey species were present at multiple captive institutes. This allowed us to parse the effects of diet and phylogeny in these captive colobines. Gut microbial communities clustered weakly by host species and strongly by diet, and overall, colobine phylogenetic relationships were not reflected in gut microbiota analyses. Core microbiota analyses also identified several key taxa-including microbes within the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families-that were shared by over 90% of the monkeys in this study. Microbial species within these families include many butyrate producers that are important for GI health. These results highlight the importance of diet in captive colobines.

Black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) feeding behavior in a degraded forest fragment: clues to a stressed population.

Rapid global deforestation has forced many of the world's primates to live in fragmented habitats, making the understanding of their behavioral responses to degraded and fragmented habitats a key challenge for their future protection and management. The black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is an endangered species endemic to southwest China. The forest habitat ranges from near-continuous to fragmented. In this study, we investigated the activity budget and diet of a R. bieti population that live in an isolated and degraded habitat patch at Mt. Lasha in Yunnan Province, near the current southern limit of the species. We used our data along with data from six other sites in more-continuous habitats across its range to model factors that predict stress, including feeding effort and time feeding on lichens against potential predictive parameters. Models showed feeding effort across all sites increased with increasing altitude and latitude, and with decreasing food species diversity. There was also a strong positive relationship between feeding effort and time feeding lichens. The Mt. Lasha R. bieti population exploited a total of 36 food species, spending 80.2% of feeding time feeding on lichens, Bryoria spp. and Usnea longissima. These figures are more comparable to those living in the north than those living in the mid- and southern part of the species' range. Given the models for feeding effort and time feeding on lichens, the unexpectedly high time spend feeding on lichens and feeding effort relative to latitude and elevation are suggestive of a stressed population at Mt. Lasha.

Improving landscape connectivity for the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey through cropland reforestation using graph theory

Habitat fragmentation is a threat to biodiversity because it restricts the ability of animals to move. Maintaining landscape connectivity could promote connections between habitat patches, which is extremely important for the preservation of gene flow and population viability. This paper aims to evaluate the landscape connectivity of forest areas as it relates to the conservation of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), an emblematic and endemic endangered primate species. Specifically, this study seeks to model ways to improve connectivity via cropland reforestation scenarios which incorporate graph theory and genetic distances. The connectivity improvement assessment is performed at two nested scales. At the regional scale, the aim is to quantitatively assess the gain in connectivity from different reforestation scenarios, in which croplands are replaced by different kinds of forest habitats. At the local scale, the goal is to prioritize and to locate croplands based on the gain in connectivity that they would provide if they were reforested. The results indicate that the four reforestation scenarios have different impacts on connectivity; the fourth scenario, in which reforestation is accomplished with plant species that provide optimal monkey habitat, yields the greatest increase in connectivity (+24% versus less than +2% for the others). Prioritization of the 1482 cropland patches shows that the 10 best patches increase connectivity from 0.04% to 9.1% as the isolation threshold distance increases. This kind of graph theoretic approach appears to be a useful tool for connectivity assessment and the development of conservation measures for species impacted by human activities.

Resequencing and comparison of whole mitochondrial genome to gain insight into the evolutionary status of the Shennongjia golden snub-nosed monkey (SNJ R. roxellana).

Shennongjia Rhinopithecus roxellana (SNJ R. roxellana) is the smallest geographical population of R. roxellana. The phylogenetic relationships among its genera and species and the biogeographic processes leading to their current distribution are largely unclear. To address these issues, we resequenced and obtained a new, complete mitochondrial genome of SNJ R. roxellana by next‐generation sequencing and standard Sanger sequencing. We analyzed the gene composition, constructed a phylogenetic tree, inferred the divergence ages based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences, and analyzed the genetic divergence of 13 functional mtDNA genes. The phylogenetic tree and divergence ages showed that R. avunculus (the Tonkin snub‐nosed monkey) was the first to diverge from the Rhinopithecus genus ca. 2.47 million years ago (Ma). Rhinopithecus bieti and Rhinopithecus strykeri formed sister groups, and the second divergence from the Rhinopithecus genus occurred ca. 1.90 Ma. R. roxellana and R. brelichi diverged from the Rhinopithecus genus third, ca. 1.57 Ma. SNJ R. roxellana was the last to diverge within R. roxellana species in 0.08 Ma, and the most recent common ancestor of R. roxellana is 0.10 Ma. The analyses on gene composition showed SNJ R. roxellana was the newest geographic population of R. roxellana. The work will help to develop a more accurate protection policy for SNJ R. roxellana and facilitate further research on selection and adaptation of R. roxellana.

Habitat evaluation and conservation framework of the newly discovered and critically endangered black snub-nosed monkey

The black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) is an IUCN-Critically Endangered primate, recently discovered on the northern Sino-Myanmar border. In order to identify the most urgent gaps in the conservation of the black snub-nosed monkey, a hierarchical process was employed to predict the distribution and alterations in its habitat over the past 15years. Our study showed that R. strykeri appeared to inhabit a range from E98°20′–98°50′, N25°40′–26°50′, including high quality habitat at 1420km2, medium quality habitat at 750km2, and low quality habitats at 1410km2. Only 21.1% of the total habitat for R. strykeri is within protected areas in China. Approximately 2.6% of the entire habitat has been lost in the past 15years, 96% of which has been in Myanmar. To save this species from extinction, it is urgent to establish trans-boundary conservation and management networks to address the loss of habitat, and to locate and preserve key wildlife corridors to link fragmented habitats between Myanmar and China.

Behavioural Responses of Yunnan Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) to Tourists in a Provisioned Monkey Group in Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve

The appearance of tourists brings about behavioural changes in some primates. Primate behavioural responses to human activities can reflect their survival strategy. Little is known about how the behaviour of Rhinopithecus bieti changes in the presence of tourists. Here we provide the first detailed description of interactions between a provisioned group of R. bieti and tourists at Xiangguqing in Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve from July 2012 to June 2013. We found that R. bieti had different response rates to the 5 most common human actions (shout, photograph, offer food, clap, and wave). Results indicated that R. bieti expresses 10 behavioural reactions (threat, escape, vigilance, warning, panic, alliance, attack, foraging, approach, and staring) to tourists' actions. On the whole, most of the monkeys' responses were unfriendly or hostile; a small number were neutral and affiliative. Behavioural responses were also significantly different among the different age/sex classes. Immature individuals engaged in more affiliative behaviours than adult individuals, and adult males tended towards more hostile behaviours. The behaviour of R. bieti towards tourists showed both tension and adaptability. Scientific management of provisioned monkey groups and strict regulation of tourist behaviour is needed in order to protect the animals from the negative effects of tourism-related disturbance.

Effects of field conditions on fecal microbiota

Gut microbiota can provide great insight into host health, and studies of the gut microbiota in wildlife are becoming more common. However, the effects of field conditions on gut microbial samples are unknown. This study addresses the following questions: 1) How do environmental factors such as sunlight and insect infestations affect fecal microbial DNA? 2) How does fecal microbial DNA change over time after defecation? 3) How does storage method affect microbial DNA? Fresh fecal samples were collected, pooled, and homogenized from a family group of 6 spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi. Samples were then aliquoted and subjected to varying light conditions (shade, sun), insect infestations (limited or not limited by netting over the sample), and sample preservation methods (FTA — Fast Technology for Analysis of nucleic acid — cards, or freezing in liquid nitrogen then storing at −20°C). Changes in the microbial communities under these conditions were assessed over 24h. Time and preservation method both effected fecal microbial community diversity and composition. The effect size of these variables was then assessed in relation to fecal microbial samples from 2 other primate species (Rhinopithecus bieti and R. brelichi) housed at different captive institutions. While the microbial community of each primate species was significantly different, the effects of time and preservation method still remained significant indicating that these effects are important considerations for fieldwork.

Population Genomics Reveals Low Genetic Diversity and Adaptation to Hypoxia in Snub-Nosed Monkeys.

Snub-nosed monkeys (genus Rhinopithecus) are a group of endangered colobines endemic to South Asia. Here, we re-sequenced the whole genomes of 38 snub-nosed monkeys representing four species within this genus. By conducting population genomic analyses, we observed a similar load of deleterious variation in snub-nosed monkeys living in both smaller and larger populations and found that genomic diversity was lower than that reported in other primates. Reconstruction of Rhinopithecus evolutionary history suggested that episodes of climatic variation over the past 2 million years, associated with glacial advances and retreats and population isolation, have shaped snub-nosed monkey demography and evolution. We further identified several hypoxia-related genes under selection in R. bieti (black snub-nosed monkey), a species that exploits habitats higher than any other nonhuman primate. These results provide the first detailed and comprehensive genomic insights into genetic diversity, demography, genetic burden, and adaptation in this radiation of endangered primates.

Yunnan snub-nosed monkey research of the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

At the beginning of 2016, I returned to the Baima Snow Mountain with a CCTV film crew. As the birth place of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, Baima Snow Mountain in northwest Yunnan belongs to the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus, and is regarded as the most magnificent of the Yunling Mountains. Revisiting my old haunt, I cannot help but recall the international snub-nosed monkey research launched by the Kunming Institute of Zoology (KIZ) so many years ago.

Genomic analysis of snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus) identifies genes and processes related to high-altitude adaptation.

The snub-nosed monkey genus Rhinopithecus includes five closely related species distributed across altitudinal gradients from 800 to 4,500 m. Rhinopithecus bieti, Rhinopithecus roxellana, and Rhinopithecus strykeri inhabit high-altitude habitats, whereas Rhinopithecus brelichi and Rhinopithecus avunculus inhabit lowland regions. We report the de novo whole-genome sequence of R. bieti and genomic sequences for the four other species. Eight shared substitutions were found in six genes related to lung function, DNA repair, and angiogenesis in the high-altitude snub-nosed monkeys. Functional assays showed that the high-altitude variant of CDT1 (Ala537Val) renders cells more resistant to UV irradiation, and the high-altitude variants of RNASE4 (Asn89Lys and Thr128Ile) confer enhanced ability to induce endothelial tube formation in vitro. Genomic scans in the R. bieti and R. roxellana populations identified signatures of selection between and within populations at genes involved in functions relevant to high-altitude adaptation. These results provide valuable insights into the adaptation to high altitude in the snub-nosed monkeys.

Aiming low: A resident male's rank predicts takeover success by challenging males in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.

In many primate species that form one-male breeding units (OMUs), the threat of a takeover by a bachelor male represents a major challenge to group stability and individual reproductive success. In the case of snub-nosed monkeys, which live in large multilevel or modular societies (MLS) comprising several OMUs that travel, feed and rest together and as well as one or more all male units (AMUs), the process by which rival males challenge resident OMU males for access to females is poorly understood. From September 2012 to October 2013, we recorded 48 cases in which rival males visited an OMU in a MLS of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) inhabiting the Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China. In 40 cases, rival males engaged in mild agonistic interactions (approaching, staring, teeth-baring and chasing) but failed to take over the group; we counted these visits as failed takeovers, recognizing that they may nevertheless allow rival males to assess the competitive ability of residents. During eight successful takeovers, however, there was severe physical aggression between challenging and resident males, with serious injuries to participants. We found that neither the number of adult and subadult females in an OMU, the number of non-pregnant, non-lactating adult females in an OMU, nor the rank of a resident male relative to other resident males in the MLS predicted which OMU a challenging male targeted for takeover. However, a resident male's rank significantly predicted whether takeover attempts were successful. Specifically, challenging males were more successful in displacing a lower-ranking resident male than a higher-ranking male. Given that a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey MLS may contain as many as 40 resident and 36 bachelor males, continued research is required to determine the set of factors that enable resident males to maintain high social rank and successfully defend their harems. Am. J. Primatol. 78:974-982, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

评估不同尺度下农牧地对滇金丝猴景观连接度的影响

评估不同尺度下农牧地对滇金丝猴景观连接度的影响

基于生境斑块的滇金丝猴景观连接度分析

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于生境斑块的滇金丝猴景观连接度分析 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201408191641 作者: 作者单位: 昆明理工大学环境科学与工程学院,云南财经大学野生动植物管理与生态系统健康研究中心,云南财经大学野生动植物管理与生态系统健康研究中心,云南财经大学野生动植物管理与生态系统健康研究中心,云南师范大学旅游与地理科学学院,云南财经大学野生动植物管理与生态系统健康研究中心 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金项目(31100351) Analysis of landscape connectivity of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) based on habitat patches Author: Affiliation: Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology,Wildlife Management and Ecosystem Health center, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics,,,, Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:基于生境斑块,结合最小费用距离并运用图论法对滇金丝猴分布区进行栖息地连接度分析,研究利用猴群的现实分布结合Logistic回归模型确定了景观功能连接的最佳距离阈值,对于功能畅通的组分,以景观指数BC定量识别出作为"踏脚石"的优先保护区域;对于功能不连接的组分,绘制出最小费用路径,确定了该路径中优先恢复区域。结果表明:最佳的最小费用距离阈值为1400,该阈值下猴群主要存在于5个组分中,所有组分中猴群间的连接度优劣排序为组分3 > 组分1 > 组分5 > 组分4,龙马山猴群(G15)没有"踏脚石"斑块使其与同一组分内的其他猴群相连接,应考虑优先恢复该区域的植被,研究成果对于该物种的保护和其他濒危物种的类似研究具有较强的参考价值和借鉴意义。 Abstract:Habitat fragmentation is a major cause of biodiversity loss; it impedes gene flow between populations and interrupts the network of habitat patches. Populations are faced with a high risk of extinction owing to their small and isolated habitat patches. The maintenance of landscape connectivity can promote population movement between habitat patches, and this is extremely important to maintain gene flow and biological dispersal in fragmented landscapes. Using current habitat patches, the least-cost distance method and graph theory were implemented to study the habitat connectivity across the distribution of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, and the optimal distance threshold of landscape functional connectivity was identified. Priority protected areas referred to as "stepping stones" were quantitatively identified based on highly connected functional components. The least-cost path was estimated to determine restoration priority areas for less connected functional components. This study had the following aims: (1) to explore new methods for identifying the optimal distance threshold, (2) to analyze the connectivity between monkey groups, and (3) to quantitatively analyze priority protected areas among monkey groups. The best resistance assignment for each habitat type was determined by a landscape genetics approach that combines the relationship between the least-cost-distance and gene flow, and reflects the promotion and impediment of the landscape matrix on species movement. The optimal threshold distance of least cost comprehensively reflected landscape features and species distribution characteristics; it incorporated the habitat area of each connected component into the monkey distribution. The priority conservation area was quantified using the landscape index. Based on the results, the optimal threshold distance of least cost was 1400 cost units. Monkey groups were mainly classified into five components that did not exceed this threshold, and the connectivity scores for monkey groups within components was Component 3 > Component 1 > Component 5 > Component 4. "Stepping-stone" patches do not exist in the Longma mountain group, resulting in a disconnect between that group and other monkey groups. This connection should first be restored. The results of this study can facilitate the protection of this and other species. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Retraction: Li Y, Li D, Ren B, Hu J, Li B, Krzton A, Li M. Determinants of differences in the activity budgets of Rhinopithecus bieti by age/sex class at Xiangguqing in the Baimaxueshan nature reserve, China. Arch Biol Sci. 2015;67(2):675-83. DOI: 10.2298/ABS140917033L

This is a notice of retraction of the article: Determinants of differences in the activity budgets of Rhinopithecus bieti by age/sex class at Xiangguqing in the Baimaxueshan nature reserve, China by Li Yanhong, Li Dayong, Ren Baoping, Hu Jie, Li Baoguo, Krzton Ali, Li Ming, published in the Archives of Biological Sciences Vol. 67, Issue 2, 2015. Due to inadequate exchange of information between the previous and new Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences, the new Editor-in-Chief was not informed of the authors? request for withdrawal of the article. After obtaining the written request, signed by all of the authors, the Editor-in-Chief has decided to withdraw the article. <br><br><font color="red"><b> Link to the retracted article <u><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/ABS140917033L">10.2298/ABS140917033L</a></b></u>

Sexually selected lip colour indicates male group-holding status in the mating season in a multi-level primate society.

Sexual selection typically produces ornaments in response to mate choice, and armaments in response to male–male competition. Unusually among mammals, many primates exhibit colour signals that may be related to one or both processes. Here, we document for the first time correlates of facial coloration in one of the more brightly coloured primates, the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). Snub-nosed monkeys have a one-male unit (OMU) based social organization, but these units aggregate semi-permanently into larger bands. This form of mating system causes many males to become associated with bachelor groups. We quantified redness of the prominent lower lip in 15 males (eight bachelors, seven OMU holders) in a group at Xiangguqing, China. Using mixed models, our results show that lip redness increases with age. More interestingly, there is a significant effect of the interaction of group-holding status and mating season on redness; that is, lip colour of OMU males undergoes reddening in the mating season, whereas the lips of subadult and juvenile bachelor males become paler at that time of year. These results indicate that lip coloration is a badge of (group-holding) status during the mating season, with non-adults undergoing facial differentiation, perhaps to avoid the costs of reproductive competition. Future research should investigate whether lip coloration is a product of male–male competition, and/or female mate choice.

Assessing the impact of road developments on connectivity across multiple scales: Application to Yunnan snub-nosed monkey conservation

This paper proposes an integrative approach to assessing the impact of several highway developments on the connectivity of high-elevation coniferous forests in Yunnan (China). These forests are the optimal habitat of the black and white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), an endemic endangered primate species. A graph-based approach is used for modeling the ecological network of this species and analyzing connectivity across several spatio-temporal scales, from daily movements to dispersal events. The aims of this paper are (1) to assess the impact of an existing highway by comparing connectivity with and without the infrastructure; (2) to assess the potential improvement of connectivity induced by diverting traffic from the highway to a tunnels/viaducts section under construction; (3) to compare several mitigation scenarios with potential reforestation measures. The analysis is carried out both at the global level to quantify changes in the overall connectivity at several distances and, at the local level to identify which parts of the network are the most vulnerable. The results show that the highway has a low effect (−3.3%) on connectivity at the daily scale, but that increased gradually with distance (up to −21.5% for the largest), however habitat loss is only −0.1%. Some of the affected habitat patches are located 30km north of the highway. The three mitigation scenarios have a different impact on connectivity. The third scenario leading to the creation of new habitat patches is the only one that strongly increases connectivity at several scales. This kind of graph approach can improve assessment of the impact of constructing a given infrastructure by taking into account the different scales of ecological processes and so can better target conservation measures for impacted species, here the emblematic, endangered, Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Xylanase from Massilia sp. RBM26 Isolated from the Feces of Rhinopithecus bieti.

Xylanases sourced from different bacteria have significantly different enzymatic properties. Therefore, studying xylanases from different bacteria is important to their applications in different fields. A potential xylanase degradation gene in Massilia was recently discovered through genomic sequencing. However, its xylanase activity remains unexplored. This paper is the first to report a xylanase (XynRBM26) belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family (GH10) from the genus Massilia. The gene encodes a 383-residue polypeptide (XynRBM26) with the highest identity of 62% with the endoxylanase from uncultured bacterium BLR13. The XynRBM26 expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 is a monomer with a molecular mass of 45.0 kDa. According to enzymatic characteristic analysis, pH 5.5 is the most appropriate for XynRBM26, which could maintain more than 90% activity between pH 5.0 and 8.0. Moreover, XynRBM26 is stable at 37°C and could maintain at least 96% activity after being placed at 37°C for 1 h. This paper is the first to report that GH10 xylanase in an animal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has salt tolerance, which could maintain 86% activity in 5 M NaCl. Under the optimum conditions, Km, Vmax, and kcat of XynRBM26 to beechwood xylan are 9.49 mg/ml, 65.79 μmol/min/mg, and 47.34 /sec, respectively. Considering that XynRBM26 comes from an animal GIT, this xylanase has potential application in feedstuff. Moreover, XynRBM26 is applicable to high-salt food and seafood processing, as well as other high-salt environmental biotechnological fields, because of its high catalytic activity in high-concentration NaCl.

A citizen data-based approach to predictive mapping of spatial variation of natural phenomena

The vast accumulation of environmental data and the rapid development of geospatial visualization and analytical techniques make it possible for scientists to solicit information from local citizens to map spatial variation of geographic phenomena. However, data provided by citizens (referred to as citizen data in this article) suffer two limitations for mapping: bias in spatial coverage and imprecision in spatial location. This article presents an approach to minimizing the impacts of these two limitations of citizen data using geospatial analysis techniques. The approach reduces location imprecision by adopting a frequency-sampling strategy to identify representative presence locations from areas over which citizens observed the geographic phenomenon. The approach compensates for the spatial bias by weighting presence locations with cumulative visibility (the frequency at which a given location can be seen by local citizens). As a case study to demonstrate the principle, this approach was applied to map the habitat suitability of the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in Yunnan, China. Sightings of R. bieti were elicited from local citizens using a geovisualization platform and then processed with the proposed approach to predict a habitat suitability map. Presence locations of R. bieti recorded by biologists through intensive field tracking were used to validate the predicted habitat suitability map. Validation showed that the continuous Boyce index (Bcont(0.1)) calculated on the suitability map was 0.873 (95% CI: [0.810, 0.917]), indicating that the map was highly consistent with the field-observed distribution of R. bieti. Bcont(0.1) was much lower (0.173) for the suitability map predicted based on citizen data when location imprecision was not reduced and even lower (−0.048) when there was no compensation for spatial bias. This indicates that the proposed approach effectively minimized the impacts of location imprecision and spatial bias in citizen data and therefore effectively improved the quality of mapped spatial variation using citizen data. It further implies that, with the application of geospatial analysis techniques to properly account for limitations in citizen data, valuable information embedded in such data can be extracted and used for scientific mapping.

Metagenomic analysis of the Rhinopithecus bieti fecal microbiome reveals a broad diversity of bacterial and glycoside hydrolase profiles related to lignocellulose degradation.

BackgroundThe animal gastrointestinal tract contains a complex community of microbes, whose composition ultimately reflects the co-evolution of microorganisms with their animal host and the diet adopted by the host. Although the importance of gut microbiota of humans has been well demonstrated, there is a paucity of research regarding non-human primates (NHPs), especially herbivorous NHPs.ResultsIn this study, an analysis of 97,942 pyrosequencing reads generated from Rhinopithecus bieti fecal DNA extracts was performed to help better understanding of the microbial diversity and functional capacity of the R. bieti gut microbiome. The taxonomic analysis of the metagenomic reads indicated that R. bieti fecal microbiomes were dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria phyla. The comparative analysis of taxonomic classification revealed that the metagenome of R. bieti was characterized by an overrepresentation of bacteria of phylum Fibrobacteres and Spirochaetes as compared with other animals. Primary functional categories were associated mainly with protein, carbohydrates, amino acids, DNA and RNA metabolism, cofactors, cell wall and capsule and membrane transport. Comparing glycoside hydrolase profiles of R. bieti with those of other animal revealed that the R. bieti microbiome was most closely related to cow rumen.ConclusionsMetagenomic and functional analysis demonstrated that R. bieti possesses a broad diversity of bacteria and numerous glycoside hydrolases responsible for lignocellulosic biomass degradation which might reflect the adaptations associated with a diet rich in fibrous matter. These results would contribute to the limited body of NHPs metagenome studies and provide a unique genetic resource of plant cell wall degrading microbial enzymes. However, future studies on the metagenome sequencing of R. bieti regarding the effects of age, genetics, diet and environment on the composition and activity of the metagenomes are required.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1378-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Effects of Climate Change on the Distribution of Snub-Nosed Monkey in China

Study on effects of climate change on species is very popular and necessary at present. This paper investigated the effects of climate change on the distribution of snub-nosed monkey in China using Arcgis and Maxent model. It compared the historical and modern distribution of snub-nosed monkey in China, and evaluated the effects of climate change on Rhinopithecus bieti to explore effects on the distribution of snub-nosed monkey, so as to protect them. Results indicate that the distribution range of snub-nosed monkey has decreased greatly from the previous 17 to 8 provinces. The distribution trends are from north to south, east to west, dense to sparse and form several isolated distribution areas. Moreover, six precipitation variables are identified as having remarkable effects on the habitat suitability of Rhinopithecus bieti and therefore protective actions can be taken accordingly.