Barbary macaques show sex-related differences in body weight based on anthropogenic food exposure despite comparable female-male stable isotope ratios.

ABSTRACT: As the human-primate interface expands, many nonhuman primate (NHP) populations exploit anthropogenic foods to survive, while some populations opportunistically target them. Though anthropogenic food consumption is sometimes associated with greater reproductive output and survival in these populations, there is a dearth of research on possible health effects. We explore how differential exposure to anthropogenic foods is linked to variation in isotopic compositions (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and body weights in Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Gibraltar. We placed monkeys into three categories based on anthropogenic food exposure. We then analyzed individuals for isotopic signatures (N = 147) and body weight measurements (N = 80). Using the lowest exposure category as the comparison, we found body weights and δ¹⁵N values, but not δ¹³C values, significantly differed across key categories. Within categories, we found no significant associations between sex and δ¹³C or δ¹⁵N values, suggesting that individuals within categories consumed similar foods regardless of sex. We found a significant interaction effect between category and sex for predicting body weights. These results suggest that sex plays a role in how anthropogenic foods are accessed and consumed regardless of exposure, which may result in differential health profiles for female and male macaques.

SUBMITTER: Saiyed ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10858218 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature