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Primate Life Histories, Sex Roles, and Adaptability pp 57–72Cite as

Seasonal Patterns of Infant Mortality in Wild Sanje Mangabeys, Cercocebus sanjei

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Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Infant mortality is a fundamental factor influencing population growth. This study examines the distribution of infant mortality in relation to seasonality for the endangered Sanje mangabey, Cercocebus sanjei, endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Data were collected over 40 continuous months (August 2008 to November 2011). Censuses conducted during monthly group follows recorded 35 live births, plus 6 births just prior to the start of the study data (23 females, 16 males and 2 of undetermined sex). The survival probability for these infants combined was 60.2% (27 survived and 14 died before 1 year of age). Mean annual infant mortality (39.8 ± 4.1%) was at the higher end of results reported for other wild cercopithecines. All infant deaths occurred within the dry season (June to October), although most (64%, 9 of 14) were highly clustered within the early dry season (June to August), a period coinciding with an initial drop in fruit production and a peak in tick infestation among adult females. Six of the 14 infants that died were conceived in the previous dry season and born in the wet season; our previous work has demonstrated that this is considered ‘out-of-phase’ with optimal conceptive timing for the species. Previous studies in this species have demonstrated that timing conception with peak food abundance can influence infant survival. We also suggest that tick-borne disease, prevalent in the region, should be further studied as it could be a factor impacting infant mortality and may be interacting with decreasing nutritional intake during the early dry season.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre and the Conservation Resource Center for providing logistical support for this project. Permission to carry out research has been granted by the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania National Parks, Tanzanian Wildlife Research Institute and Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology. Valuable assistance was also provided by the wardens and staff of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, as well as the Sanje Mangabey Project field assistants. Funding for this study was provided by the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DF and GMM), Leakey Foundation (DF and GMM), Primate Conservation, Inc. (GMM), Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation (DF), Conservation International Primate Action Fund (GMM) and IDEA Wild, as well as the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) International Education Fund and Department of Anthropology Doctoral Research Grant (GMM) and Stony Brook University (SBU) Dean’s Fellowship for Professional Development (DF). This study was approved by the IACUC regulations committee for both UTSA and SBU.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol, UK

    Gráinne M. McCabe

  2. Department of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    David Fernández

Authors
  1. Gráinne M. McCabe
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  2. David Fernández
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Correspondence to Gráinne M. McCabe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and McGill School of Environment, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Urs Kalbitzer

  2. Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Katharine M. Jack

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McCabe, G.M., Fernández, D. (2018). Seasonal Patterns of Infant Mortality in Wild Sanje Mangabeys, Cercocebus sanjei . In: Kalbitzer, U., Jack, K. (eds) Primate Life Histories, Sex Roles, and Adaptability. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98285-4_4

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