Prey capture and meat-eating by the wild colobus monkey _Rhinopithecus bieti_ in Yunnan, China

If it is true that extant primates evolved from an insectivorous ancestor, then primate entomophagy would be a primitive trait. Many taxa, however, have undergone a dietary shift from entomophagy to phytophagy, evolving a specialised gut and dentition and becoming exclusive herbivores. The exclusively herbivorous taxa are the Malagasy families Indriidae and Lepilemuridae, and the Old World Monkey subfamily Colobinae, and among these meat-eating has not been observed except as an anomaly, with the sole exception of the Hanuman langur (_Semnopithecus entellus_), which feeds on insects seasonally, and a single observation of a nestling bird predated by wild Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (_Rhinopithecus roxellana_). Here, we describe the regular capture of warm-blooded animals and the eating of meat by a colobine, the critically endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (_Rhinopithecus bieti_). This monkey engages in scavenge hunting as a male-biased activity that may, in fact, be related to group structure and spatial spread. In this context, meat-eating can be regarded as an energy/nutrient maximization feeding strategy rather than as a consequence of any special characteristic of meat itself. The finding of meat-eating in forest-dwelling primates might provide new insights into the evolution of dietary habits in early humans

A review of the genus Zubovskya Dovnar-Zapolskij, 1932 (Orthoptera: Catantopidae, Conophyminae)

The genus Zubovskya Dovnar-Zapolskij, 1932 is reviewed. This genus consists of six species. Two new species are described from China: Zubovskya xiai sp. n. from Heilongjiang Province and Zubovskya eyouqiensis sp. n. from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Two species are transferred from Zubovskya to the genera Bienkoa Mishchenko, 1950 and Kingdonella Uvarov, 1933. Therefore, two new combinations are proposed: Podisma morii Bey-Bienko, 1931 = Bienkoa morii (Bey-Bienko, 1931), comb. n.; Zubovskya mongolica Storozhenko, 1986 = Kingdonella mongolica (Storozhenko, 1986), comb. n. Key to the species of Zubovskya is given

Evidence of Allomaternal Nursing across One-Male Units in the Yunnan Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus Bieti)

BACKGROUND: Allomaternal nursing, common in several species of social mammals, also has been reported in nonhuman primates. However, the function of this behavior in enhancing infant survivorship remains poorly understood. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study was conducted on a free-ranging group of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baimaxueshan Natural Reserve. Direct observation and ad libitum sampling were used to record allocare behavior during a 20 month field study. R. bieti exhibits a multilevel social organization in which a large single troop, consisting of over 100 individuals, is divided into many one-male units (OMUs: 6∼41). These OMUs coordinate their daily activities, and feed, forage, travel, and rest together. Here we report on one case of infant temporary adoption in which an adult female from one OMU engaged in allomaternal nursing and cared for an infant from a different OMU of the same troop. This event began when the mother and her five-month-old infant were found to became separated accidentally. The victim infant was observed staying in another OMU. Over the next several days we observed a lactating female in the new OMU to care for and nurse both her infant and the immigrant infant, who also was tolerated by and cared for by the harem male. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that lactating primate females are primed to care for young infants and, that the misdirected parental care hypothesis may offer the strongest explanation for allomaternal nursing in R. bieti

Application of ICP-MS trace element analysis in study of ancient Chinese ceramics

Thirty-nine trace elements of the Song-Yuan period (960-1368 AD) porcelain bodies from Cizhou, Jizhou and Longquanwu kilns were analyzed with ICP-MS, a technique rarely used in Chinese archaeometry, to investigate its potential application in such studies. Trace element compositions clearly reflect the distinctive raw materials and their mineralogy at the three kilns and allow their products to be distinguished. Significant chemical variations are also observed between Yuan and Song-Jing dynasties samples from Cizhou as well as fine and coarse porcelain bodies from Longquanwu. In Cizhou, porcelains of better quality which imitate the famous Ding kiln have trace element features distinctive from ordinary Cizhou products, that indicates geochemically distinctive raw materials were used and which possibly also underwent extra refining prior to use. The distinct trace element features of different kilns and the various types of porcelains from an individual kiln can be interpreted from a geochemical perspective. ICP-MS can provide a large amount of valuable information about ancient Chinese ceramics as it is capable of analyzing >40 elements with a typical of precision < 2%

Choice of analytical method can have dramatic effects on primate home range estimates

Primate home range sizes can vary tremendously as a consequence of the analytical technique chosen to estimate home range. This is exemplified by a recent dataset on free ranging snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in Northwest Yunnan, China. Our findings show that the grid cell method cannot substitute for the minimum convex polygon (MCP) method and vice versa. MCP-based estimates are far too large, especially when the form of the home range is irregular due to forays into peripheral areas. Here, we propose an adjusted polygon method, whereby unsuitable and never visited areas are clipped out from the polygon, thus producing more accurate results. Compared to the grid cell method, the adjusted MCP is much more robust when the number of group relocations is limited; MCP turned out to be the method of choice for calculation of monthly and seasonal home ranges. The grid cell method on the other hand yielded the most precise estimates for total or annual home ranges. The style of ranging exhibited by a given primate taxon or population determines which analytical procedures should be applied to estimate home range size, and we would stress the need for thorough evaluation of the pros and cons of home range estimators before conducting field work and analysing dat

Diatom and silicoflagellate assemblages in modern surface sediments associated with human activity: A case study in Sishili Bay, China

The spatial distribution of diatom and silicoflagellate fossils deposited in modern surface sediments was studied in inshore and offshore zones of Sishili Bay, China, to explore the impact of human activity on the coastal ecosystem. The sediments from 28 sites representing a gradient in intensity of human activity from inshore to offshore were sampled. Although the nutrient parameters inshore showed far higher concentrations than the offshore area, due to sewage discharge and waste dumping in the bay, the average fossil abundance did not differ significantly between the two areas. The diatom fossil Paralia sulcata, supposed to be a eutrophic indicator dominated most sediment samples and displayed a significant and positive correlation with dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in the upper water column, but did not show a significant difference in abundance between inshore area and offshore area. Factors such as sediment disturbance (e.g., shipping), grazing pressure (e.g., shellfish aquaculture farm) and sediment characteristics (e.g., grain size) can affect the preservation of fossil debris in the sediment and lower the precision with which human activities can be associated with the fossil abundance.The spatial distribution of diatom and silicoflagellate fossils deposited in modern surface sediments was studied in inshore and offshore zones of Sishili Bay, China, to explore the impact of human activity on the coastal ecosystem. The sediments from 28 sites representing a gradient in intensity of human activity from inshore to offshore were sampled. Although the nutrient parameters inshore showed far higher concentrations than the offshore area, due to sewage discharge and waste dumping in the bay, the average fossil abundance did not differ significantly between the two areas. The diatom fossil Paralia sulcata, supposed to be a eutrophic indicator dominated most sediment samples and displayed a significant and positive correlation with dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in the upper water column, but did not show a significant difference in abundance between inshore area and offshore area. Factors such as sediment disturbance (e.g., shipping), grazing pressure (e.g., shellfish aquaculture farm) and sediment characteristics (e.g., grain size) can affect the preservation of fossil debris in the sediment and lower the precision with which human activities can be associated with the fossil abundance. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved