Wild The Qinling Chuan Golden Monkey (rhinopithecus Roxellana), Maternal And Child Preferences And Biological Markets

1. Maternal cradling laterality and neonate nipple preference in the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in Qinling MountainsIn order to understand the development of behavior and the influenced factors in maternal cradling laterality and neonate nipple preference of Qinling golden monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), we collected behavioral data by means of scan sampling method from 32 new born infant-mother pairs. This study collected 3675 samples of neonate nipple preference and 3661 samples of maternal cradling laterality. Based on these samples, the lateral bias index (LBI) was calculated by subtracting the number of left-sided observations (L) from the number of right-sided observations (R) and dividing by the total number of observations, i.e. (R-L/R+L). Then we used the SPSS statistical software to test these LBI scores, and the results show that there is a significant left-side group-level preference of maternal cradling in primiparous female (t(6)=-3.890, p= 0.008), and there is a significant left-side group-level preference of neonate nipple in infants who were born by primiparous female (t (6)=-3.731,p= 0.010), Although the group preference strength on both measures in multiparous female is evident, there is no significant group-level preference direction (neonate nipple preference:t (24)= 0.854, p= 0.402; maternal cradling laterality:t (24)=1.955,p= 0.062). Moreover, most female (8/9) have different direction of maternal cradling laterality at two successive procreating periods (N1= 8, N2= 1, p=0.039).Taken together, it is suggest that the experience may affect neonate nipple preference and thus affect maternal cradling laterality in this species. 2. Grooming and non-mother infant handling in a wild Rhinopithecus roxellana marketI collected the focal samples and post-grooming samples of infant-mother pairs in the wild Rhinopithecus roxellana, to test whether grooming and infant handling are directly traded. I determined that grooming tended to promote an exchange with infant (df= 21, t= 13.588, p< 0.001). Grooming-infant handling interchanges tended to be unidirectional because that the mothers groomed by females usually did not reciprocate grooming. Instead, non-mother infant handling occurred (N= 233, P= 0.45, p< 0.001). Grooming interactions that involve infant handling are most initiated by the handler (92%) rather than the mother (8%). These support that grooming may be payment for infant handling. Moreover, I found that the supply of available infants was related to how long a female groomed the mother (r=-0.395, p< 0.001). Grooming for infant handling was longer when infants were scarce in the unit than when they were abundant (r= 0.395, F= 40.81, p< 0.001, r2= 0.156, df= 222). This may suggest that the exchanges affected by supply-and-demand. These results support the conclusion that grooming and infant handling may be traded, and there may be a model of biology markets in wild Rhinopithecus roxellana.