The Gibbons New Perspectives on Small Ape Socioecology and Population Biology

About this book

The small apes, or gibbons, are among our closest living relatives, yet they have received little attention from the scientific community and the public in comparison with the other living apes. This oversight is not due to lack of appeal; their physical beauty, graceful acrobatic movements, and thrilling songs make it clear why gibbons are always among the most popular animals in zoos. Rather, the inherent difficulties involved in studying or filming gibbons in their natural habitats and, in some cases, the misconception that among apes, smaller means lesser, have led many researchers and filmmakers to focus their attentions elsewhere. Nonetheless, a growing number of intrepid field and laboratory researchers have made steady progress in the study of gibbon behavior and ecology over the last several decades. This volume is a systematic compilation of recent research on gibbon socioecology and population biology with a focus on understanding gibbons in the context of their natural habitats, and includes contributions on a range of topics, including gibbon biogeography, the ecological roles played by gibbons in their ecosystems, the origins and functions of key gibbon social and ecological adaptations, and the conservation status of wild gibbon populations.

The contributors address both theoretical questions and the practical implications of our growing knowledge about gibbon adaptations. While gibbons share several important social features with humans, thus providing parallels for understanding human evolution, they are also fascinating creatures in their own right and act as vital components of tropical forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, gibbons are also among the most endangered living apes. This volume should be of interest to researchers and students from a variety of fields, including anthropologists, animal behaviorists, tropical ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and conservation biologists.

Contents

Polyandry in white-handed gibbon as male mating effort in poor resources forest.- Polyandry and male parental care as siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) behavioral strategies.- Mating systems of Hylobates lar at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.- Mating and grouping patterns in gibbons.- Male-female relationships in gibbons, a reconsideration of the evidence.- Range use, diet and feeding ecology of H. lar at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.- Socioecology of Nomascus gabriellae in Cambodia.- Phylogeography of Bornean and Sumatran H. agilis.- Demography and community ecology of H. agilis in Gunung Palung National Park, Indonesia.- The demography of lar gibbons at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.- Seed dispersal and community ecology of hybrid H. muelleri/H. agilis in Kalimantan.- Conservation genetics and status of H. klossii.- The conservation status of S. syndactulus and H. agilis in Kerinci-Sablat National Park, Indonesia.- Status of Hoolock hoolock populations in Assam, India.- The effects of habitat fragmentation on B. hoolock populations in Assam, India.- Status of H. hoolock populations in Burma.- Status of Nomascus gabriellae populations in Cambodia.- Summary of the conservation status of Nomascus spp.- The role of reintroduction in gibbon conservation.- Management of H. hoolock in fragmented habitat.

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