Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) have been studied by primatologists since 1948, and considerable knowledge of the primate has been accumulated to elucidate the adaptation of the species over time and to distinct environments in Japan. The Japanese macaque is especially suited to intragenera and interpopulation comparative studies of behavior, physiology, and morphology, and to socioecology studies in general.
The Japanese Macaques is replete with contributions by leading researchers in field primatology. Highlighted are topics of intraspecific variations in the ecology and behaviors of the macaque. Such variations provide evidence of the ecological determinants on this species' mating and social behaviors, along with evidence of cultural behavior. The Japanese Macaques also addresses morphology, population genetics, recent habitat change, and conflicts with humans, and attests to the plasticity and complex adaptive system of macaque societies.
Part I: Intra-specific Variation: Overview of Field Research and Related Studies.
Chapter 1 Research History of Japanese Macaques in Japan
Chapter 2 Morphological Characteristics, Growth, and Aging in Japanese Macaques
Chapter 3 Modes of Differentiation in Japanese Macaques: Perspectives from Population Genetics
Part II: Intra-specific Variation: Ecology and Conservation
Chapter 4 Ecological Adaptations of Temperate Primates: Population Density of Japanese Macaques
Chapter 5 Regional, Temporal, and Interindividual Variation in the Feeding Ecology of Japanese Macaques
Chapter 6 Seed Dispersal by Japanese Macaques
Chapter 7 Conservation: Present Status of the Japanese Macaque Population and Its Habitat
Part III: Intra-specific Variation: Behaviors and Social Relationships
Chapter 8 The Ecological Design of the Affiliative Vocal Communication Style in Wild Japanese Macaques: Behavioral Adjustments to Social Contexts and Environments
Chapter 9 Cultured Japanese Macaques: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Stone Handling Behavior and Its Implications for the Evolution of Behavioral Tradition in Nonhuman Primates
Chapter 10 Interaction Between Male and Female Mating Strategies and Factors Affecting Reproductive Outcome
Chapter 11 Lifetime Social Development in Female Japanese Macaques
Chapter 12 Intraspecific Differences in Social Structure of the Japanese Macaques: A Revival of Lost Legacy by Updated Knowledge and Perspective
Part IV: Recent Topics from Unique Approaches
Topic 1 Behavior-Related Candidate Genes in Japanese Macaques
Topic 2 Fatty Acid Content of the Plants Consumed by Japanese Macaques
Topic 3 Toward Understanding the Role of Diet in Host--Parasite Interactions: The Case for Japanese Macaques
Topic 4 Did a Habitat Bottleneck Exist in the Recent History of Japanese Macaques?
Topic 5 Resolution of Human--Macaque Conflicts: Changing from Top-Down to Community-Based Damage Management
Topic 6 Social Object Play Among Juvenile Japanese Macaques
Topic 7 Japanese Macaque Society as a Complex Adaptive System
Index
"The scope of the current volume is broader, in terms of both topic and the study populations considered, and, for this reason, especially welcome as a source of reference for an English-language readership."
- S. Peter Henzi, Primates, Vol. 52 (2), April, 2011