Japan Monkey Centre

Recent research has revealed considerable evolutionary diversity in umami-taste (amino acids and nucleotides) and sweet-taste receptor TAS1R genes across vertebrate species. To contribute to a growing understanding of how diet shapes taste evolution, we studied TAS1R genes in non-anthropoid primates with highly diverse diets, including members of the Strepsirrhini, comprised of Lorisiformes (lorises) and Lemuriformes (lemurs), as well as members of the Tarsiiformes (tarsiers). We employed a targeted capture (TC) approach specifically probing all the three mammalian TAS1R genes, i.e., TAS1R1 (for sensing umami), TAS1R2 (sweet) and TAS1R3 (required for forming a heterodimer), followed by short-read massive-parallel sequencing for three lorisiform, four lemuriform, and one tarsiiform species. Analyzing together with publicly available whole-genome assemblies (WGAs) of non-anthropoids, we found that TAS1R1 and TAS1R2 of some lorisiform species were disrupted. The relative evolutionary rates in introns and synonymous sites of all the three TAS1R genes, as well as non-genic genome regions, of lorisiforms were higher than those of lemuriforms, a finding consistent with the higher genome-wide mutation rate of the lorisiforms. We found a similar pattern in the amino acid sequences and nonsynonymous sites of the sweet receptor TAS1R2 in lorisiforms. Evolutionary rates of amino acid sequences and nonsynonymous sites in TAS1R1 and TAS1R3 of lorisiforms were as slow as those of lemuriforms. This suggests that functional constraint on sweet sensing has been relaxed in lorisiform primates since their common ancestor. These results shed a new light on understanding evolutionary diversification of umami and sweet sensing in a diverse group of mammals.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-23648-x.

Bitter taste perception is important in preventing animals from ingesting potentially toxic compounds. Whole-genome assembly (WGA) data have revealed that bitter taste receptor genes (TAS2Rs) comprise a multigene family with dozens of intact and disrupted genes in primates. However, publicly available WGA data are often incomplete, especially for multigene families. In this study, we employed a targeted capture (TC) approach specifically probing TAS2Rs for ten species of cercopithecid primates with diverse diets, including eight omnivorous cercopithecine species and two folivorous colobine species. We designed RNA probes for all TAS2Rs that we modeled to be intact in the common ancestor of cercopithecids (“ancestral-cercopithecid TAS2R gene set”). The TC was followed by short-read and high-depth massive-parallel sequencing. TC retrieved more intact TAS2R genes than found in WGA databases. We confirmed a large number of gene “births” at the common ancestor of cercopithecids and found that the colobine common ancestor and the cercopithecine common ancestor had contrasting trajectories: four gene “deaths” and three gene births, respectively. The number of intact TAS2R genes was markedly reduced in colobines (25–28 detected via TC and 20–26 detected via WGA analysis) as compared with cercopithecines (27–36 via TC and 19–30 via WGA). Birth or death events occurred at almost every phylogenetic-tree branch, making the composition of intact genes variable among species. These results show that evolutionary change in intact TAS2R genes is a complex process, refute a simple general prediction that herbivory favors more TAS2R genes, and have implications for understanding dietary adaptations and the evolution of detoxification abilities.

Based on the invention and development of photography and movie in the 19th century, schools of contemporary art, such as Futurism, have emerged that express the dynamism of motion in painting. Painting techniques such as multiple stroboscopic images, motion blur, and motion lines are culturally based, but the biological basis of their perception has also been intensively investigated recently. Then what are the evolutionary origins of such pictorial representations of motion? Do nonhuman animals also have sensitivity to such representations? To address this question, we examined the effects of motion blur and motion lines on the judgments of global motion directions in chimpanzees. The results showed that the motion lines biased the chimpanzees' judgments toward the direction of motion implied by them, whereas the effect of the motion blur was either absent or weak (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, we manipulated the length and number of motion lines to examine the effect of "speed" and "distance" in addition to the motion direction implied by the motion lines. The results showed that the effect of motion lines became stronger as the length and the number of lines increased within a specific range. These results indicate that the motion lines also imply the direction of motion in chimpanzees and provide a clue to the evolutionary basis for the pictorial representations of motion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Multimedia technology has a very diverse function, especially in the world of education. In learning, teachers are expected to have skills in mastering the material, teaching strategies and teaching models that are in accordance with the classroom environment and innovative and varied learning approaches. Therefore, teachers should pay attention to matters related to teaching skills according to the needs of students in the classroom. One of the subjects that requires a comprehensive approach in the learning process is the subject of Hindu Religious Education. The use of media in the learning process is to facilitate interaction between teachers and students which aims to help students learn effectively. The ADDIE learning model in the learning process does not only use in-class meetings, but is used to incorporate out-of-class learning and technology into the subject matter. So as to increase students' appreciation of Hindu religious education subjects and independent learning carried out by students at home. The stages of the ADDIE learning process are starting from the stages of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. This study aims to determine the development of multimedia technology that is effectively and efficiently applied to the subjects of Hindu Religious Education. The data collection methods used are test methods and questionnaires, with then supporting instruments in the form of interviews and video recordings. The data analysis used in this study is qualitative descriptive analysis techniques, quantitative descriptive statistical analysis, inferential statistical analysis. The results showed the development of interactive multimedia developed effectively to improve Hindu learning outcomes.

Abstract Numerical discrimination is thought to be highly adaptive as it allows an organism to select greater amounts of food or larger social groups. The processes underlying this ability are well understood in mammals with two systems being posited to control behavior, the approximate number system, which uses the ratios between numbers and the object file system which tracks individual small numbers. Much less in known in reptiles, the work that is available suggests that chelonia may use the ratios between the numbers to discriminate numerical values. This experiment examined the effect of ratio and number size on relative numerical discrimination in African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys XXXulcate). To assess this, tortoises were presented with trays containing favored food in all possible number combinations between 1 and 7. The tortoise had to approach the tray it perceived as having the larger number, if correct, the tortoise received one piece of reinforcement. Each tortoise received 36 pairings of each stimulus combination. The results revealed that numerical discrimination was influenced by the ratio between the numbers, with performance improving as the ratio between the numbers increased. This suggests that the approximate number system may be controlling their behavior. However, the opposite tendency was observed for the larger numbers, suggesting that an object-file system may also be involved in numerical discrimination.

During computer-controlled cognitive tasks, chimpanzees often look up the food dispenser which activates at the same time as feedback for the correct choice but not for feedback for the incorrect choice. Do these "looking back" behaviors also indicate signs of spontaneous monitoring of their confidence in their choices? To address this question, we delayed the feedback for 1s after their choice responses and observed their look-back behaviors during the delay period. Two chimpanzees looked up the food dispenser significantly less frequently when their choice was incorrect (but the feedback was not given) than when it was correct. These look-back behaviors have not been explicitly trained under experimental contexts. Therefore, these results indicate that chimpanzees spontaneously change the frequency of their look-back behaviors in response to the correctness or incorrectness of their own choices, even without external feedback, suggesting that their look-back behaviors may reflect the level of "confidence" or "uncertainty" of their responses immediately before.

ABSTRACT Tourism can play a significant role in the conservation of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) by financing the protection of their habitat, but few systematic studies have focused on the impacts of tourist presence on gorilla behavior. We assessed stress-coping mechanisms (Prosocial behaviors), behavioral indicators of stress (Self-scratching), and Human-directed behavior, in the presence and absence of tourist groups visiting one group of mountain gorillas living in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyse differences in gorilla behavior as a function of (a) presence vs. absence of tourists and (b) proximity to tourists (3 m). Contrary to guidelines, tourists spent 60% of their viewing time within 3 m of the gorillas, and 96% of the tourist groups had more than 8 people. During tourist visits, gorillas increased time spent in Prosocial behavior and in rates of Self-scratching and Human-directed behavior. When tourists approached gorillas within 3 m, Prosocial and Human-directed behavior increased while Feeding decreased, but only adult males increased Self-scratching rates. We conclude that tourists are influencing gorilla behavior. We recommend following and enforcing the IUCN guidelines by keeping a minimum 7 m distance when viewing gorillas.

Live pet trade has become one of the greatest threats to wild primate populations. Many primates were imported to Japan, and the country is considered to be a large pet primates market. Among the primates, slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.) were among the most popular species for live pet trade. However, there is not much awareness in Japan about the problems associated with live pet trade, especially among the young generation. In this study, a comic book about slow lorises was created, and its effectiveness as a teaching material for young people was evaluated. The participants, who answered an online survey, included 596 high school students from two high schools in Osaka, Japan. The participants accessed a comic book, short text, or long text, which served as teaching materials, and answered several questions before and after reading the materials such as their experience with pet primates and awareness of the problems. The results revealed that although the participants’ awareness related to infectious diseases, animal welfare, and conservation increased after reading any of the three teaching materials, the comic book did not increase their awareness more than the texts. Approximately 75 % of the participants found each of the materials interesting. Furthermore, approximately between 32.0 and 40.9% of respondents were willing to share information directly with others and between 14.5 and 16.5% of those with SNS (Social Network Service). No differences were found among the three conditions. In addition, while actual experience with primate pets prevented them from promoting awareness about the problem, their level of interest toward animals and experience with primate pets in SNS did not reveal such an effect. These results suggest the importance of providing information, but effective ways to convey information requires further investigation.

Abstract AimUnderstanding patterns and processes of geographic genetic variation within and among closely related species is the essence of phylogeography. Japanese macaques, also called snow monkeys, have been extensively studied, particularly in the fields of sociobiology, ecology and experimental biology; however, our knowledge of their evolutionary history is relatively limited. In this study we aimed to elucidate the geographic patterns of genetic variation in Japanese macaques and the processes that underlie them.LocationJapan.TaxaJapanese macaque, Macaca fuscata; rhesus macaque, M. mulatta; Taiwanese macaque, M. cyclopis.MethodsDouble‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing was used to identify genome‐wide single nucleotide variants. We used fineRADstructure, ADMIXTURE and principal component analyses to estimate the genetic population structure. Phylogenetic relationships were then inferred based on neighbour‐net, neighbour‐joining, maximum likelihood and SVDquartets algorithms. We assessed gene flow using demographic inference and ABBA‐BABA tests, and estimated past distributions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using ecological niche modelling.ResultsJapanese macaques show a sister group relationship with a clade comprising Chinese rhesus, Indian rhesus and Taiwanese macaques. Japanese macaques comprise major north‐eastern and south‐western clades, with a boundary located near central Japan, and gene flow between the north‐eastern and south‐western lineages was detected. Refugia during the LGM were estimated to be distributed in limited areas along the south coasts of the Japanese archipelago.Main conclusionsPhylogeographic variation of Japanese macaques is likely due mainly to northeast–southwest divergence, which resulted from withdrawal into refugia during the glacial period, and subsequent gene flow.

ABSTRACT Assessments of the welfare status of captive and semi-captive animals often compare how their expression of natural behaviors differs from that of free-ranging conspecifics. From December 2015–2016, we recorded and analyzed the activity budget and postural behaviors of three orangutans in Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island (BMOUI) to evaluate their welfare status. The orangutans’ activity budget was dominated by resting (60%), feeding (13%), playing (14%), and moving (9%). Behavioral categories followed a similar trend: resting > feeding > moving > playing, except that the subadult male spent significantly more time playing than the two adults. The most predominant posture was sitting (47.0%), followed by pronograde standing (29.4%), lying (10.5%), and clinging (4.5%). Our results suggest that orangutans on BMOUI engage in less feeding but more resting, and show less postural diversity than free-ranging individuals. We propose that appropriate interventions to shift activity budgets, especially feeding vs. resting, and postural behaviors of captive orangutans toward those found in free-ranging orangutans might be beneficial for their welfare and survival.