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We collected fecal samples of white-headed langurs from 3 of the 4 remaining habitat fragments (Fa, Fb and CZ) located in southwestern Guangxi, China in Nov 2005, and used 5 microsatellite loci and the SRY gene to assess the relatedness between 46 langurs within and between groups. We observed 2 forms of group structure: one-male/multi-female groups (OMGs) and all-male groups (AMGs). One AMG in Fa was composed of 2 generations, included a father, 2 sons and 1 unrelated male, and all OMGs in all 3 habitats included 1 resident male, several adult females and offspring. Of the 21 identified father-offspring cases, the resident male fathered 20 (95%) and the non-resident male sired 1 (5%), suggesting that adult males had overwhelming priority of access to females as the resident male in an OMG, while the non-resident male may also have the opportunity to adopt surreptitious mating strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally accepted that the high phenotypic diversity of mammals is a combined result of developmental constraint and ecological adaptation, although the influence of these endogenous and exogenous factors varies in different mammal groups. The rodent family Sciuridae represents an ideal candidate for examining phenotypic diversity in relation to phylogeny and ecological adaptations. In the present study, we investigate the effects of phylogeny and lifestyle on the skull shape in different species of Sciuridae by applying geometric morphometric methods. In addition, we investigate the importance of allometry on sciurid skull shape, because results from geometric morphometrics sometimes dispute those of traditional morphometry. Here, we identify significant associations between patristic distances obtained from molecular phylogeny and shape distances in all 3 views of the cranium and the lateral view of the mandible. Multivariate regression demonstrates that shape differences among lifestyle categories are substantial, especially in the dorsal and ventral structures after the influence of phylogeny is taken into account. Allometry plays an important role in the shape variation, although its importance on different skull structures varies. Our results indicate that complex structures of this highly diverse mammal group, which occupies different niches, are affected by ecological factors and developmental constraint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected data on habitat use and locomotion of the François' langur ( Trachypithecus francoisi) between August 2003 and July 2004 at Nonggang Nature Reserve, China. A total of 739 h of behavioral data were collected during this study. We tested 2 predictions: (1) that the langurs may have special patterns of habitat use and locomotion adaptive to the limestone habitat, and (2) the langurs may exhibit different patterns of habitat use and locomotion among different zones of limestone hill. Our results indicated that François- langurs spent more time in the low-risk, relatively food-poor cliff-hilltop areas. When young leaves and fruit were scarce in the dry season, the langurs increased their time in the high-risk, food-rich valley basin. François- langurs were semi-terrestrial, and leaping and climbing were their main locomotor modes. These behavioral patterns are considered to be related to characteristics of topography and vegetation in limestone habitat, such as large areas of cliff and discontinuous canopy. Our results also supported Prediction 2. The langurs confined locomotion to the main canopy and frequently adopted leaping while traveling in the hillside and valley basin. While traveling in cliff-hilltop areas, they tended to stay in the lower stratus (≤5 m) or move on the ground, and walking and climbing were their dominant traveling modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]