Anthropogenic landscapes are rapidly replacing natural nonhuman primate habitats. Yet, the access to anthropogenic resources on primate biology, health, and fitness remain poorly studied. Given their ubiquity across a range of human impacted landscapes, from cities to national parks, savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.) provide an excellent study system in which to test these effects. We compared body condition and reproductive maturation in vervets (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) inhabiting a private farm in !Gariep Dam, with ample access to anthropogenic foods, and wild-foraging vervets in Soetdoring Nature Reserve, South Africa. Overall, vervets in !Gariep show significantly thicker skin folds, and higher BMI and body mass, than those in Soetdoring, suggesting increased fat deposition. Males in !Gariep have larger relative testis volumes at peri-pubescent ages compared to those in Soetdoring, suggesting early reproductive maturation associated with age-specific increases in body mass. Females from !Gariep showed evidence of an earlier onset of reproduction than those in Soetdoring, based on parity status as assessed by nipple length and evidence of lactation. Parity status at sub-adult dental ages was also strongly associated with body mass. These results are consistent with a positive effect of anthropogenic food-enhancement on body fat deposition, potentially linked to an earlier onset of reproductive maturation. Further investigation into primate responses to cultivated resources will inform our understanding of the broader effects of food enhancement on developmental plasticity.

中文翻译：

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人为食物的增强会改变野生大草原猴（Chlorocebus pygerythrus）中成熟地标的时间

人为景观正在迅速取代自然的非人类灵长类动物栖息地。但是，关于灵长类动物的生物学，健康和适应性的人为资源的获取途径仍然研究不足。由于稀树草原猴子（Chlorocebus spp。）在从城市到国家公园等一系列受人类影响的景观中普遍存在，它们提供了一个出色的研究系统来测试这些影响。我们比较了黑天鹅（Chlorocebus pygerythrus）的身体状况和生殖成熟度）居住在加里耶普（Gariep）大坝的一个私人农场中，该农场有充足的人为食物，并在南非的Soetdoring自然保护区有野生觅食的黑长绒。总体而言，加里耶夫（Gariep）的黑天鹅绒的褶皱明显厚于皮肤，而体重指数（BMI）和体重更高，高于Soetdoring，表明脂肪沉积增加。与Soetdoring相比，！Gariep中的男性在青春期左右的相对睾丸体积更大，这表明与年龄特定的体重增加相关的早期生殖成熟。根据乳头长度和哺乳证据评估的同性状况，来自！Gariep的雌性显示出比Soetdoring早的繁殖迹象。未成年牙齿年龄的同等状况也与体重密切相关。这些结果与人为增加食物对人体脂肪沉积的积极作用是一致的，这可能与生殖早熟有关。进一步研究灵长类动物对栽培资源的反应，将使我们了解食物增强对发育可塑性的更广泛影响。