Human-modified landscapes play an important role in supporting the survival of primate populations, but they may also facilitate human–primate interactions, possibly leading to negative outcomes. We conducted a scalar investigation of the role of landscape structure in shaping the intensity of crop feeding by a generalist primate species, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) in northern India. At the species level, we used behavioral sampling techniques to assess habitat selection by two groups of rhesus macaques. At the landscape level, we used GIS-based analyses to quantify landscape structure in terms of class-level and patch-level metrics and correlated it with macaque crop feeding intensities. We found that, on average, both study groups spent only 15% of their total feeding time on cultivars. However, they spent a large proportion of their feeding (BH: 75% and CH: 36%) and ranging (BH: 72% and CH: 39%) time in agroecosystem habitats. Landscape level analysis showed that crop feeding intensity was not related to total area under cultivation. Instead, macaque crop feeding intensity was positively correlated to the arrangement of deciduous forest patches beside cultivated area patches. Our findings call for careful appraisal of landscape management practices as a potential mitigation strategy for primate crop-depredation in such human-modified landscapes.

人类改造的景观在支持灵长类动物种群的生存方面发挥着重要作用，但它们也可能促进人与灵长类动物的相互作用，可能导致负面结果。我们对景观结构在塑造通才灵长类动物恒河猴 ( Macaca mulatta) 在印度北部。在物种层面，我们使用行为采样技术来评估两组恒河猴的栖息地选择。在景观层面，我们使用基于 GIS 的分析根据类别级别和斑块级别指标量化景观结构，并将其与猕猴作物摄食强度相关联。我们发现，平均而言，两个研究组仅将总饲养时间的 15% 用于栽培品种。然而，它们大部分的觅食时间（BH：75% 和 CH：36%）和游弋（BH：72% 和 CH：39%）时间都在农业生态系统栖息地中度过。景观水平分析表明，作物摄食强度与种植总面积无关。相反，猕猴作物摄食强度与耕地斑块旁边的落叶林斑块排列呈正相关。