Evolutionary Geographic Changes of the Macaques in Mainland East Asia
during the Quaternary and Their Prospective Conservation
Abstract
Understanding how ecological and environmental changes, anthropogenic
activities, and climate have driven and will direct animals’ development
and predicting their prospective distribution profiles in the Quaternary
are essential to making a tangible conservation strategy. Macaques
(Macaca) distributed in mainland East Asia provide an ideal
research model for such an effort. We reconstruct macaques’ geographic
distribution profiles during the Quaternary, from the last
inter-glaciation (LIG, 120,000 - 140,000 years BP), the Last Glacial
Maximum (LGM, 22,000 years BP), and the present (1970-2000) – based on
which we deduce their perspective distribution in the 2050s. The results
show their suitable habitats during LIG and LGM were mainly in
Southwest, Central, and Coastal China. A noticeable distribution
reduction started in LIG and persisted until the current (1970-2000).
Their distribution centroid would shift northward to mountainous
regions, mainly in Southwest China, where more migration corridors would
be reserved for their future development. Also, the results indicate
that China’s Protected Area currently does not cover more than 87% of
macaques’ habitats, a dismal situation for their conservation. Finally,
this study proclaims that the conservation priority of the macaques in
the years to come should focus on Southwest China – their future refuge
region in Quaternary.