ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS ON THE REPRODUCTION OF NON-HUMAN PRIMATES

Abstract

The aim of this review paper is to present some aspects of environmental stress, such as climate change and food limitation that could affect nonhuman primate population due to poor reproductive performance. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists more than a third of world’s primates are critically endangered or vulnerable. Nonhuman primates, which are the closest biological relative to humans, are threatened with extinction from human activities and environmental stress. Deforestation is the main problem that intercalates with climate change. Either, indirectly or directly, those extinction factors are able to interrupt the physiological basis of reproduction in nonhuman primates. Many research on other species showed that high temperature or heat stress has a negative effect on reproductive performance by interfering the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Therefore, to conserve and prolong the survivability and sustainability of nonhuman primates in captive and wild nature, more works and research have to be done.