Warming temperatures impact immune performance of wild monkeys, study shows

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Capuchin monkeys play, rest and eat in the Taboga forest reserve of Costa Rica. The monkeys are tracked as part of the Capuchinos de Taboga Research Project. Credit: Capuchinos de Taboga Field Research Team

The immune performance of wild capuchin monkeys declines when the animals experience higher temperatures, and younger monkeys seem to be particularly vulnerable to heat, according to a University of Michigan study.

U-M anthropology doctoral student Jordan Lucore examined how the immune systems of wild monkeys in Costa Rica were impacted by temperature. Lucore and a team of researchers found that when monkeys experienced about two weeks of warmer temperatures—86 degrees Fahrenheit—their generalized immune system performance declined. This is the part of the immune system that is activated as soon as the body senses a threat.

Their findings, published in Science Advances, were a surprise, Lucore said. Scientists expect endotherm animals—animals that can regulate their own body temperature, like mammals—to be able to protect themselves against fluctuating temperatures because they can maintain a constant body temperature.

“We think this has implications for understanding the effects of climate change because we’re seeing this unlikely relationship between the immune system and temperature in this particular study species, and we’re seeing it at much lower temperatures than expected,” Lucore said. “Eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit is not that hot.”

For the study, Lucore examined a population of wild white-faced capuchins in the Taboga forest reserve of Costa Rica. Launched in 2017, the Capuchinos de Taboga Research Project focuses on the cognition, endocrinology and behavior of these primates. The project is co-directed by Jacinta Beehner, U-M professor of anthropology and psychology; Thore Bergman, U-M professor of psychology; and Marcela Benítez, professor of anthropology at Emory University, all of whom are co-authors of the study.

“Capuchins are thought of as generalist species because they live in a lot of different places with different climates and diverse ecologies. They’re successful generalists,” Lucore said. “That was another concerning thing about the results: I can’t believe we’re seeing this in capuchins. They are quite resilient.”

A field researcher collects a urine sample from a capuchin monkey in the Taboga forest reserve of Costa Rica. The monkeys are part of the Capuchinos de Taboga Research Project. Credit: Capuchinos de Taboga Field Research Team

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