抄録
The breeding populations of wild Japanese macaques in the Hyogo prefectural area cover lower parts of the cool-temperate zone, avoiding human activities. The macaques survive mainly in 2 narrowly distributed vegetation types: Castaneo-Quercetum crispulae and Quercetum variabiliserratae. Estimation of potential natural vegetation shows that the macaques are potentially distributed in most parts in the area, because of the potential wide distribution of evergreen broad-leaved forests. The comparison of the present and the potential distribution suggests that the human effects, such as the expansion of secondary forests, had modified the macaques' spatial distribution pattern from wide distribution depending on evergreen broad-leaved forests to narrow and patchy one depending on deciduous broad-leaved forests in the past in this study area.
