Abstract: Provisioning is known to influence various aspects of social behavior and demography in non2human primates. This paper reviews the socioecological data from studies of provisioned groups of three primate species, Japanese macaques( Macaca f uscata), rhesus macaques ( M. mulatta) and chimpanzees( Pan troglodytes) , and compares them with the groups living under natural conditions. There are differences in social behaviors between the primates under provisioning and the ones living in natural conditions. In provisioned groups, monkeys show: shorter inter2individual distance ; more frequency of aggressive acts; and stronger dominance relationships among individuals. Provisioning also influences group fission, home range and occurrences of innovative behaviors. Differences in demographic aspects are also apparent between primates living in these two conditions. In the provisioned group, monkeys had an earlier age of first birth , higher birth rates , better survivorship of infants and less mortality rate than those in natural conditions. It is noted that the influence of provisioning on inter2birth interval and male maturation is presently unclear.

Key words: Non-human primates; Provisioning; Social behaviour; Population dynamics