Dietary Variability of Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Ganas, Jessica; Robbins, Martha M.; Nkurunungi, John Boscoe; Kaplin, Beth A.; McNeilage, Alastair

doi:10.1023/b:ijop.0000043351.20129.44

Cited by 114 publications

(150 citation statements)

References 61 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

142

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, although fruit feeding among the Bwindi gorillas may be driven by changes in fruit availability throughout the year (59), it is not related to rainfall seasonality (62). Dry mass fruit intake is similar to previous fruit feeding estimates for Bwindi gorillas, which exceeds observed fruit feeding in Virunga mountain gorillas (7,(57)(58)(59)61). Lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) consume fruit more regularly than mountain gorillas (2,9).…”

supporting

confidence: 51%

“…Observational data demonstrate that mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei) feed primarily on herbaceous leaves, but prefer fruit when it is seasonally available, with additional tree leaves, wood, and peel also contributing to the staple diet (7,57,58). The feeding behavior of this group has been extensively studied, with consistent fruit-feeding peaks in February-March and June-July (7,(57)(58)(59). We use carbon isotopes in gorilla feces to estimate changes in fruit feeding over a 10-mo period with a Bayesian multiple source isotope mixing model (SIAR) (60).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Detecting intraannual dietary variability in wild mountain gorillas by stable isotope analysis of feces

Blumenthal

Chritz²,

Rothman

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We use stable isotope ratios in feces of wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei) to test the hypothesis that diet shifts within a single year, as measured by dry mass intake, can be recovered. Isotopic separation of staple foods indicates that intraannual changes in the isotopic composition of feces reflect shifts in diet. Fruits are isotopically distinct compared with other staple foods, and peaks in fecal δ 13 C values are interpreted as periods of increased fruit feeding. Bayesian mixing model results demonstrate that, although the timing of these diet shifts match observational data, the modeled increase in proportional fruit feeding does not capture the full shift. Variation in the isotopic and nutritional composition of gorilla foods is largely independent, highlighting the difficulty for estimating nutritional intake with stable isotopes. Our results demonstrate the potential value of fecal sampling for quantifying short-term, intraindividual dietary variability in primates and other animals with high temporal resolution even when the diet is composed of C 3 plants.C3 photosynthesis | feeding ecology | great apes | Uganda

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 51%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting intraannual dietary variability in wild mountain gorillas by stable isotope analysis of feces

Blumenthal

Chritz²,

Rothman

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In contrast, mountain gorillas (G. b. beringei), whose numbers do not supersede 900 individuals in two populations-one in Uganda and the other spanning the Virunga Volcanoes in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo-experience less seasonal fluctuation and year-round availability of terrestrial herbaceous vegetation in altitudes that range from 1450 to 3710 m, which makes their dietary choices less diverse (Stanford and Nkurunungi, 2003;Watts, 1984;Ganas et al, 2004). Although fruit availability is also modulated by seasonal changes, to some extent (Rothman et al, 2008;Rothman et al, 2011), ripe fruit is lower in abundance in the mountain gorilla environment compared with what's observed in the lowland gorilla habitat, which makes nutrient profiles of both species different .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although the critical role that our gastrointestinal microbes play in host physiology is now well established, we know little about the factors that influenced the evolution of primate gut microbiomes. To further understand current gut microbiome configurations and diet-microbe co-metabolic fingerprints in primates, from an evolutionary perspective, we characterized fecal bacterial communities and metabolomic profiles in 228 fecal samples of lowland and mountain gorillas (G. g. gorilla and G. b. beringei, respectively), our closest evolutionary relatives after chimpanzees. Our results demonstrate that the gut microbiomes and metabolomes of these two species exhibit significantly different patterns. This is supported by increased abundance of metabolites and bacterial taxa associated with fiber metabolism in mountain gorillas, and enrichment of markers associated with simple sugar, lipid and sterol turnover in the lowland species. However, longitudinal sampling shows that both species' microbiomes and metabolomes converge when hosts face similar dietary constraints, associated with low fruit availability in their habitats. By showing differences and convergence of diet-microbe co-metabolic fingerprints in two geographically isolated primate species, under specific dietary stimuli, we suggest that dietary constraints triggered during their adaptive radiation were potential factors behind the species-specific microbiome patterns observed in primates today.

show abstract

“…We also included data on the moisture index (annual mean, monthly minimum/maximum and monthly variation) (WiLLmott & FeDDema 1992). Previous models of primate socio- When data from more than one study were available we used averages; data in [ ] indicate estimations (based on published data) when no data were available for the year when time budget data were collected; time budget data from sites in italic writing were excluded from the time budget equation finding process because apes were either provisioned or observed in Bais only; Lat = latitude; Lon = longitude; Alt = altitude; T ann = mean annual temperature; T mosd = mean monthly variation in temperature; P ann = mean annual precipitation; P mo = mean monthly rainfall [mm]; %Fr = forest cover; Moist = maximum monthly moisture index; P 2 T = mean number of months in a year in which rainfall is more than twice the average monthly temperature; Grp size = group size; grpbm = group biomass; P. 2 Remis 1995, Doran 1996, Remis 1997, Doran & McNeiLage 1998, GoLDsmith 1999, Remis et al 2001, CipoLLetta 2003, Yamagiwa et al 2003, Ganas et al 2004. 6 BLaKe et al 1985, Nishihara 1995, Remis 1997, Yamagiwa 1999, Yamagiwa et al 2003 White 1992, 1996; Boesch & Boesch-Achermann 2000.…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…16 Wrangham 1975GooDaLL 1968GooDaLL , 1983GooDaLL , 1986Wrangham & Smuts 1980. 17 NishiDa & Uehara 1983, NishiDa 1990, Matsumoto-ODa 2002, NishiDa et al 2003 ReynoLDs & ReynoLDs 1965, Newton-Fisher 1999, Fawcett 2000, Tweheyo et al 2004 GhigLieri 1984, Wrangham 1986, Watts 2000, Mitani et al 2002 Robbins 1999, Yamagiwa 1999, Doran & McNeiLage 2001, Yamagiwa et al 2003, Ganas et al 2004 ecology have shown that these variables can be important determinants of time budget (Dunbar 1992a(Dunbar , 1992bWiLLiamson & Dunbar 1999;HiLL & Dunbar 2002). In addition, we also used AVHRR satellite data on forest cover from De Fries et al (2000) to determine the percentage of forest cover for each of our sites.…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Time and distribution: a model of ape biogeography

Lehmann

Korstjens

Dunbar

2008

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We use data from 20 chimpanzee, bonobo and gorilla study sites to develop an African great ape time budgets model to predict the animals' capacity to survive in a range of habitats across sub-Saharan Africa. The model uses body mass and climatic data to predict the time animals must allocate to key activities (feeding, moving, resting and social interaction), and then uses these to assess the limiting group size that could be sustained in a particular habitat. The model is robust against changes in minimum cut-off values, and predicts the current biogeographic distributions of the two African ape species remarkably well. Predicted group sizes for Pan and Gorilla are close to observed averages. The model also indicates that moving time plays a crucial role for both Pan and Gorilla site presence: i.e. at sites where they are absent it is primarily moving time that is increased as compared to other time budget variables. Finally, the model demonstrates that Pan and Gorilla distributions and group sizes can be accurately modelled by simply modifying the body mass variable, indicating that both share a similar underlying ecological bauplan.

show abstract

Dietary Variability of Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Cited by 114 publications

References 61 publications

Detecting intraannual dietary variability in wild mountain gorillas by stable isotope analysis of feces

Detecting intraannual dietary variability in wild mountain gorillas by stable isotope analysis of feces

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

Time and distribution: a model of ape biogeography

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About