Exploratory analysis reveals arthropod consumption in 10 lemur species using DNA metabarcoding

Abstract

Arthropods (insects, spiders, etc.) can fulfill major nutritional requirements for primates, particularly in terms of proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Yet, for many primate species we know very little about the frequency and importance of arthropod consumption. Traditional methods for arthropod prey identification, such as behavioral observations and fecal dissections, offer limited taxonomic resolution and, as a result, underestimate true diversity. Metabarcoding arthropod DNA from primate fecal samples provides a promising but underused alternative. Here, we inventoried arthropod prey diversity in wild lemurs by sequencing two regions of the CO1 gene. Samples were collected opportunistically from 10 species of lemurs inhabiting three national parks in southern Madagascar using a combination of focal animal follows and live trapping. In total, we detected arthropod DNA in 98 of the 170 fecal samples analyzed. Although all lemur species included in these analyses showed evidence of arthropod consumption, those within the family Cheirogaleidae appeared to consume the highest frequency and diversity of arthropods. To our knowledge, this study presents the first evidence of arthropod consumption in Phaner pallescens, Avahi peyrierasi, and Propithecus verreauxi, and identifies 32 families of arthropods as probable food items that have not been published as lemur dietary items to date. Our study emphasizes the importance of arthropods as a nutritional source and the role DNA metabarcoding can play in elucidating an animal's diet.

Are larger primates less faunivorous? Consumption of arthropods by Amazonian primates does not fulfil the Jarman-Bell and Kay models

“…The arthropods found most frequently in the stomach contents were insects from the orders Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera, also reported in other studies as the main taxa consumed by primates (McGrew 2014;Rothman et al 2014;Rowe et al 2021). These same taxa represent the PCoA loadings with the greatest effects on the separation of groups in terms of the composition of arthropod taxa consumed.…”

“…Because of their generally high digestibility, elevated content of lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals (Raubenheimer and Rothman 2013;Rothman et al 2014), and their high energy yield per unit mass, terrestrial arthropods may be a significant source of nutrients for frugivorous primates (DeFoliart 1995;Lambert 1998). However, the frequency and importance of arthropod consumption for most frugivorous primates remains poorly known (Rowe et al 2021).…”

“…The tree-living habit of these primates hinders the collection of information on arthropod consumption, which is often via direct observations, due to the height of the canopies in which these monkeys normally move and feed (Milton and Nessimian 1984;Pickett et al 2012;Nielsen et al 2018). Given how swiftly arthropods can be ingested, and the often opportunistic nature of such encounters, these limitations may considerably underestimate the diversity and relative content of arthropods consumed (Rowe et al 2021).…”

Focal vs. fecal: Seasonal variation in the diet of wild vervet monkeys from observational and DNA metabarcoding data

“…The DNA metabarcoding approach has been used only recently for diet studies in primatology, as the research field has traditionally relied on various observational methods for behavioral studies (but see Lyke et al, 2018 ; Mallott et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Mallott et al, 2015 ; Osman et al, 2020 ; Quéméré et al, 2013 ; Rowe et al, 2021 ). Inter‐method comparisons are useful to test different methods' reliabilities and congruencies to assess consistency of results.…”

Opossums. An adaptive radiation of New World marsupials, by Robert S. Voss & Sharon A. Jansa

“…As becomes clear from the presentation of opossum diets (Chapter 9), an obvious constraint for a better understanding of their feeding ecology and for comparisons with other taxa is the difficulty of observing opossums directly; most dietary information is based on the examination of faeces and stomach contents, both being biased against more easily digestible material. Metabarcoding, which is increasingly used in primate ecology (Rowe et al 2021 ; Mallott et al 2015 ) but does not yet seem to have been used in opossum studies, will render new insights into the synecology of opossums and primates. At this point, one appreciates how privileged we are as primatologists by generally being able to watch and follow our study subjects and collect ecological and behavioural data directly, albeit not on all species.…”