Parâmetros nutricionais da dieta de duas populações de macacos-prego: Sapajus libidinosus no ecótono cerrado/caatinga e Sapajus nigritus na Mata Atlântica

Abstract

The survival and reproductive success of an individual are directly related to its ability to meet the demand for nutrients and energy. Studies in Nutritional Ecology, adopting the Geometric Framework for Nutrition, show that more than maximize energy intake, the animals seek to regulate the intake of multiple nutrients independently, targeting a specific balance between these nutrients. In this study, we used nutritional content analysis and the Geometric Framework to investigate the diet nutritional parameters of two populations of capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) in two different biomes: Sapajus libidinosus in the ecotone Cerrado/Caatinga, at Fazenda Boa Vista (FBV) in Piauí state; and Sapajus nigritus in an Atlantic Forest area, at Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (PECB), in São Paulo state. Previous studies suggest that the quality and availability of food exploited by S. libidinosus in the semi-arid region are higher than those of the exploited by S. nigritus in the Atlantic Forest. However, statements about diet quality depend on investigating the nutrient balance obtained by individuals and which nutrition strategies are adopted to achieve this balance. Therefore, the aims of this thesis were (1) to analyze the nutritional strategies of a group of Sapajus libidinosus in the FBV and (2) to compare the nutritional quality of the diet of this population with that of Sapajus nigritus in PECB. We analyzed samples of 176 food items eaten by the animals. To estimate nutrient daily intake, we conducted 134 continuous focal follows recording the item consumed and the amount ingested by individuals. The monkeys in FBV regulate the intake of a specific balance between protein energy and non-protein energy (lipids and / or carbohydrates), and prioritize non-protein energy intake when the availability of this nutrient in food items decreases. Assuming that the nutritional goal of S. nigritus is the same as S. libidinosus, the results confirmed the hypothesis that diet quality in FBV is superior than in PECB, where foods contain lower non-protein energy concentrations. The Geometric Framework allowed to review previous studies claims that in FBV seasonality of resources availability is not a limiting factor for these animals. In this study we have shown seasonal variations in the nutritional quality of foods, which impact nutrient intake by monkeys in FBV.

Ingestive behaviors in bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus)

“…b Underground storage organ (USO). www.nature.com/scientificreports/ 69 . a Food material properties and behaviors were collected for the accessory hypocarp (also known as the pseudofruit or apple) of fruta de caju (cashew fruits).…”

Manual skills for processing plant underground storage organs by wild bearded capuchins

“…The morphological features of these underground organs suggest that they are tuberous roots, that is, thickened secondary roots modified for the storage of water and nutrients. In FBV, raiz de macaco is present in the flat, sandy plain area; consumption of USOs of this plant mostly occurs in the dry season (Santos, ). Hereafter, reference to USOs refers to USOs of raiz de macaco .…”

“…Nutrient content analysis was carried out on about 100 g of USOs (husk included); it determined that USOs are a good source of carbohydrates (80.52%)—in particular, nonstructural carbohydrates (starches and sugars: 50.05%)—mineral salts/ash (11.72%) and crude proteins (6.86%). Nutrients were estimated on dry matter basis (Santos, ). In terms of mechanical properties, USOs have very high toughness and resistance to deformation (i.e., elastic modulus; Chalk et al, ).…”

“…USOs are modified stem parts (e.g., tubers) or modified roots (e.g., tuberous roots), which are specialized to accumulate water and nutrients to survive during adverse conditions (Hladik, Bahuchet, Ducatillion, & Hladik, ). USOs might have played a crucial role as fallback foods for early hominins as they colonized savanna habitats (Wrangham, Cheney, Seyfarth, & Sarmiento, ) and, nowadays, USOs are present in the diet of modern humans, as well as of other haplorrhine primates ( Pan troglodytes : Hernandez‐Aguilar, Moore, & Pickering, ; Hockings, Anderson, & Matsuzawa, ; Papio cynocephalus : Altmann, ; Sapajus libidinosus : Falótico & Ottoni, ; Moura & Lee, ; Santos, ). Typically, access to nutrients requires the extraction of the USO from two matrices: the ground and the husk.…”

Biological and behavioral aspects of Sapajus libidinosus: Review

“…Em especial à espécie em estudo, gerou pesquisas relacionadas aos parâmetros nutricionais associados à dieta em ambiente de caatinga e cerrado (Santos, 2015), memória relacional espacial e não espacial associada ao forrageamento de animais em cativeiro (Waga, 2008), comportamento posicional e uso de substratos (Biondi, 2010), efeito de novidade alimentar em grupo em semi liberdade (Cardoso, 2008), hierarquia de dominância durante a obtenção de alimento em cativeiro (Collaço, 2008), organização sequencial e otimização do comportamento na quebra de frutos encapsulados (Corat, 2016), influência da disponibilidade de alimentos sobre o comportamento (Sacramento, 2014).…”