The effects of plant nutritional chemistry on food selection of Mexican black howler monkeys (<i>Alouatta pigra</i>): The role of lipids

Research on the influence of food supplementation on primate behavior has focused on terrestrial and semiterrestrial species. Its effects on highly arboreal species are poorly known. We assessed the influence of food supplementation on the feeding behavior and activity budget of four adult female and two adult male brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) belonging to two groups (JA and RO) that inhabited periurban forest fragments in southern Brazil. We used the "focal-animal" method during 6-8 full days per month from March to August 2017 (916 h of observation) to record the behavior of the study subjects. The feeding events of the focal individual were recorded using the "all occurrences" method. The supplementation was unevenly distributed during the day and accounted for 5-6% of all feeding events of male and female howlers, respectively. JA always received fruit in a platform, whereas RO had access to fruits and processed foods on roofs and directly from humans. The mean biomass of wild foods ingested by each adult per day was >300% higher than the ingested biomass of supplemented foods (females: 395 vs. 109 g/day; males: 377 vs. 120 g/day), but the ingestion rate of supplemented foods was ca. 400% higher than that of wild foods (females: 17 vs. 4 g/min; males: 19 vs. 5 g/ min). The activity budgets of females and males were dominated by resting (66-72%) followed by feeding (18-14%), moving (12-11%), and socializing (2%). We found that food supplementation reduced the ingestion of wild fruits, but it did not affect the howlers' need to ingest a given amount of leaves per day and the time spent resting, feeding, moving, and socializing. K E Y W O R D SAlouatta guariba clamitans, anthropic food, behavioral flexibility, diet, human-wildlife interaction, provisioning

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplemented howler monkeys eat less wild fruits, but do not change their activity budgets

Back

Bicca‐Marques

2019

“…Nevertheless, knowledge of the nutritional compositions of consumed foods alone do not provide details of how primates balance and prioritize their nutrient intake (Cancelliere et al, 2018; Felton, Felton, Lindenmayer, & Foley, 2009; Garber, Righini, & Kowalewski, 2015; Righini, Garber, & Rothman, 2015). Such information is also important if we are to understand fully the strategies primates employ to meet their nutrient and energetic needs from the surrounding environment (Righini et al, 2015). Thus, our future priorities are to use nutritional geometry to examine the effects of seasonal fruit availability and crop consumption on chimpanzee nutrient intake and prioritization (Raubenheimer, Machovsky‐Capuska, Chapman, & Rothman, 2015; Simpson & Raubenheimer, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We reported on the nutritional characteristics of both wild and cultivated foods, building on our current understanding of chimpanzee feeding ecology and diet within forest-agricultural mosaics. Nevertheless, knowledge of the nutritional compositions of consumed foods alone do not provide details of how primates balance and prioritize their nutrient intake (Cancelliere et al, 2018;Felton, Felton, Lindenmayer, & Foley, 2009;Garber, Righini, & Kowalewski, 2015;Righini, Garber, & Rothman, 2015). Such information is also important if we are to understand fully the strategies primates employ to meet their nutrient and energetic needs from the surrounding environment .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The macronutrient composition of wild and cultivated plant foods of West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) inhabiting an anthropogenic landscape

Bryson-Morrison

Beer

Soumah

et al. 2020

Agricultural expansion encroaches on tropical forests and primates in such landscapes frequently incorporate crops into their diet. Understanding the nutritional drivers behind crop‐foraging can help inform conservation efforts to improve human‐primate coexistence. This study builds on existing knowledge of primate diets in anthropogenic landscapes by estimating the macronutrient content of 24 wild and 11 cultivated foods (90.5% of food intake) consumed by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Bossou, Guinea, West Africa. We also compared the macronutrient composition of Bossou crops to published macronutrient measures of crops from Bulindi, Uganda, East Africa. The composition of wild fruits, leaves, and pith were consistent with previous reports for primate diets. Cultivated fruits were higher in carbohydrates and lower in insoluble fiber than wild fruits, while wild fruits were higher in protein. Macronutrient content of cultivated pith fell within the ranges of consumed wild pith. Oil palm food parts were relatively rich in carbohydrates, protein, lipids, and/or fermentable fiber, adding support for the nutritional importance of the oil palm for West African chimpanzees. We found no differences in the composition of cultivated fruits between Bossou and Bulindi, suggesting that macronutrient content alone does not explain differences in crop selection. Our results build on the current understanding of chimpanzee feeding ecology within forest‐agricultural mosaics and provide additional support for the assumption that crops offer primates energetic benefits over wild foods.

“…Primates are reported to select foods that allow individuals to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet in response to the changing nutritional requirements associated with growth and maintenance, remaining thermoneutral in extremely hot or cold temperatures, and fulfilling the costs of reproduction (Felton, Felton, Lindenmayer, & Foley, 2009; Righini, Garber, & Rothman, 2017; Rothman, Dierenfeld, Hintz, & Pell, 2008). However, in forests that are highly fragmented or selectively logged, changes in tree species composition can result in decreased food availability (Chaves, Stoner, & Arroyo‐Rodríguez, 2012; Rode, Chapman, McDowell, & Stickler, 2006), changes in the nutrient and water content of available foods, and increased social and nutritional stress (Dunham & Rodriguez‐Saona, 2018; Irwin, Raharison, Raubenheimer, Chapman, & Rothman, 2015; Rode et al, 2006), leading to a decrease in health, fecundity, and offspring survivorship (Baranga, Chapman, Mucunguzi, & Reyna‐Hurtado, 2013; Rode et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cafeteria‐style feeding trials provide new insights into the diet and nutritional strategies of the black snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): Implications for conservation

Yang

Garber

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Anthropogenic changes and fragmentation of natural habitats often exert a negative effect on resource availability and distribution, and the nutritional ecology and feeding behavior of nonhuman primates. The goals of this study are to examine food choice and to identify the nutritional profile of foods consumed by the Critically Endangered black snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri). To accomplish our study goals, we presented cafeteria‐style feeding trials of fresh food items collected in the home range of wild black snub‐nosed monkeys to the only two captive R. strykeri, and compared the nutritional profiles of the leafy foods (buds, young, and mature leaves, 100 items from 70 plant species) selected with those avoided (54 items from 48 plant species). Overall, the results indicate that captive R. strykeri selected foods that were higher in moisture (Mo; 77.7%), crude protein (CP; 21.2%), total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC; 34.9%), and phosphorus (P; 0.37%) while tending to avoid foods with a neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of greater than 46.8%. Leaves collected in autumn and selected by the monkeys were characterized by a slightly higher amount of metabolizable energy (ME) than those rejected (1,350 kJ/100 g vs. 1,268 kJ/100 g). In contrast, the protein content of foods collected and consumed during the spring was greater (22.9%) than in autumn (16.4%). Random Forests modeling, an ensemble learning method, indicated that the proportion of Mo, NDF, ME, CP, P, and TNC were among the most important factors in predicting which items were consumed by the captive R. strykeri during spring and autumn. On the basis of the nutritional profile of foods consumed across the two seasons, we identified 18 nutrient‐rich native plant species that we recommend for use in ex‐ and in‐situ conservation management and reforestation programs to provide long‐term access to a nutritionally adequate diet.