The importance of leaf- and litter-feeding invertebrates as sources of animal protein for the Amazonian Amerindians

Abstract

At least 32 Amerindian groups in the Amazon basin use terrestrial invertebrates as food. Leaf-and litterconsuming invertebrates provide the more important, underestimated food sources for many Amerindian groups. Further, litter-consuming earthworms are also an important food resource for the Ye'Kuana (also known as Makiritare) in the Alto Orinoco (Amazonas, Venezuela). By selecting these small invertebrates the Amerindians are choosing their animal food from those food webs in the rainforest which have the highest energy £ow and which constitute the greatest renewable stock of readily available nutrients. Here we show that the consumption of leaf-and litter-feeding invertebrates as a means of recovering protein, fat and vitamins by the forest-living peoples o¡ers a new perspective for the development of sustainable animal food production within the paradigm of biodiversity maintenance.

Traditional food diversity predicts dietary quality for the Awajún in the Peruvian Amazon

“…Men and women obtained as high as 12% and 26% respectively of their daily animal protein from insects 29 . Invertebrate consumption is part of the traditional food system of 32 other Amerindian groups in the Amazon basin 30 .…”

Nutrient content of earthworms consumed by Ye'Kuana Amerindians of the Alto Orinoco of Venezuela

“…The minilivestock, including earthworms (Hardouin & Stievenart 1993;Paoletti & Bukkens 1997;Paoletti et al 2000;Cerda et al 2001), could be the basis for a sustainable production of protein sources, especially in the tropics and in the Amazon, where conventional large animals (cows, sheep and goats), if grown on a large scale, can badly damage the forests resulting in grassland dominance and a reduction in the local biodiversity. Risks related to foodwebs of conventional large animals and their overexploitation are increasingly raising concern in Western European societies as well.…”

“…The Piaroa of Cañ o Tigre also collect an earthworm named gua or wua (Zent 1992;Paoletti et al 2000), which is probably similar to motto (Andiorrhinus motto; Righi & Araujo 1999). In 1996-1999, M. G. Paoletti and coworkers documented the collection of motto by local populations inhabiting the settlements of Toki and Guatamo, which are situated on the Padamo River in southern Venezuela (Paoletti et al 2000). They reported that both kinds of earthworm, motto and kuru, are consumed either fresh after heating in water at 60-80°C (figure 3), or after they have been smoked over a wood fire.…”

Amazonian foods and implications for human biology

“…The insect species with the highest fat content were the larval forms and especially the highly valued palm grubs. In terms of consumption, Paoletti et al (2000) report that for a village of ~100 Tatuyo, approximately 340kg of insects are consumed annually. They also note the important role insects play as a source of animal protein, especially in the rainy season, when waters rise and fish and game prove more difficult to capture.…”

“…Paoletti et al (2000) provide a thorough review of the insect species important in the diets of a range of Amazonian populations. Their review reveals a focus on the consumption of particular insect groups, specifically those species that consume leaf and litter material.…”