Title
Examining African colobine nutrition using improved methods for determining available protein (meeting abstract)
Author(s)
Evans, K.D.;Foley, W.J.;Chapman, C.A.;Rothman, J.M.
Published
2018
Publisher
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Abstract
Several studies have noted that the protein-to-fiber ratio of the most common mature leaves in a habitat predicts colobine abundance across several forests in Africa and Asia, but there are problems with its application and the mechanism for this correlation is not well understood. Though mature leaves are not usually eaten, it has been suggested that they are a fallback food when preferred young leaves are not available. However, the crude protein (CP) of mature leaves in Kibale National Park, Uganda is 18.0 ± 4.5% crude protein on a dry matter basis (n=112 trees), which is well above the suggested 10-12% needed for maintenance and reproduction. The measure of crude protein only accounts for nitrogen in a plant, but not for its digestibility, nor for any tannins that reduce digestibility. We used an in vitro assay modified to stimulate colobine foregut fermentation to measure available protein (AP) and the effect of tannins on the digestibility of leaves that are abundant and/or serve as a predominant food source (n=43 spp.) for two species of colobines (Colobus guereza, Procolobus rufomitratus) in Kibale. We found that young leaves, the preferred food for these monkeys, contained high levels of both crude and available protein (23.1 ± 6.0% CP, 14.4 ± 6.6% AP), whereas mature leaves, had lower levels of crude and available protein (17.8 ± 4.4% CP, 8.8 ± 4.9% AP). The activity of tannins in mature and young leaves was highly variable across species, reducing available protein by 0-89%.
Keywords
Anthropology;Evolutionary Biology
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PUB22994