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Cafeteria-style feeding trials provide new insights into the diet and nutritional strategies of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): Implications for conservation |
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| Authors: | Yin Yang Qihua Li Paul A Garber Cyril C Grueter Guopeng Ren Xinwen Wang Zhipang Huang Zuofu Xiang Wen Xiao Alison Behie |
| Institution: | 1. Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China;2. Yunnan Province Key Lab of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China;3. Department of Anthropology, Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois;4. School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia;5. Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China Collaborative Innovation Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali, Yunnan, China;6. Lushui Bureau of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Liuku, Yunnan, China;7. Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology, Central South University of Forestry & Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China;8. School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, Australia |
| Abstract: | 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. |
| Keywords: | diet selection ex- and in-situ conservation Myanmar snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus strykeri nutritional ecology protein-fiber ratio |