Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Takahashi, Maressa Q.
• Rothman, Jessica M.
• Cords, Marina

Titel

The role of non‐natural foods in the nutritional strategies of monkeys in a human‐modified mosaic landscape

Ist Teil von

• Biotropica, 2023-01, Vol.55 (1), p.106-118

Ort / Verlag

Hoboken: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Wiley Online Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Many tropical animals inhabit mosaic landscapes including human‐modified habitat. In such landscapes, animals commonly adjust feeding behavior, and may incorporate non‐natural foods. These behavioral shifts can influence consumers' nutritional states, with implications for population persistence. However, few studies have addressed the nutritional role of non‐natural food. We examined nutritional ecology of wild blue monkeys to understand how dietary habits related to non‐natural foods might support population persistence in a mosaic landscape. We documented prevalence and nutritional composition of non‐natural foods in monkey diets to assess how habitat use influenced their consumption, and their contribution to nutritional strategies. While most energy and macronutrients came from natural foods, subjects focused non‐natural feeding activity on five exotic plants, and averaged about a third of daily calories from non‐natural foods. Most non‐natural food calories came from non‐structural carbohydrates and least from protein. Consumption of non‐natural foods related to time in human‐modified habitats, which two groups used non‐randomly. Non‐natural and natural foods were similar in nutrients, and the amount of non‐natural food consumed drove variation in nutritional strategy. When more daily calories came from non‐natural foods, females consumed a higher ratio of non‐protein energy to protein (NPE:P). Females also prioritized protein while allowing NPE:P to vary, increasing NPE while capitalizing on non‐natural foods. Overall, these tropical mammals achieved a similar nutrient balance regardless of their intake of non‐natural foods. Forest and forest‐adjacent areas with non‐natural vegetation may provide adequate nutrient access for consumers, and thus contribute to wildlife conservation in mosaic tropical landscapes. Wildlife in human‐altered mosaic habitats may eat non‐natural foods, but little is known about the nutritional implications of such behavior. This study documents how forest‐dwelling monkeys consume a third of their calories from non‐natural foods (mainly exotic plants), yet are able to achieve a similar nutrient balance regardless of exposure to and intake of these foods. Forest and forest‐adjacent areas with non‐natural vegetation may extend or enrich suitable habitat in terms of nutrient access for consumers, and thus contribute to wildlife conservation.