Basal Metabolic Rate, Body Weight and Diet in Primates: An Evaluation of the Evidence

Abstract

The relationship between basal metabolic rate (BMR), body weight and diet is examined for primates. Contrary to the results reported in several recent works, there is no strong evidence that diet is directly linked to BMR, although a low BMR, relative to body weight, may be found in species with folivorous diets. There is some evidence that nocturnal haplorhine species have a relatively low BMR, but strepsirhines appear to have a uniformly low relative BMR regardless of their primary activity period. The evolution of BMR in primates is discussed in the light of these findings. Some predictions are made about the relative BMRs that should be found for other species whose BMR is, as yet, unknown.

Phylogeography of Kloss’s Gibbon (Hylobates Klossii) Populations and Implications for Conservation Planning in the Mentawai Islands

“…While life history data are not available for all species, members of the same genus or family tend to have similar characteristics. Average generation time has been estimated at 54 months (range 46-65) for macaque species (Harvey et al 1987), and 51 months (range 48-55) for Asian colobines (including Nasalis larvatus, the closest relative of Simias concolor) (Harvey et al 1987;Ross 1992). The estimated generation time for hylobatids is twice as long, at 110 months (range 108-112) (Harvey et al 1987).…”

Olfactory sensitivity for putrefaction-associated thiols and indols in three species of non-human primate

“…The three primate species studied here have been reported to differ markedly in the proportion of animal matter in their diet, with up to 72% of total intake in the squirrel monkey compared with only 1% in the spider monkey, with pigtail macaques (13% of total intake) taking an intermediate position. The spider monkeys' diet, in turn, is known to be composed of up to 90% fruit and seeds whereas the corresponding percentages for pigtail macaques (70%) and squirrel monkeys (26%) are markedly lower (Caldecott, 1986;Clutton-Brock and Harvey, 1977;Ross, 1992). Unfortunately, there is only very little information available on whether the microbial degradation of animal and plant protein leads to different proportions or frequencies of occurrence of the thiols and indols tested here, which might explain the between-species differences in sensitivity for individual odorants found in the present study.…”

“…The three primate species employed here, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and pigtail macaques, are known to differat least to some degree -in their dietary habits, with the firstmentioned species showing the highest degree of frugivory and the last-mentioned species the lowest degree of fruit consumption (Caldecott, 1986;Clutton-Brock and Harvey, 1977;Ross, 1992). They also differ in their degree of phylogenetic relatedness to each other, with spider monkeys and squirrel monkeys representing New World primates and pigtail macaques being an Old World primate species, and in their use of olfactory cues for social communication (Caldecott, 1986;Epple, 1985;Kinzey, 1997).…”

Comparative methods for studying primate adaptation and allometry

“…Large residuals indicate evolutionary changes in basal metabolic rate that are either larger (positive residuals) or smaller (negative residuals) than predicted by changes in mass, and these deviations may be associated with specific ecological factors. 113 Basal metabolic rate data are those listed as meeting reliability criteria in Ross. 113 which raises issues regarding the evolutionary model that implicitly underlies most phylogenetic comparative methods.…”