Diets of two sympatric colobines in Zaire: More evidence on seed-eating in forests on poor soils

Abstract

WOS:A1994PP60600002International audienceRecent studies have shown that the so-called folivorous African colobines eat a significant amount of seeds. There is disagreement as to whether seed-eating is due to the poor quality of tree foliage, due in turn to poor soils, or to the fact that seeds are a normal part of colobine diets. To test these hypotheses, we studied feeding of red colobus monkeys, Colonbus badius tholloni, and black-and-white colobus monkeys, Colobus angolensis angolensis, in a tropical rain forest of Central Zaire (Salonga National Park). We conducted studies on soil properties, vegetation composition, and the availability and chemical contents of food plants simultaneously. Soils were very acid, with a high percentage of sand, very low cation exchange capacity, and very low exchangeable bases. The forest was dominated by legumes (45.6% of trees), among which the Caesalpinioideae were the best represented (85%). C. badius fed mostly on leaves (61%) and seeds (33%), legumes making up 65% of their diet. C. angolensis fed mostly on seeds (50%) and leaves (27%); 39% of their diet came from legumes. The two species tended to select items richer in crude protein or lipids or both. Total phenolics and condensed tannins were abundant in the foliage and seeds but were poor predictors of colobine choice abundant in the foliage and seeds but were poor predictors of colobine choice of food. Intersite comparisons show that colobines in Zaire ate a higher proportion of seeds than all other related species so far studied in Africa and that the Salonga forest had among the poorest soils and harbored the highest percentage of Caesalpinioideae. Our results confirm that seed-eating is more common among colobines living in areas where soils are poor. They strongly suggest that this link is mediated through forest composition, especially the abundance of legumes, and that the development of seed-eating results both from the high availability of nutrient-rich seeds and from the poor quality of mature tree foliage

Vegetarian diet in Guenon and Mangabey monkeys of Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon: similarities and differences

“…Our results show that it would be a difference in the consumption of seeds between mangabeys and Guenons (18.93% and 3.31% respectively). In other areas, where Guenons, Mangabeys and Colobines the results show that Colobines consume more seeds than the other two groups (Sun et al, 2007;Maisels et al, 1994) and are considered as predator of seeds. In Moukalaba, granivorous is observable among Mangabeys.…”

The Roles of Primates as Seed Dispersers:

“…立公園で行っている研究だろう。彼らは同所 分布する旧世界ザル数種を対象とし，体サイ ズや果実食行動が全く異なるオナガザル亜科 と類人猿を対比させることで，霊長類に特異 的 か つ 多 様 化 し て い る 種 子 の 処 理 行 動 (Lambert, 1999)や種子の発芽能力への影響 (Lambert, 2001) ， 種 子 散 布 の 量 (Balcomb & Chapman, 2003;Lambert, 2011;Wrangham et al, 1994) ，種子散布距離 (Lambert, 1999 (Gautier-Hion et al, 1985;Julliot, 1996a;McConkey et al, 2002;Sourd & Gautie-Hion, 1986) 。栄養成分の面では，果肉に水分や消化 可能な糖分が多く含まれている果実が好まれ (Leighton, 1993;Sourd & Gautie-Hion, 1986) Ungar, 1995)硬化して内部を保護している果実を好 む場合 (Julliot, 1996a)など霊長類によってさ まざまである。 また霊長類は植物群落のレベルで果実を選 択する際，種ごとに特徴的な果実の形質だけ でなく Crop size(表 1)も基準にしているこ とが示唆され，Crop size が大きい果実種ほど 訪問頻度や種子の持ち去り量が多いことが明 らかになっている (Leighton, 1993;Stevenson, 2004) (Leighton, 1993) (Gautier-Hion et al, 1985;Janson, 1983;Knight & Siegfried, 1983;丸橋，2000;Yumoto et al, 1995) (Dew & Wright, 1998;Overdorff & Strait, 1998)やサキ 科 (Norconk et al, 1998) ， コロブス亜科 (Maisels et al, 1994;Norconk et al, 1998)などは霊長類 の中でも摂食した種子の大部分を破壊する種 子捕食者となる。一方，タケ食に特化したジェ ントルキツネザル類を除くキツネザル科 (Dew & Wright, 1998;Overdorff & Strait, 1998) ，オマ キザル科とクモザル科 (Stevenson et al, 2005) ， 類人猿 (Lambert, 1999;McConkey, 2000) Lambert, 1999;Lucas & Corlett, 1998;Yumoto et al, 1998) (Wrangham et al, 1994) ， ゴ リ ラ(Gorilla gorilla ...…”

Behaviour and Diet of Colobus angolensis palliatus Peters, 1868, in Relation to Seasonality in a Tanzanian Dry Coastal Forest

“…Distinct changes in diet and behaviour have been observed due to seasonal change in C. polykomos [11,13] and due to habitat quality in C. badius, C. satanus and C. guereza [10], as well as C. badius tholloni and C. angolensis [4]. The range of Colobus seasonal dietary and behavioural plasticity is of particular interest.…”

“…The fourth species C. angolensis Sclater, 1860, has been the subject of a habitat use study in a Kenyan forest [15] and notes on feeding and behaviour have been recorded by Groves [16], mainly in the Usambara Mountains, north-eastern Tanzania. A more detailed study by Maisels et al [4] investigated seed and leaf diets of C. angolensis angolensis in tropical rain forest on nutrient-poor soils of Salonga National Park, Zaire. However, this species still remains the least studied of the colobus monkeys, and dietary data are few.…”

“…Workers have concentrated on the red colobus, C. badius rufomitratus Peters, 1879 [1][2][3], and C. badius tholloni Milne-Edwards, 1886 [4], and on the black-and-white colobus, which includes four distinct species [5]. Three of these species have been studied in some detail; C. guereza Ruppell, 1835 [6][7][8][9], C. satanas Waterhouse, 1838 [10], and C. polykomos Zimmermann, 1780 [11][12][13][14].…”