Nutritional geometry: gorillas prioritize non-protein energy while consuming surplus protein

Rothman, Jessica M.; Raubenheimer, David; Chapman, Colin A.

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0321

Cited by 205 publications

(211 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Although fruit availability is also modulated by seasonal changes, to some extent (Rothman et al, 2008;Rothman et al, 2011), ripe fruit is lower in abundance in the mountain gorilla environment compared with what's observed in the lowland gorilla habitat, which makes nutrient profiles of both species different . Indeed, the annual diet of Bwindi mountain gorillas is about 15% fruit and 85% leaves, herbs and bark by wet weight mass (Rothman et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

et al. 2015

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Although the critical role that our gastrointestinal microbes play in host physiology is now well established, we know little about the factors that influenced the evolution of primate gut microbiomes. To further understand current gut microbiome configurations and diet-microbe co-metabolic fingerprints in primates, from an evolutionary perspective, we characterized fecal bacterial communities and metabolomic profiles in 228 fecal samples of lowland and mountain gorillas (G. g. gorilla and G. b. beringei, respectively), our closest evolutionary relatives after chimpanzees. Our results demonstrate that the gut microbiomes and metabolomes of these two species exhibit significantly different patterns. This is supported by increased abundance of metabolites and bacterial taxa associated with fiber metabolism in mountain gorillas, and enrichment of markers associated with simple sugar, lipid and sterol turnover in the lowland species. However, longitudinal sampling shows that both species' microbiomes and metabolomes converge when hosts face similar dietary constraints, associated with low fruit availability in their habitats. By showing differences and convergence of diet-microbe co-metabolic fingerprints in two geographically isolated primate species, under specific dietary stimuli, we suggest that dietary constraints triggered during their adaptive radiation were potential factors behind the species-specific microbiome patterns observed in primates today.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

et al. 2015

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“…We feel this hypothesis has some merit because, while mountain gorillas have strong, sometimes seasonal, preferences for certain food plants (Vedder 1984, Ganas et al 2004, Robbins 2008, Ganas et al 2009, Rothman et al 2011, it is not clear that they require certain plant species as there are differences between the plants that different groups of mountain gorillas eat. Mountain gorillas select food based upon both availability and nutritional content (Plumptre 1995, Doran and McNeilage 1998, Ganas et al 2009, and there are some dietary differences between the gorillas in Virunga and those in Bwindi, but they are similar nutritionally (Rothman et al 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative biological assumptions strongly influence models of climate change effects on mountain gorillas

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Endangered species conservation planning needs to consider the effects of future climate change. Species distribution models are commonly used to predict future shifts in habitat suitability. We evaluated the effects of climate change on the highly endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei ) using a variety of modeling approaches, and assessing model outputs from the perspective of three spatial habitat management strategies: status quo, expansion and relocation. We show that alternative assumptions about the ecological niche of mountain gorillas can have a very large effect on model predictions. 'Standard' correlative models using 18 climatic predictor variables suggested that by 2090 there would be no suitable habitat left for the mountain gorilla in its existing parks, whereas a 'limitingfactor' model, that uses a proxy of primary productivity, suggested that climate suitability would not change much. Species distribution models based on fewer predictor variables, on alternative assumptions about niche conservatism (including or excluding the other subspecies Gorilla beringii graueri ), and a model based on gorilla behavior, had intermediate predictions. These alternative models show strong variation, and, in contrast to the standard approach with 18 variables, suggest that mountain gorilla habitat in the parks may remain suitable, that protected areas could be expanded into lower (warmer) areas, and that there might be climactically suitable habitat in other places where new populations could possibly be established. Differences among model predictions point to avenues for model improvement and further research. Similarities among model predictions point to possible areas for climate change adaptation management. For species with narrow distributions, such as the mountain gorilla, modeling the impact of climate change should be based on careful evaluation of their biology, particularly of the factors that currently appear to limit their distribution, and should avoid the naïve application of standard correlative methods with many predictor variables.

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“…Frugivorous spider monkeys (Ateles chamek) prioritize protein intake over energy (i.e., although the carbohydrate and lipid intake varies between 0.7 and 20 MJ day À1 , their protein intake remained constant (0.19 MJ ± 0.01 SE) (Felton et al 2009). In contrast, mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) prioritize non-protein energy over protein intake (Rothman et al 2011). Spider monkeys lack adaptations to extract protein from leaves, thus they need to ingest a great deal of fruit to keep a constant protein intake.…”

Section: Studies On Resource Limitation At the Behavioral Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking feeding ecology and population abundance: a review of food resource limitation on primates

Hanya

Chapman

2012

Ecological Research

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We review studies that consider how food affects primate population abundance. In order to explain spatial variation in primate abundance, various correlates that parameterize quality and quantity of food in the habitat have been examined. We propose two hypotheses concerning how resource availability and its seasonality determine animal abundance. When the quality of fallback foods (foods eaten during the scarcity of preferred foods) is too low to satisfy nutritional requirement, total annual food quantity should determine population size, but this relationship can be modified by the quality or the quantity of fallback foods. This mechanism has been established for Japanese macaques and sportive lemurs that survive lean seasons by fat storage or extremely low metabolism. Second, when fallback food quality is high enough to satisfy nutritional requirement but quantity is limited, quantity of fallback food should be a limiting factor of animal abundance. This is supported by the correlation between fig density, which is a high-quality fallback food, and gibbon and orangutan abundance. For a direct test of these hypotheses, we need more research that determines both the quality of food that animals require to satisfy their nutritional requirement and the quantity of food production. Leaves are often regarded as superabundant, but this assumption needs careful examination.

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Nutritional geometry: gorillas prioritize non-protein energy while consuming surplus protein

Cited by 205 publications

References 22 publications

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

Temporal variation selects for diet–microbe co-metabolic traits in the gut of Gorilla spp

Alternative biological assumptions strongly influence models of climate change effects on mountain gorillas

Linking feeding ecology and population abundance: a review of food resource limitation on primates

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