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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
The importance of protein in leaf selection of folivorous primates
American Journal of Primatology, Volume 79, No. 4, Year 2017
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Description
Protein limitation has been considered a key factor in hypotheses on the evolution of life history and animal communities, suggesting that animals should prioritize protein in their food choice. This contrasts with the limited support that food selection studies have provided for such a priority in nonhuman primates, particularly for folivores. Here, we suggest that this discrepancy can be resolved if folivores only need to select for high protein leaves when average protein concentration in the habitat is low. To test the prediction, we applied meta-analyses to analyze published and unpublished results of food selection for protein and fiber concentrations from 24 studies (some with multiple species) of folivorous primates. To counter potential methodological flaws, we differentiated between methods analyzing total nitrogen and soluble protein concentrations. We used a meta-analysis to test for the effect of protein on food selection by primates and found a significant effect of soluble protein concentrations, but a non-significant effect for total nitrogen. Furthermore, selection for soluble protein was reinforced in forests where protein was less available. Selection for low fiber content was significant but unrelated to the fiber concentrations in representative leaf samples of a given forest. There was no relationship (either negative or positive) between the concentration of protein and fiber in the food or in representative samples of leaves. Overall our study suggests that protein selection is influenced by the protein availability in the environment, explaining the sometimes contradictory results in previous studies on protein selection. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22550, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Ganzhorn, Jörg Ulrich
Germany, Hamburg
Universität Hamburg
Arrigo-Nelson, Summer Joyce
United States, California
California University of Pennsylvania
Carrai, Valentina
Italy, Pisa
Università Di Pisa
Chalise, Mukesh Kumar
Nepal, Kathmandu
Tribhuvan University
Donati, Giuseppe
United Kingdom, Oxford
Oxford Brookes University
Droescher, Iris
Germany, Gottingen
Deutsches Primatenzentrum
Eppley, Timothy M.
Germany, Hamburg
Universität Hamburg
Irwin, Mitchell T.
United States, Dekalb
Northern Illinois University
Koch, Flávia
Germany, Gottingen
Deutsches Primatenzentrum
Koenig, Andreas
United States, Stony Brook
Stony Brook University
Kowalewski, Martin Miguel
Argentina, Buenos Aires
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Mowry, Christopher B.
United States, Mount Berry
Berry College
Patel, Erik R.
United States, Durham
Duke University
Pichon, Claire
France, Paris
Éco-anthropologie
Ralison, José M.
Madagascar, Antananarivo
Université D'antananarivo
Madagascar, Antananarivo
Groupe D'etude et de Recherche Sur Les Primates de Madagascar Gerp
Reisdorff, Christoph
Germany, Hamburg
Universität Hamburg
Simmen, Bruno
France, Paris
Éco-anthropologie
Stalenberg, Eleanor
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Starrs, Danswell
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Terboven, Juana
Germany, Hamburg
Universität Hamburg
Wright, Patricia Chapple
United States, Stony Brook
Stony Brook University
Foley, William John
Australia, Canberra
Anu Research School of Biology
Statistics
Citations: 57
Authors: 22
Affiliations: 15
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1002/ajp.22550
ISSN:
02752565
e-ISSN:
10982345
Research Areas
Food Security
Study Approach
Systematic review