Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China
An important goal of wild animal nutritional ecology is to understand the correlation between population ecology and food resources and what dictates food choice, especially during seasonal shortages of resources. However, relevant research is scarce due to the considerable challenges in collecting...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2020-06-01
|
| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419309436 |
| _version_ | 1811340331331878912 |
|---|---|
| author | Haitao Zhao Jiaxuan Li Xiaowei Wang Junfeng Pei Chengliang Wang Yi Ren Weiwei Fu Yan Wang Baoguo Li |
| author_facet | Haitao Zhao Jiaxuan Li Xiaowei Wang Junfeng Pei Chengliang Wang Yi Ren Weiwei Fu Yan Wang Baoguo Li |
| author_sort | Haitao Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An important goal of wild animal nutritional ecology is to understand the correlation between population ecology and food resources and what dictates food choice, especially during seasonal shortages of resources. However, relevant research is scarce due to the considerable challenges in collecting and interpreting such data. Here, we used major nutritional models to clarify the effects of food item chemistry on food choice in a free-ranging band of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) during winter on the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains in China. We recorded feeding behavior and consumed food items by scan sampling over 60 full-day observations, and measured the chemical properties of the dietary items, including protein, tannin, fat, and fiber content. The monkeys consumed two lichen species and parts of 35 main plant species. The overall diet consisted of 41.41% lichen, 40.44% bark, 17.25% bud scales, and 0.9% leaves, with higher protein food items more often selected. This is the first report on the nutrient strategies adopted by R. roxellana in response to resource shortage stress in winter, confirming that protein content dictated food selection priority. This study provides valuable comparative data on the adaptive evolution of this species and adds to our knowledge on the utilization of habitat food resources, thus promoting in situ conservation of this endangered primate. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:39:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02410cc90ede403fae70d9100408cc0c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:39:27Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-02410cc90ede403fae70d9100408cc0c2022-12-22T02:34:45ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942020-06-0122Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, ChinaHaitao Zhao0Jiaxuan Li1Xiaowei Wang2Junfeng Pei3Chengliang Wang4Yi Ren5Weiwei Fu6Yan Wang7Baoguo Li8Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China; Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaUniversity of California Davis, Davis, 95616, USAShaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China; Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, 710032, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China; Corresponding author. Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Taibai Road in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, China.An important goal of wild animal nutritional ecology is to understand the correlation between population ecology and food resources and what dictates food choice, especially during seasonal shortages of resources. However, relevant research is scarce due to the considerable challenges in collecting and interpreting such data. Here, we used major nutritional models to clarify the effects of food item chemistry on food choice in a free-ranging band of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) during winter on the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains in China. We recorded feeding behavior and consumed food items by scan sampling over 60 full-day observations, and measured the chemical properties of the dietary items, including protein, tannin, fat, and fiber content. The monkeys consumed two lichen species and parts of 35 main plant species. The overall diet consisted of 41.41% lichen, 40.44% bark, 17.25% bud scales, and 0.9% leaves, with higher protein food items more often selected. This is the first report on the nutrient strategies adopted by R. roxellana in response to resource shortage stress in winter, confirming that protein content dictated food selection priority. This study provides valuable comparative data on the adaptive evolution of this species and adds to our knowledge on the utilization of habitat food resources, thus promoting in situ conservation of this endangered primate.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419309436Rhinopithecus roxellanaFood choiceDietary chemistryNutrient strategyIn situ conservation |
| spellingShingle | Haitao Zhao Jiaxuan Li Xiaowei Wang Junfeng Pei Chengliang Wang Yi Ren Weiwei Fu Yan Wang Baoguo Li Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China Global Ecology and Conservation Rhinopithecus roxellana Food choice Dietary chemistry Nutrient strategy In situ conservation |
| title | Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China |
| title_full | Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China |
| title_fullStr | Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China |
| title_short | Nutrient strategies of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the Qinling Mountains, China |
| title_sort | nutrient strategies of the sichuan snub nosed monkey rhinopithecus roxellana when confronted with a shortage of food resources in the qinling mountains china |
| topic | Rhinopithecus roxellana Food choice Dietary chemistry Nutrient strategy In situ conservation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989419309436 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT haitaozhao nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT jiaxuanli nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT xiaoweiwang nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT junfengpei nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT chengliangwang nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT yiren nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT weiweifu nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT yanwang nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina AT baoguoli nutrientstrategiesofthesichuansnubnosedmonkeyrhinopithecusroxellanawhenconfrontedwithashortageoffoodresourcesintheqinlingmountainschina |