Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity
Abstract Pronounced temporal and spatial variation in the availability of food resources can produce energetic deficits in organisms. Fruit-dependent Bornean orangutans face extreme variation in fruit availability and experience negative energy and protein balance during episodes of fruit scarcity....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89186-4 |
| _version_ | 1818694609545461760 |
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| author | Caitlin A. O’Connell Andrea L. DiGiorgio Alexa D. Ugarte Rebecca S. A. Brittain Daniel J. Naumenko Sri Suci Utami Atmoko Erin R. Vogel |
| author_facet | Caitlin A. O’Connell Andrea L. DiGiorgio Alexa D. Ugarte Rebecca S. A. Brittain Daniel J. Naumenko Sri Suci Utami Atmoko Erin R. Vogel |
| author_sort | Caitlin A. O’Connell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Pronounced temporal and spatial variation in the availability of food resources can produce energetic deficits in organisms. Fruit-dependent Bornean orangutans face extreme variation in fruit availability and experience negative energy and protein balance during episodes of fruit scarcity. We evaluate the possibility that orangutans of different sexes and ages catabolize muscle tissue when the availability of fruit is low. We assess variation in muscle mass by examining the relationship between urinary creatinine and specific gravity and use the residuals as a non-invasive measure of estimated lean body mass (ELBM). Despite orangutans having a suite of adaptations to buffer them from fruit scarcity and associated caloric deficits, ELBM was lower during low fruit periods in all age-sex classes. As predicted, adult male orangutans had higher ELBM than adult females and immatures. Contrary to expectation, flanged and unflanged males did not differ significantly in ELBM. These findings highlight the precarity of orangutan health in the face of rapid environmental change and add to a growing body of evidence that orangutans are characterized by unique metabolic traits shaped by their unpredictable forest environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:32:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-def82f855ac24ac6ae4d16ea1867e210 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:32:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-def82f855ac24ac6ae4d16ea1867e2102022-12-21T21:46:33ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-05-011111710.1038/s41598-021-89186-4Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcityCaitlin A. O’Connell0Andrea L. DiGiorgio1Alexa D. Ugarte2Rebecca S. A. Brittain3Daniel J. Naumenko4Sri Suci Utami Atmoko5Erin R. Vogel6Department of Anthropology, Rutgers UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, Rutgers UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, Rutgers UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, Rutgers UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, University of Colorado BoulderFaculty of Biology, Universitas NasionalDepartment of Anthropology, Rutgers UniversityAbstract Pronounced temporal and spatial variation in the availability of food resources can produce energetic deficits in organisms. Fruit-dependent Bornean orangutans face extreme variation in fruit availability and experience negative energy and protein balance during episodes of fruit scarcity. We evaluate the possibility that orangutans of different sexes and ages catabolize muscle tissue when the availability of fruit is low. We assess variation in muscle mass by examining the relationship between urinary creatinine and specific gravity and use the residuals as a non-invasive measure of estimated lean body mass (ELBM). Despite orangutans having a suite of adaptations to buffer them from fruit scarcity and associated caloric deficits, ELBM was lower during low fruit periods in all age-sex classes. As predicted, adult male orangutans had higher ELBM than adult females and immatures. Contrary to expectation, flanged and unflanged males did not differ significantly in ELBM. These findings highlight the precarity of orangutan health in the face of rapid environmental change and add to a growing body of evidence that orangutans are characterized by unique metabolic traits shaped by their unpredictable forest environment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89186-4 |
| spellingShingle | Caitlin A. O’Connell Andrea L. DiGiorgio Alexa D. Ugarte Rebecca S. A. Brittain Daniel J. Naumenko Sri Suci Utami Atmoko Erin R. Vogel Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity Scientific Reports |
| title | Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| title_full | Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| title_fullStr | Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| title_short | Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| title_sort | wild bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89186-4 |
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