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Bragazzi NL, Del Rio D, Mayer EA, Mena P. We Are What, When, And How We Eat: The Evolutionary Impact of Dietary Shifts on Physical and Cognitive Development, Health, and Disease. Adv Nutr 2024; 15:100280. [PMID: 39067763 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 07/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
"We are what, when, and how we eat": the evolution of human dietary habits mirrors the evolution of humans themselves. Key developments in human history, such as the advent of stone tool technology, the shift to a meat-based diet, control of fire, advancements in cooking and fermentation techniques, and the domestication of plants and animals, have significantly influenced human anatomical, physiological, social, cognitive, and behavioral changes. Advancements in scientific methods, such as the analysis of microfossils like starch granules, plant-derived phytoliths, and coprolites, have yielded unprecedented insights into past diets. Nonetheless, the isolation of ancient food matrices remains analytically challenging. Future technological breakthroughs and a more comprehensive integration of paleogenomics, paleoproteomics, paleoglycomics, and paleometabolomics will enable a more nuanced understanding of early human ancestors' diets, which holds the potential to guide contemporary dietary recommendations and tackle modern health challenges, with far-reaching implications for human well-being, and ecological impact on the planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
- Human Nutrition Unit (HNU), Department of Food and Drugs, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Daniele Del Rio
- Human Nutrition Unit (HNU), Department of Food and Drugs, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Emeran A Mayer
- Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Pedro Mena
- Human Nutrition Unit (HNU), Department of Food and Drugs, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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Kemp AD. Effect of binocular visual cue availability on fruit and insect grasping performance in two cheirogaleids: Implications for primate origins hypotheses. J Hum Evol 2024; 188:103456. [PMID: 38325119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Forward-facing eyes with parallel optic axes, which provide a wide field of binocular vision and precise depth perception, are among the diagnostic features of crown primates; however, the adaptive significance of this feature remains contentious. Two of the most prominent primate-origins hypotheses propose that either foraging for fruit or nocturnal predation on insects created selective pressures that led to the evolution of diagnostic primate traits, including a wide binocular field. To determine whether either of these hypotheses provides a viable explanation for the evolution of primates' derived eye orientation, the importance of binocular depth cues for the two tasks invoked by these hypotheses was evaluated experimentally in Microcebus murinus and Cheirogaleus medius, cheirogaleids' considered reasonable living analogs of the earliest euprimates. Performance in grasping insects and fruit was evaluated when the animals made use of their full binocular visual field and when their binocular visual field was restricted using a helmet-mounted blinder. Restriction of the binocular field had no effect on fruit grasping performance; however, restriction of the binocular field resulted in a significant deficit in insect predation performance. Differences in behavioral variables also suggest that insect predation is a more visually demanding task than fruit foraging. These results support the role of insect predation, but not fruit foraging, in contributing to the selective pressures that led to the evolution of parallel optic axes and a wide binocular field in crown primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Addison D Kemp
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 403 Bishop Memorial Teaching Building, 133 San Pablo St, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9112, USA.
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DePasquale AN, Poirier AC, Mah MA, Villalobos Suarez C, Guadamuz A, Cheves Hernandez S, Lopez Navarro R, Hogan JD, Rothman JM, Nevo O, Melin AD. Picking pithy plants: Pith selectivity by wild white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus imitator. Am J Primatol 2023:e23549. [PMID: 37690098 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding diet selectivity is a longstanding goal in primate ecology. Deciphering when and why primates consume different resources can provide insights into their nutritional ecology as well as adaptations to food scarcity. Plant pith, the spongy interior of plant stems, is occasionally eaten by primates, but the context is poorly understood. We examine the ecological, mechanical, chemical, and nutritional basis of plant pith selection by a wild, frugivorous-omnivorous primate (Cebus imitator). We test the hypothesis that pith is a fallback food, that is, consumed when fruit is less abundant, and test for differences between plant species from which pith is eaten versus avoided. We collected 3.5 years of capuchin pith consumption data to document dietary species and analyzed "pith patch visits" in relation to fruit availability, visits to fruit patches, and climatic seasonality. We analyzed dietary and non-dietary species for relative pith quantity, mechanical hardness, odor composition, and macronutrient concentrations. Capuchins ate pith from 11 of ~300 plant species common in the dry forest, most commonly Bursera simaruba. We find that pith consumption is not directly related to fruit availability or fruit foraging but occurs most frequently (84% of patch visits) during the months of seasonal transition. Relative to common non-dietary species, dietary pith species have relatively higher pith quantity, have softer outer branches and pith, and contain more terpenoids, a class of bioactive compounds notable for their widespread medicinal properties. Our results suggest that greater pith quantity, lower hardness, and a more complex, terpenoid-rich odor profile contribute to species selectivity; further, as pith is likely to be consistently available throughout the year, the seasonality of pith foraging may point to zoopharmacognosy, as seasonal transitions typically introduce new parasites or pathogens. Our study furthers our understanding of how climatic seasonality impacts primate behavior and sheds new light on food choice by an omnivorous primate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allegra N DePasquale
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alice C Poirier
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Megan A Mah
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, CUNY Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Omer Nevo
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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DeLuycker AM. Diet and Feeding Ecology of the Critically Endangered San Martín Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus oenanthe) in Peru. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00256-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Secondary types of food in the diet of a small-sized mammalian herbivore: from species ecology to habitat inferences. MAMMAL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-019-00472-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Scott JE. Macroevolutionary effects on primate trophic evolution and their implications for reconstructing primate origins. J Hum Evol 2019; 133:1-12. [PMID: 31358174 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The visual-predation hypothesis proposes that certain derived features shared by crown primates reflect an insectivorous ancestry. Critics of this idea have argued that because insectivory is uncommon among extant primates it is unlikely to have been a major influence on early primate evolution. According to this perspective, the low frequency of insectivory indicates that it is an apomorphic deviation from the mostly conserved primate ecological pattern of herbivory. The present study tests two alternative hypotheses that are compatible with an insectivorous ancestor: (1) that trophic evolution was biased, such that herbivory evolved repeatedly with few shifts back to insectivory, and (2) that insectivorous lineages have diversified at a lower rate than herbivorous lineages owing to differential trophic effects on speciation and extinction probabilities. Model-based analysis conducted using trait data for 307 extant primate species indicates that rates of transition into and out of insectivory are similar, rejecting the hypothesis of biased trophic evolution. On the other hand, the hypothesis of asymmetric diversification is supported, with insectivorous lineages having a lower rate of diversification than herbivorous lineages. This correlation is mediated by activity pattern: insectivory occurs mostly in nocturnal lineages, which have a lower diversification rate than diurnal lineages. The frequency of insectivory also appears to have been shaped by repeated transitions into ecological contexts in which insectivory is absent (large body size) or rare (diurnality). These findings suggest that the current distribution of trophic strategies among extant primates is the result of macroevolutionary processes that have favored the proliferation and persistence of herbivory relative to insectivory. This conclusion implies that the low frequency of insectivory is not necessarily evidence against the visual-predation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah E Scott
- Department of Medical Anatomical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St. Pomona, California, 91766-1854, USA.
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Wimberger K, Nowak K, Hill RA. Reliance on Exotic Plants by Two Groups of Threatened Samango Monkeys, Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus, at Their Southern Range Limit. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-016-9949-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Thiery G, Guy F, Lazzari V. Investigating the dental toolkit of primates based on food mechanical properties: Feeding action does matter. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28150439 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Although conveying an indisputable morphological and behavioral signal, traditional dietary categories such as frugivorous or folivorous tend to group a wide range of food mechanical properties together. Because food/tooth interactions are mostly mechanical, it seems relevant to investigate the dental morphology of primates based on mechanical categories. However, existing mechanical categories classify food by its properties but cannot be used as factors to classify primate dietary habits. This comes from the fact that one primate species might be adapted to a wide range of food mechanical properties. To tackle this issue, what follows is an original framework based on action-related categories. The proposal here is to classify extant primates based on the range of food mechanical properties they can process through one given action. The resulting categories can be used as factors to investigate the dental tools available to primates. Furthermore, cracking, grinding, and shearing categories assigned depending on the hardness and the toughness of food are shown to be supported by morphological data (3D relative enamel thickness) and topographic data (relief index, occlusal complexity, and Dirichlet normal energy). Inferring food mechanical properties from dental morphology is especially relevant for the study of extinct primates, which are mainly documented by dental remains. Hence, we use action-related categories to investigate the molar morphology of an extinct colobine monkey Mesopithecus pentelicus from the Miocene of Pikermi, Greece. Action-related categories show contrasting results compared with classical categories and give us new insights into the dietary adaptations of this extinct primate. Finally, we provide some possible directions for future research aiming to test action-related categories. In particular, we suggest acquiring more data on mechanically challenging fallback foods and advocate the use of other food mechanical properties such as abrasiveness. The development of new action-related dental metrics is also crucial for primate dental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghislain Thiery
- iPHEP: Institut de Paléoprimatologie, Paléontologie Humaine, Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262 INEE, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Franck Guy
- iPHEP: Institut de Paléoprimatologie, Paléontologie Humaine, Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262 INEE, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Vincent Lazzari
- iPHEP: Institut de Paléoprimatologie, Paléontologie Humaine, Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262 INEE, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France
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Lambert JE, Rothman JM. Fallback Foods, Optimal Diets, and Nutritional Targets: Primate Responses to Varying Food Availability and Quality. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-102313-025928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna E. Lambert
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309;
| | - Jessica M. Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10065;
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY
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Mosdossy KN, Melin AD, Fedigan LM. Quantifying seasonal fallback on invertebrates, pith, and bromeliad leaves by white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in a tropical dry forest. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 158:67-77. [PMID: 26010158 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Fallback foods (FBFs) are hypothesized to shape the ecology, morphology, and behavior of primates, including hominins. Identifying FBFs is therefore critical for revealing past and present foraging adaptations. Recent research suggests invertebrates act as seasonal FBFs for many primate species and human populations. Yet, studies measuring the consumption of invertebrates relative to ecological variation are widely lacking. We address this gap by examining food abundance and entomophagy by primates in a seasonal forest. MATERIALS AND METHODS We study foraging behavior of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus)-a species renowned for its intelligence and propensity for extractive foraging-along with the abundance of invertebrates, dietary ripe fruits, pith, and bromeliads. Consumption events and processing time are recorded during focal animal samples. We determine abundance of vegetative foods through phenological and density records. Invertebrates are collected in malaise, pan, and terrestrial traps; caterpillar abundance is inferred from frass traps. RESULTS Invertebrates are abundant throughout the year and capuchins consume invertebrates-including caterpillars-frequently when fruit is abundant. However, capuchins spend significantly more time processing protected invertebrates when fruit and caterpillars are low in abundance. DISCUSSION Invertebrate foraging patterns are not uniform. Caterpillar consumption is consistent with a preferred strategy, whereas capuchins appear to fallback on invertebrates requiring high handling time. Capuchins are convergent with hominins in possessing large brains and high levels of sensorimotor intelligence, thus our research has broad implications for primate evolution, including factors shaping cognitive innovations, brain size, and the role of entomophagy in the human diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina N Mosdossy
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130
| | - Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
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Melin AD, Crowley BE, Brown ST, Wheatley PV, Moritz GL, Yit Yu FT, Bernard H, DePaolo DJ, Jacobson AD, Dominy NJ. Technical Note: Calcium and carbon stable isotope ratios as paleodietary indicators. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:633-43. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
- Department of Anthropology; Washington University; St. Louis MO 63130
| | - Brooke E. Crowley
- Department of Geology; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati OH 45221
- Department of Anthropology; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati OH 45221
| | - Shaun T. Brown
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Patrick V. Wheatley
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Gillian L. Moritz
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
| | - Fred Tuh Yit Yu
- Research and Education Division (Zoology and Entomology); Kinabalu Park 89308 Ranau Sabah Malaysia
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation; Universiti Malaysia Sabah; 88999 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Donald J. DePaolo
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Andrew D. Jacobson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208
| | - Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
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Finestone E, Bonnie KE, Hopper LM, Vreeman VM, Lonsdorf EV, Ross SR. The interplay between individual, social, and environmental influences on chimpanzee food choices. Behav Processes 2014; 105:71-8. [PMID: 24680959 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The foraging activity of chimpanzees requires individuals to balance personal preferences with nutrient requirements, food availability, and interactions with members of their social group. To determine whether chimpanzee food preferences are fixed or malleable across varying socio-ecological contexts, we presented six zoo-housed chimpanzees with pairwise combinations of four different foods under two experimental conditions. First, we individually tested each chimpanzee's choices for the four foods to ascertain individual preferences. Second, we tested the chimpanzees in a situation which more-closely mimicked the foraging pressures experienced by wild chimpanzees. In this second condition, the chimpanzees were tested in a group setting and the food availability was less predictable, such as in a patchy foraging environment. Subjects expressed significant variation in their selection of which foods to consume in the two different contexts and also appeared more willing to consume less-preferred foods in the unpredictable, social environment. These results suggest that chimpanzees' food preferences are not fixed, but change with context and are likely mediated by social facilitation. This is not only important to understand chimpanzees' foraging patterns and dietary requirements, but also has implications for experimental paradigms that rely on food preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Finestone
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Kristin E Bonnie
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA; Department of Psychology, Beloit College, Beloit, USA
| | - Lydia M Hopper
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Vivian M Vreeman
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA
| | - Elizabeth V Lonsdorf
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA; Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, USA
| | - Stephen R Ross
- The Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, USA.
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