1
|
Bădescu I, Watts DP, Katzenberg MA, Sellen DW. Maternal lactational investment is higher for sons in chimpanzees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03153-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Maternal lactational investment can affect female reproductive rates and offspring survival in mammals and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We compared estimates of lactation effort among mothers, assessed as their potential milk contribution to age-specific infant diets (mother-infant differences in fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, δ15N), to the timing of weaning (infant age at last nursing bout) and to maternal inter-birth interval lengths for male and female infant chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo, Uganda. Infant males had greater proportions of milk in their age-specific diets, indicated by higher mother-infant differences in δ15N (Generalized Estimating Equation, GEE: p < 0.01). This may mean that mothers of sons showed greater lactation effort than mothers of daughters. Infant males stopped nursing at older ages than infant females (Kaplan–Meier product limit estimate, Breslow estimator: p < 0.05). Mothers of sons showed longer interbirth intervals than mothers of daughters (GEE: p < 0.01). All three measures indicated maternal lactational investment was higher for sons. Male infants may cost mothers more to ensure infant survival than female infants because males are more vulnerable and/or because maternal genetic returns on investment are greater for sons than daughters, as male philopatry means that chimpanzee mothers can have more influence on the reproductive success of sons. Chimpanzee females may trade off growth-related benefits of high lactational investment in male offspring against reduced reproductive rates.
Significance statement
Maternal investment via lactation affects the reproductive success of female mammals and their offspring and can be biased towards infants of one sex. We investigated lactational variation among wild chimpanzees in relation to infant sex using three proxies for maternal lactational investment: fecal stable nitrogen isotopes, a physiological biomarker that may provide an estimate of lactation effort; observations of nursing, which we used to establish weaning ages; and the lengths of intervals between births of surviving infants. Chimpanzee mothers biased lactational investment toward sons on all three indicators and showed reduced fecundity due to longer inter-birth intervals for mothers of sons than for mothers of daughters. These results would be expected if greater maternal investment toward sons leads to better condition and higher reproductive success for sons later in life, thus to greater inclusive fitness for mothers.
Collapse
|
2
|
Berthaume MA, Kupczik K. Molar biomechanical function in South African hominins Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus. Interface Focus 2021; 11:20200085. [PMID: 34938434 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2020.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Diet is a driving force in human evolution. Two species of Plio-Pleistocene hominins, Paranthropus robustus and Australopithecus africanus, have derived craniomandibular and dental morphologies which are often interpreted as P. robustus having a more biomechanically challenging diet. While dietary reconstructions based on dental microwear generally support this, they show extensive dietary overlap between species, and craniomandibular and dental biomechanical analyses can yield contradictory results. Using methods from anthropology and engineering (i.e. anthroengineering), we quantified the molar biomechanical performance of these hominins to investigate possible dietary differences between them. Thirty-one lower second molars were 3D printed and used to fracture gelatine blocks, and Bayesian generalized linear models were used to investigate the relationship between species and tooth wear, size and shape, and biomechanical performance. Our results demonstrate that P. robustus required more force and energy to fracture blocks but had a higher force transmission rate. Considering previous dietary reconstructions, we propose three evolutionary scenarios concerning the dietary ecologies of these hominins. These evolutionary scenarios cannot be reached by investigating morphological differences in isolation, but require combining several lines of evidence. This highlights the need for a holistic approach to reconstructing hominin dietary ecology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Berthaume
- Division of Mechanical Engineering and Design, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK.,Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
A chimpanzee enamel-diet δ 13C enrichment factor and a refined enamel sampling strategy: Implications for dietary reconstructions. J Hum Evol 2021; 159:103062. [PMID: 34536662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Reconstructing diets from stable carbon isotopic signals in enamel bioapatite requires the application of a δ13C enamel-diet enrichment factor, or the isotopic offset between diet and enamel, which has not been empirically determined for any primate. In this study, an enamel-diet enrichment factor (ε∗enamel-diet) of 11.8 ± 0.3‰ is calculated for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda, based on a comprehensive isotopic assessment of previously analyzed dietary plant data and new isotopic analyses of enamel apatite. Different enamel sampling methods are evaluated to determine the potential influence of weaning on isotopic enamel values and dietary interpretations. The new chimpanzee enrichment factor and a sampling strategy that excludes teeth that formed before weaning completion are applied to all known chimpanzee δ13Cenamel data, either previously published or newly derived in this study, resulting in a dietary range of almost 6‰ across all chimpanzees sampled. This new chimpanzee enamel-diet enrichment factor is then used to reassess dietary reconstructions of 12 fossil hominin species whose isotopic enamel signatures have been determined. Results reveal hominin diets that are isotopically more positive than previously reconstructed, highlighting the widespread contribution of 13C-enriched C4/crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) resources in fossil hominin diets and emphasizing the broad use of these resources during human evolution. These findings stress the importance of ascertaining and employing an appropriate enrichment factor for dietary reconstructions of specific taxa as well as standardizing the sampling protocol for tooth enamel in isotopic paleodietary reconstructions.
Collapse
|
4
|
Phillips S, Scheffrahn RH, Piel A, Stewart F, Agbor A, Brazzola G, Tickle A, Sommer V, Dieguez P, Wessling EG, Arandjelovic M, Kühl H, Boesch C, Oelze VM. Limited evidence of C4 plant consumption in mound building Macrotermes termites from savanna woodland chimpanzee sites. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244685. [PMID: 33566803 PMCID: PMC7875366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis is an increasingly used molecular tool to reconstruct the diet and ecology of elusive primates such as unhabituated chimpanzees. The consumption of C4 plant feeding termites by chimpanzees may partly explain the relatively high carbon isotope values reported for some chimpanzee communities. However, the modest availability of termite isotope data as well as the diversity and cryptic ecology of termites potentially consumed by chimpanzees obscures our ability to assess the plausibility of these termites as a C4 resource. Here we report the carbon and nitrogen isotope values from 79 Macrotermes termite samples from six savanna woodland chimpanzee research sites across equatorial Africa. Using mixing models, we estimated the proportion of Macrotermes C4 plant consumption across savanna woodland sites. Additionally, we tested for isotopic differences between termite colonies in different vegetation types and between the social castes within the same colony in a subset of 47 samples from 12 mounds. We found that Macrotermes carbon isotope values were indistinguishable from those of C3 plants. Only 5 to 15% of Macrotermes diets were comprised of C4 plants across sites, suggesting that they cannot be considered a C4 food resource substantially influencing the isotope signatures of consumers. In the Macrotermes subsample, vegetation type and caste were significantly correlated with termite carbon values, but not with nitrogen isotope values. Large Macrotermes soldiers, preferentially consumed by chimpanzees, had comparably low carbon isotope values relative to other termite castes. We conclude that Macrotermes consumption is unlikely to result in high carbon isotope values in either extant chimpanzees or fossil hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seth Phillips
- Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Rudolf H. Scheffrahn
- Fort Lauderdale Research & Education Center, Davie, Florida, United States of America
| | - Alex Piel
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Stewart
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony Agbor
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gregory Brazzola
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander Tickle
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Volker Sommer
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Gashaka Primate Project, Serti, Taraba, Nigeria
| | - Paula Dieguez
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erin G. Wessling
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mimi Arandjelovic
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hjalmar Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vicky M. Oelze
- Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Oelze VM, Percher AM, Nsi Akoué G, El Ksabi N, Willaume E, Charpentier MJE. Seasonality and interindividual variation in mandrill feeding ecology revealed by stable isotope analyses of hair and blood. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23206. [PMID: 33075182 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Mandrills are large-bodied terrestrial forest primates living in particularly large social groups of several hundred individuals. Following these groups in the wild to assess differences in diet over time as well as among individuals is demanding. We here use isotope analyses in blood and hair obtained during repeated captures of 43 identified free-ranging mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) from Southern Gabon, to test how dietary variation relates to the season as well as an individual's age and sex. We measured the stable carbon (δ13 C‰) and nitrogen (δ15 N‰) isotope ratios in 46 blood and 214 hair section samples as well as from a small selection of mandrill foods (n = 24). We found some seasonal isotopic effects, with lower δ13 C values but higher δ15 N values observed during the highly competitive long dry season compared to the fruit-rich long rainy season. Variation in δ13 C was further predicted by individual age, with higher δ13 C values generally found in younger individuals suggesting that they may consume more high canopy fruit than older individuals, or that older individuals consume more low canopy foliage. The best predictor for δ15 N values was the interaction between age and sex, with mature and reproductively active males revealing the highest δ15 N values, despite the observation that males consume substantially less animal food items than females. We interpret high δ15 N values in these mature male mandrill blood and hair sections to be the result of nutritional stress associated with intense male-male competition, particularly during mating season. This is the first study showing isotopic evidence for nutritional stress in a free-ranging primate species and may spark further investigations into male mandrill diet and energy balance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vicky M Oelze
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.,Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alice M Percher
- Equipe Biologie Evolutive Humaine, Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier UMR5554, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gontran Nsi Akoué
- Département de Biologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, Gabon
| | | | | | - Marie J E Charpentier
- Equipe Biologie Evolutive Humaine, Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier UMR5554, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Oelze VM, Wittig RM, Lemoine S, Kühl HS, Boesch C. How isotopic signatures relate to meat consumption in wild chimpanzees: A critical reference study from Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. J Hum Evol 2020; 146:102817. [PMID: 32683168 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The roots of human hunting and meat eating lie deep in our evolutionary past shared with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). From the few habituated wild populations, we know that there is considerable variation in the extent to which chimpanzees consume meat. Expanding our knowledge of meat eating frequencies to more, yet unhabituated, populations requires noninvasive, indirect quantitative techniques. We here evaluate the use of stable isotopes to reconstruct meat-eating behavior in wild chimpanzees. We present hair isotope data (n = 260) of two western chimpanzee (P. troglodytes verus) groups from Taï forest (Côte d'Ivoire) and relate them to directly observed amounts of meat consumed, sex/female reproductive state, and group, while controlling for differences between individuals, seasons, and observation efforts. Succeeding seven months of hunting observations, we collected hair of 25 individuals for sequential analysis of δ15N and δ13C. Hunting success in the 7-month study period varied between the groups, with 25 successful hunts in the East group and only 8 in the North group. However, our models only found a direct relationship between amounts of meat consumed and variation within individual hair δ15N values in the East group, but not in the North group and not when comparing between individuals or groups. Although on average East group individuals consumed more than double the amount of meat than North group individuals, their δ15N values were significantly lower, suggesting that differences in microhabitat are substantial between group territories. The effect of sex/female reproductive state was significant in δ15N and δ13C, suggesting it related to access to food or feeding preferences. We conclude that several factors additional to diet are influencing and thus obscuring the isotope ratios in wild chimpanzee hair, particularly when comparing between sexes and social groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vicky M Oelze
- Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA; Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Sylvain Lemoine
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, CSRS, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Quinn RL. Isotopic equifinality and rethinking the diet of
Australopithecus anamensis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:403-421. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhonda L. Quinn
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social WorkSeton Hall University South Orange New Jersey
- Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesRutgers University Piscataway New Jersey
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wessling EG, Oelze VM, Eshuis H, Pruetz JD, Kühl HS. Stable isotope variation in savanna chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) indicate avoidance of energetic challenges through dietary compensation at the limits of the range. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168:665-675. [PMID: 30693959 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Food scarcity is proposed to be a limitation to chimpanzees at the limits of their range; however, such a constraint has never been investigated in this context. We investigated patterns of δ13 C and δ15 N variation along a latitudinal gradient at the northwestern West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) range limit with the expectation that isotope ratios of chimpanzees at the range limit will indicate different dietary strategies or higher physiological constraints than chimpanzees further from the edge. MATERIALS AND METHODS We measured δ13 C and δ15 N values in hair (n = 81) and plant food (n = 342) samples from five chimpanzee communities located along a latitudinal gradient in Southeastern Senegal. RESULTS We found clear grouping patterns in hair δ13 C and δ15 N in the four southern sites compared to the northernmost site. Environmental baseline samples collected from these sites revealed overall higher plant δ15 N values at the northernmost site, but similar δ13 C values across sites. By accounting for environmental baseline, Δ13 C and Δ15 N values were clustered for all five sites relative to total Pan variation, but indicated a 13 C-enriched diet at the range limit. DISCUSSION Clustering in Δ13 C and Δ15 N values supports that strategic shifting between preferred and fallback foods is a likely ubiquitous but necessary strategy employed by these chimpanzees to cope with their environment, potentially allowing chimpanzees at their limits to avoid periods of starvation. These results also underline the necessity of accounting for local isotopic baseline differences during inter-site comparison.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin G Wessling
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vicky M Oelze
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California
| | - Henk Eshuis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jill D Pruetz
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
van Casteren A, Oelze VM, Angedakin S, Kalan AK, Kambi M, Boesch C, Kühl HS, Langergraber KE, Piel AK, Stewart FA, Kupczik K. Food mechanical properties and isotopic signatures in forest versus savannah dwelling eastern chimpanzees. Commun Biol 2018; 1:109. [PMID: 30271989 PMCID: PMC6123729 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0115-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees are traditionally described as ripe fruit specialists with large incisors but relatively small postcanine teeth, adhering to a somewhat narrow dietary niche. Field observations and isotopic analyses suggest that environmental conditions greatly affect habitat resource utilisation by chimpanzee populations. Here we combine measures of dietary mechanics with stable isotope signatures from eastern chimpanzees living in tropical forest (Ngogo, Uganda) and savannah woodland (Issa Valley, Tanzania). We show that foods at Issa can present a considerable mechanical challenge, most saliently in the external tissues of savannah woodland plants compared to their tropical forest equivalents. This pattern is concurrent with different isotopic signatures between sites. These findings demonstrate that chimpanzee foods in some habitats are mechanically more demanding than previously thought, elucidating the broader evolutionary constraints acting on chimpanzee dental morphology. Similarly, these data can help clarify the dietary mechanical landscape of extinct hominins often overlooked by broad C3/C4 isotopic categories.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam van Casteren
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Vicky M Oelze
- Anthropology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Samuel Angedakin
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ammie K Kalan
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mohamed Kambi
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kevin E Langergraber
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change and Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | - Alexander K Piel
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Fiona A Stewart
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Kornelius Kupczik
- Max Planck Weizmann Center for Integrative Archaeology and Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Roberts P, Blumenthal SA, Dittus W, Wedage O, Lee-Thorp JA. Stable carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, isotope analysis of plants from a South Asian tropical forest: Implications for primatology. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Roberts
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History; Jena Germany
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art; School of Archaeology; University of Oxford; Oxford UK
| | - Scott A. Blumenthal
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art; School of Archaeology; University of Oxford; Oxford UK
| | - Wolfgang Dittus
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Conservation Ecology Center; Front Royal Washington D.C
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies; Kandy Sri Lanka
| | - Oshan Wedage
- Department of History and Archaeology; University of Sri Jayewardenepura; Gangodawila Nugegoda Sri Lanka
| | - Julia A. Lee-Thorp
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art; School of Archaeology; University of Oxford; Oxford UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Tsutaya T, Fujimori Y, Hayashi M, Yoneda M, Miyabe-Nishiwaki T. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic offsets between diet and hair/feces in captive chimpanzees. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2017; 31:59-67. [PMID: 27717069 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2016] [Revised: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Estimation of the stable isotopic offsets between tissue and diet is important for dietary reconstructions. Although stable isotopic studies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are increasing, the isotopic offsets in chimpanzees have never been studied. In this study, the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic offset values in hair and feces were measured for 13 captive chimpanzees for the first time. METHODS All consumed food items and quantities were recorded for each individual for 1 week. Food samples were typically collected three times, hair was collected 3 weeks after the experimental week, and feces were collected ad libitum during the experimental week. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured using elemental analyzer-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS). RESULTS As the results of Monte Carlo analysis, the estimated carbon and nitrogen offsets between the hair and diet were +3.0 to +3.9‰ and +2.8 to +3.7‰, respectively, for the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The 95% CIs of the carbon and nitrogen offset values between the feces and diet were -1.6 to 0.0‰ and +1.2 to +2.7‰, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These offset values are generally consistent with those of the other primate species reported in previous studies. However, potential variations in the offset values due to dietary and physiological factors should be studied in detail in the future. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Tsutaya
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yui Fujimori
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan
| | - Misato Hayashi
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-0081, Japan
| | - Minoru Yoneda
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bădescu I, Watts DP, Katzenberg MA, Sellen DW. Alloparenting is associated with reduced maternal lactation effort and faster weaning in wild chimpanzees. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160577. [PMID: 28018647 PMCID: PMC5180145 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Alloparenting, when individuals other than the mother assist with infant care, can vary between and within populations and has potential fitness costs and benefits for individuals involved. We investigated the effects of alloparenting on the speed with which infants were weaned, a potential component of maternal fitness because of how it can affect inter-birth intervals, in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Uganda. We also provide, to our knowledge, the first description of alloparenting in this population and present a novel measure of the contribution of milk to infant diets through faecal stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N). Using 42 mother-infant pairs, we tested associations of two alloparenting dimensions, natal attraction (interest in infants) and infant handling (holding, carrying), to the proportion of time mothers spent feeding and to maternal lactation effort (mean nursing rates and mother-infant δ15N differences). Neither natal attraction nor infant handling was significantly associated with feeding time. Infant handling was inversely associated with both measures of lactation effort, although natal attraction showed no association. Alloparenting may benefit mothers by enabling females to invest in their next offspring sooner through accelerated weaning. Our findings emphasize the significance of alloparenting as a flexible component of female reproductive strategies in some species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Bădescu
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM5S 2S2
| | - David P. Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - M. Anne Katzenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaT2N 1N4
| | - Daniel W. Sellen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM5S 2S2
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Bădescu I, Katzenberg MA, Watts DP, Sellen DW. A novel fecal stable isotope approach to determine the timing of age-related feeding transitions in wild infant chimpanzees. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 162:285-299. [PMID: 27768227 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Determining nutritional development in wild primates is difficult through observations because confirming dietary intake is challenging. Physiological measures are needed to determine the relative contributions of maternal milk and other foods at different ages, and time of weaning. We used fecal stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13 C, δ15 N) and fecal nitrogen concentrations (%N) from wild chimpanzees at Ngogo, Uganda, to derive physiological dietary indicators during the transition from total reliance on maternal milk to adult foods after weaning. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed 560 fecal samples collected non-invasively from 48 infants, their mothers, and 6 juvenile siblings. Most infant and juvenile samples (90%) were matched to samples collected from mothers on the same day. Isotopic assessments were compared with observations of nursing and feeding. RESULTS Infants ≤1 year old showed average δ15 N, δ13 C and %N ratios that were 2.0‰, 0.8‰ and 1.3% greater than their mothers, respectively, interpreted as trophic level effects. Although data collected on newborns were few, results suggest that solid foods were consumed within 2-5 months after birth. Trophic level differences decreased steadily after 1 year, which indicates a decreasing relative contribution of milk to the diet. Isotopic results indicated infants were weaned by 4.5 years old-more than a year earlier than observations of nipple contacts ceased, which revealed the occurrence of "comfort nursing." Juvenile isotopic signatures indicate no nursing overlap between siblings. DISCUSSION Our results resemble the stable isotope differences of human babies. This study contributes to a model of chimpanzee nutritional development required to understand early life history patterns in hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Bădescu
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2S2
| | - M Anne Katzenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - David P Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 0511
| | - Daniel W Sellen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 2S2
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Oelze VM, Fahy G, Hohmann G, Robbins MM, Leinert V, Lee K, Eshuis H, Seiler N, Wessling EG, Head J, Boesch C, Kühl HS. Comparative isotope ecology of African great apes. J Hum Evol 2016; 101:1-16. [PMID: 27886808 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The isotope ecology of great apes is a useful reference for palaeodietary reconstructions in fossil hominins. As extant apes live in C3-dominated habitats, variation in isotope signatures is assumed to be low compared to hominoids exploiting C4-plant resources. However, isotopic differences between sites and between and within individuals are poorly understood due to the lack of vegetation baseline data. In this comparative study, we included all species of free-ranging African great apes (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Gorilla sp.). First, we explore differences in isotope baselines across different habitats and whether isotopic signatures in apes can be related to feeding niches (faunivory and folivory). Secondly, we illustrate how stable isotopic variations within African ape populations compare to other extant and extinct primates and discuss possible implications for dietary flexibility. Using 701 carbon and nitrogen isotope data points resulting from 148 sectioned hair samples and an additional collection of 189 fruit samples, we compare six different great ape sites. We investigate the relationship between vegetation baselines and climatic variables, and subsequently correct great ape isotope data to a standardized plant baseline from the respective sites. We obtained temporal isotopic profiles of individual animals by sectioning hair along its growth trajectory. Isotopic signatures of great apes differed between sites, mainly as vegetation isotope baselines were correlated with site-specific climatic conditions. We show that controlling for plant isotopic characteristics at a given site is essential for faunal data interpretation. While accounting for plant baseline effects, we found distinct isotopic profiles for each great ape population. Based on evidence from habituated groups and sympatric great ape species, these differences could possibly be related to faunivory and folivory. Dietary flexibility in apes varied, but temporal variation was overall lower than in fossil hominins and extant baboons, shifting from C3 to C4-resources, providing new perspectives on comparisons between extinct and extant primates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vicky M Oelze
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Geraldine Fahy
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; University of Kent, School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, CT2 7NR Canterbury, UK
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martha M Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vera Leinert
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kevin Lee
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Henk Eshuis
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicole Seiler
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erin G Wessling
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Josephine Head
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hjalmar S Kühl
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Phillips CA, O'Connell TC. Fecal carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis as an indicator of diet in Kanyawara chimpanzees, Kibale National Park, Uganda. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:685-697. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline A. Phillips
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the WitwatersrandWits2050 South Africa
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyMcDonald Institute of Archaeological Research, University of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridge CB2 3ER England
| | - Tamsin C. O'Connell
- Department of Archaeology and AnthropologyMcDonald Institute of Archaeological Research, University of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridge CB2 3ER England
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Loudon JE, Sandberg PA, Wrangham RW, Fahey B, Sponheimer M. The stable isotope ecology of Pan in Uganda and beyond. Am J Primatol 2016; 78:1070-85. [PMID: 27188271 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis has long been used to study the dietary ecology of living and fossil primates, and there has been increasing interest in using stable isotopes to study primate habitat use and anthropogenic impacts on non-human primates. Here, we examine the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) from seven communities in Uganda across a continuum of habitat structure (closed to more open) and access to anthropogenic resources (no reliance to heavy reliance). In general, the hair δ(13) C, but not δ(15) N, values of these communities vary depending on forest structure and degree of anthropogenic influence. When integrated with previously published hair δ(13) C and δ(15) N values for Pan, it is apparent that modern "savanna" and "forest" Pan form discrete clusters in carbon and nitrogen isotope space, although there are exceptions probably relating to microhabitat specialization. The combined dataset also reveals that Pan δ(13) C values (but not δ(15) N values) are inversely related to rainfall (r(2) = 0.62). We converted Pan hair δ(13) C values to enamel equivalents and made comparisons to the fossil hominoids Sivapithecus sp., Gigantopithecus blacki, Ardipithecus ramidus, and Australopithecus anamensis. The δ(13) C values of the fossil hominins Ar. ramidus and Au. anamensis do not cluster with the δ(13) C values of modern Pan in "forest" habitats, or with fossil hominoids that are believed to have inhabited forests. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1070-1085, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James E Loudon
- Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
| | - Paul A Sandberg
- Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Matt Sponheimer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Carlson BA, Crowley BE. Variation in carbon isotope values among chimpanzee foods at Ngogo, Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Am J Primatol 2016; 78:1031-40. [PMID: 26918258 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope values in primate tissues can be used to reconstruct diet in the absence of direct observation. However, in order to make dietary inferences, one must first establish isotopic variability for potential food sources. In this study we examine stable carbon isotope (δ(13) C) values for chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) food resources from two Ugandan forests: Ngogo (Kibale National Park), and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Mean δ(13) C values for plant samples are equivalent at both sites. Plant δ(13) C values are best explained by a multivariate linear model including plant part (leaves, pith, flowers, and fruit), vertical position within the canopy (canopy vs. ground), and taxon (R(2) = 0.6992). At both sites, leaves had the lowest δ(13) C values followed by pith and fruit. Canopy resources have comparable δ(13) C values at the two sites but ground resources have lower δ(13) C values at Ngogo than Bwindi (-30.7 vs. -28.6‰). Consequently, isotopic differences between ground and canopy resources (4.2 vs. 2.2‰), and among plant parts are more pronounced at Ngogo. These results demonstrate that underlying environmental differences between sites can produce variable δ(13) C signatures among primate food resources. In the absence of observation data or isotope values for local vegetation, caution must be taken when interpreting isotopic differences among geographically or temporally separated populations or species. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1031-1040, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryce A Carlson
- Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
| | - Brooke E Crowley
- Departments of Anthropology and Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Blumenthal SA, Rothman JM, Chritz KL, Cerling TE. Stable isotopic variation in tropical forest plants for applications in primatology. Am J Primatol 2015; 78:1041-54. [PMID: 26444915 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis is a promising tool for investigating primate ecology although nuanced ecological applications remain challenging, in part due to the complex nature of isotopic variability in plant-animal systems. The aim of this study is to investigate sources of carbon and nitrogen isotopic variation at the base of primate food webs that reflect aspects of primate ecology. The majority of primates inhabit tropical forest ecosystems, which are dominated by C3 vegetation. We used stable isotope ratios in plants from Kibale National Park, Uganda, a well-studied closed-canopy tropical forest, to investigate sources of isotopic variation among C3 plants related to canopy stratification, leaf age, and plant part. Unpredictably, our results demonstrate that vertical stratification within the canopy does not explain carbon or nitrogen isotopic variation in leaves. Leaf age can be a significant source of isotopic variation, although the direction and magnitude of this difference is not consistent across tree species. Some plant parts are clearly differentiated in carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition, particularly leaves compared to non-photosynthetic parts such as reproductive parts and woody stem parts. Overall, variation in the isotopic composition of floral communities, plant species, and plant parts demonstrates that stable isotope studies must include analysis of local plant species and parts consumed by the primates under study from within the study area. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1041-1054, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Blumenthal
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York. .,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York. .,Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York.,Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Kendra L Chritz
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Thure E Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.,Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| |
Collapse
|