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Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121105119. [PMID: 36215474 PMCID: PMC9586308 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121105119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use.
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Godfrey LR, Crowley BE, Muldoon KM, Burns SJ, Scroxton N, Klukkert ZS, Ranivoharimanana L, Alumbaugh J, Borths M, Dart R, Faina P, Goodman SM, Gutierrez IJ, Hansford JP, Hekkala ER, Kinsley CW, Lehman P, Lewis ME, McGee D, Pérez VR, Rahantaharivao NJ, Rakotoarijaona M, Rasolonjatovo HAM, Samonds KE, Turvey ST, Vasey N, Widmann P. Teasing Apart Impacts of Human Activity and Regional Drought on Madagascar’s Large Vertebrate Fauna: Insights From New Excavations at Tsimanampesotse and Antsirafaly. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.742203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Madagascar experienced a major faunal turnover near the end of the first millenium CE that particularly affected terrestrial, large-bodied vertebrate species. Teasing apart the relative impacts of people and climate on this event requires a focus on regional records with good chronological control. These records may document coeval changes in rainfall, faunal composition, and human activities. Here we present new paleontological and paleoclimatological data from southwestern Madagascar, the driest part of the island today. We collected over 1500 subfossil bones from deposits at a coastal site called Antsirafaly and from both flooded and dry cave deposits at Tsimanampesotse National Park. We built a chronology of Late Holocene changes in faunal assemblages based on 65 radiocarbon-dated specimens and subfossil associations. We collected stalagmites primarily within Tsimanampesotse but also at two additional locations in southern Madagascar. These provided information regarding hydroclimate variability over the past 120,000 years. Prior research has supported a primary role for drought (rather than humans) in triggering faunal turnover at Tsimanampesotse. This is based on evidence of: (1) a large freshwater ecosystem west of what is now the hypersaline Lake Tsimanampesotse, which supported freshwater mollusks and waterfowl (including animals that could not survive on resources offered by the hypersaline lake today); (2) abundant now-extinct terrestrial vertebrates; (3) regional decline or disappearance of certain tree species; and (4) scant local human presence. Our new data allow us to document the hydroclimate of the subarid southwest during the Holocene, as well as shifts in faunal composition (including local extirpations, large-vertebrate population collapse, and the appearance of introduced species). These records affirm that climate alone cannot have produced the observed vertebrate turnover in the southwest. Human activity, including the introduction of cattle, as well as associated changes in habitat exploitation, also played an important role.
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Borruso L, Checcucci A, Torti V, Correa F, Sandri C, Luise D, Cavani L, Modesto M, Spiezio C, Mimmo T, Cesco S, Di Vito M, Bugli F, Randrianarison RM, Gamba M, Rarojoson NJ, Zaborra CA, Mattarelli P, Trevisi P, Giacoma C. I Like the Way You Eat It: Lemur (Indri indri) Gut Mycobiome and Geophagy. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 82:215-223. [PMID: 33471174 PMCID: PMC8282574 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01677-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Here, we investigated the possible linkages among geophagy, soil characteristics, and gut mycobiome of indri (Indri indri), an endangered lemur species able to survive only in wild conditions. The soil eaten by indri resulted in enriched secondary oxide-hydroxides and clays, together with a high concentration of specific essential micronutrients. This could partially explain the role of the soil in detoxification and as a nutrient supply. Besides, we found that soil subject to geophagy and indris' faeces shared about 8.9% of the fungal OTUs. Also, several genera (e.g. Fusarium, Aspergillus and Penicillium) commonly associated with soil and plant material were found in both geophagic soil and indri samples. On the contrary, some taxa with pathogenic potentials, such as Cryptococcus, were only found in indri samples. Further, many saprotrophs and plant-associated fungal taxa were detected in the indri faeces. These fungal species may be involved in the digestion processes of leaves and could have a beneficial role in their health. In conclusion, we found an intimate connection between gut mycobiome and soil, highlighting, once again, the potential consequent impacts on the wider habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigimaria Borruso
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano-Bozen, Italy.
| | - Alice Checcucci
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valeria Torti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Federico Correa
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Camillo Sandri
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Animal Health Care and Management, Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park, Bussolengo, Verona, Italy
| | - Daine Luise
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luciano Cavani
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Monica Modesto
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Caterina Spiezio
- Department of Animal Health Care and Management, Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park, Bussolengo, Verona, Italy
| | - Tanja Mimmo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano-Bozen, Italy
| | - Stefano Cesco
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bolzano-Bozen, Italy
| | - Maura Di Vito
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Bugli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biotecnologiche di Base, Cliniche Intensivologiche e Perioperatorie, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze di Laboratorio e Infettivologiche, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Rose M Randrianarison
- Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP), Cité des Professeurs, Fort Duchesne, BP 779, 101, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Mention d'Anthropobiologie et de Développement Durable (MADD), Université de Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Nianja J Rarojoson
- Laboratoire de Pédologie, FOFIFA à Tsimbazaza, BP.1690, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Cesare Avesani Zaborra
- Department of Animal Health Care and Management, Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park, Bussolengo, Verona, Italy
| | - Paola Mattarelli
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Paolo Trevisi
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Cristina Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
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Li Y, Ma G, Zhou Q, Li Y, Huang Z. Nutrient contents predict the bamboo-leaf-based diet of Assamese macaques living in limestone forests of southwest Guangxi, China. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5570-5581. [PMID: 32607175 PMCID: PMC7319238 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the nutrient factors influencing food choice provides important insight into the feeding strategy of animals, which is crucial for understanding their behavioral response to environmental changes. A bamboo-leaf-based diet is rare among mammals. Animals' food choice and nutritional goals have been explained by several frameworks; however, the influence of nutrients on food choice in bamboo-leaf-based macaques is not yet available. Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) inhabiting limestone forests are characterized by such a bamboo-leaf-based diet, predominantly consuming young leaves of Bonia saxatilis, a shrubby, karst-endemic bamboo. We studied the feeding behavior of one group of Assamese macaques using instantaneous scan sampling in limestone forests of the Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve in southwest Guangxi, China. We compared the nutrient content of staple food and nonfood items and examine the role of key nutrients in the food selection of macaques. Our results showed that young leaves of bamboo B. saxatilis contained more water, crude protein, phosphorus, and less tannin than nonfood items. Furthermore, staple foods contained a higher content of water and less content of calcium than nonfood items. More specifically, quantities of water, crude protein, calcium, and phosphorus in food items were critical factors affecting feeding time on a specific plant item. Our results suggest that young bamboo leaves could meet macaques' required protein and water intake, while enabling them to maintain their mineral balance, consequently facilitating to maintain the primates' bamboo-leaf-diet in the limestone forest. Our findings confirm the effects of nutrient contents in food choice of Assamese macaques, highlighting the importance of the nutrient contents in maintaining their bamboo-based diet and the need to increase the knowledge on their nutritional strategy adapted to the bamboo-dominated diet inhabiting the unique limestone habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Guangzhi Ma
- School of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Qihai Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Youbang Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Zhonghao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal EcologyGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
- School of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouChina
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