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Methods in Primate Nutritional Ecology: A User’s Guide

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Abstract

An important goal of primatology is to identify the ecological factors that affect primate abundance, diversity, demography, and social behavior. Understanding the nutritional needs of primates is central to understanding primate ecology because adequate nutrition is a prerequisite for successful reproduction. Here, we review nutritional methods and provide practical guidelines to measure nutrient intake by primates in field settings. We begin with an assessment of how to estimate food intake by primates using behavioral observations. We then describe how to collect, prepare, and preserve food samples. Finally, we suggest appropriate nutritional assays for estimating diet nutritional quality and point to the merits and limitations of each. We hope this review will inspire primatologists to use nutritional ecology to answer many unresolved questions in primatology.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Erin Vogel and Janine Chalk for inviting us to contribute this article. We also thank Erin Vogel, Janine Chalk, and Peter Lucas for organizing a fruitful workshop on Innovative Methods in Feeding Ecology, and we thank the participants of the workshop for inspiring discussions about nutritional methods. We thank Deborah Cherney, Ellen Dierenfeld, Mary Beth Hall, Skip Hintz, Caley Johnson, Joanna Lambert, Alice Pell, James Robertson, Deborah Ross, and Michael Van Amburgh for insights into the nutritional methods outlined here. We appreciate the very helpful comments provided by Caley Johnson, Erin Vogel, and 3 anonymous reviewers. We also thank our funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation under grant 0922709, Hunter College, Canada Research Chair program, and the National Science and Engineering Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Jessica M. Rothman

  2. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA

    Jessica M. Rothman

  3. Department of Anthropology and McGill School of Environment, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada

    Colin A. Chapman

  4. Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA

    Colin A. Chapman

  5. Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Peter J. Van Soest

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  1. Jessica M. Rothman
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Correspondence to Jessica M. Rothman.

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Rothman, J.M., Chapman, C.A. & Van Soest, P.J. Methods in Primate Nutritional Ecology: A User’s Guide. Int J Primatol 33, 542–566 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-011-9568-x

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