Diet and nutritional ecology of primates in Argentina: current knowledge and new directions

JESSICA ROTHMAN; VANINA FERNANDEZ; NICOLETTA RIGHINI

Primates of Argentina I: 50 years of research

SAREM

Lugar: Mendoza; Año: 2017; p. 127 - 150

Platyrrhines are characterized by a broad diversity of behavioral and morphological adaptations that facilitate the exploitation of diverse plant and animal resources. Whereas feeding ecology has long been a major topic of primate field studies and focused on time spent feeding to describe primate diets, the recent past has witnessed a growing interest in nutritional ecology, as researchers recognize the importance of quantifying both the intake and the nutritional composition of food items. Differences in biomass and handling time compromise the effectiveness of using time spent feeding as proxies of the contribution of each food item to the diet. Here, we review the literature on the diet of the three genera of Argentinian primates -Alouatta, Cebus and Aotus- and discuss their feeding strategies according to their digestive physiology, activity patterns, and diet breadth. We compare the nutrients in foods eaten by primates, and indices of diet composition, such as dietary quality. We use right angle mixture triangles to illustrate the variety of nutrients of the diets of these primates in a comparative context. Finally, we suggest new directions for investigating the nutritional ecology of primates in Argentina. For example, new frameworks like the Geometric Framework have been successfully used in primatology to test hypotheses on nutrient regulation and food choice. These methods can be used to examine the patterns of nutrient prioritization among Argentinian primates.