The objectives of this thesis are:
1. To investigate food and nutritional intake in a wild golden snub-nosed (R. roxellana) monkey
troop to understand these aspects of a troop foraging under natural circumstances and to
determine whether food choice correlates with food availability in this troop. Furthermore, I
investigated the effect of sex, age, and reproductive status on food and nutritional intake. I
predict food choice in these monkeys would not reflect food availability as their food choice is
expected to be influenced by nutritional requirements and not be solely based upon what is
readily available. Differences in food and nutrient intake between different subsets of the troop
are expected due to differences in the energetic demands of individuals based on age, sex, and
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2. To investigate food and nutritional intake in a semi-captive, provisioned golden snub-nosed
monkey troop to determine if and how provisioning alters the dietary intake of partially
provisioned monkeys. As commercial fruits contain more sugar and less protein and fibre than
wild foods (Schwitzer et al. 2009), I predict differences to be found between the nutrient intake
patterns of provisioned monkeys and wild monkeys due to the use of commercial fruits at the
wildlife tourism site.
3. To determine whether there are differences in food and nutrient intake between two seasons,
summer and autumn, in both the wild and provisioned troop. Data collection was restricted to
these two seasons due to logistical constraints (e.g. other students study the wild troop over
winter, time restrictions). I predict seasonal changes in both food and nutrient consumption in
the wild troop due to phenological changes in their habitat and anticipated changes in the monkeys’ nutritional requirements across the seasons. Such changes were not expected to be found in the provisioned troop as the major part of their diet, the part offered by humans, was relatively stable across the two seasons. As this troop’s diet was nutritionally restrictive, seasonal changes in their nutrient intake are not expected.
4. To determine food and nutrient intake in a captive black-handed spider monkey troop that is
completely dependent upon humans for food and to assess whether the offered diet was
balanced and allowed the monkeys to reach and maintain nutritional goals. I predict that the
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nutritional content. Such a diverse diet is expected to allow the monkeys to make dietary
choices free of restrictions.
5. To determine daily food and nutrient intake based on the monkeys’ age class, sex, and social rank. I predict there to be differences between adults and juveniles and males and females due
to differences in energetic requirements. I also expect to find differences between monkeys
differing in social rank due to factors such as competition and/or food monopolization by
dominant individuals.
The thesis will consist of five chapters. Chapter One, “General introduction”, provides background information, the rationale of this research, and the aims, objectives, and structure
of the thesis.
Chapter two, “Food and Nutrient Intake in a Wild Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Troop”, addresses objectives 1 and 3. This chapter focuses on food and nutrient intake in a wild golden
snub-nosed monkey troop to understand what plant species and parts of plants are important
foods during summer and autumn and whether food choice reflects food availability.
Furthermore, food and nutrient intake based on age, sex, and reproductive status is determined. Chapter three, “The Impacts of Food Provisioning on Nutrient Intake in the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (R. roxellana)”, addresses objectives 2 and 3. This chapter compares food and nutrient
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had limited access to natural foods and was heavily provisioned. The knowledge obtained from
this study has implications for the management of provisioned monkeys for tourism.
Chapter Four, “Nutritional Ecology in a Captive Environment: The Effect of Age, Sex, and Social Status on Black-handed Spider Monkey (A. geoffroyi) Food and Nutrient Intake”,
addresses objectives 4 and 5. This chapter investigates a troop of black-handed spider monkeys
in a zoo and hence fully dependent on provisioned foods. I determined the range of
macronutrient ratios (nutrient space) made available to these monkeys. Furthermore, through
analysis of their daily macronutrient ratio intake pattern, I evaluated whether provided foods
allow them to meet their nutritional goal or cause the monkeys to make nutritional
compromises. I also investigated the effect of age, sex, and social status on food and nutrient
intake patterns.
Chapter Five, “General discussion and conclusion”, provides an overview of the findings of this thesis, their implications to conservation and management, and discussions on the
limitations of this study and suggestions for further research.
The findings from these studies will not only enrich our knowledge of primate nutritional
ecology, but are also important for the habitat management of these species in the wild and
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