Jessica M Rothman
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 80005 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Jessica M Rothman |
| PRENOMES | Jessica M |
| SOBRENOME | Rothman |
| ASSINATURA | ROTHMAN J M |
| AFILIAÇÕES | City University of New York |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7664-6065 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 51 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 165 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 51 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2005 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 7 |
Contrasting Nutritional Intakes in Sympatric Malagasy Lemurs
Picking pithy plants
Understanding diet selectivity is a longstanding goal in primate ecology. Deciphering when and why primates consume different resources can provide insights into their nutritional ecology as well as adaptations to food scarcity. Plant pith, the spongy interior of plant stems, is occasionally eaten by primates, but the context is poorly understood. We examine the ecological, mechanical, chemical, and nutritional basis of plant pith selection by a …
The nutritional quality of male chimpanzee diets in a semiarid savanna
Nutrient balancing in a fruit‐specialist primate, the black‐and‐white ruffed lemur ( Varecia variegata )
Animals' foraging behavior and dietary choices are, in part, driven by their ultimate function: to meet nutritional demands. However, depending on their degree of dietary specialization and the availability and distribution of food resources in their environment, species may utilize different nutritional strategies. With shifting plant phenology, increasing unpredictability of fruiting, and declining food quality in response to anthropogenic clim…
The cost of living in larger primate groups includes higher fly densities
Flies are implicated in carrying and mechanically transmitting many primate pathogens. We investigated how fly associations vary across six monkey species ( Cercopithecus ascanius, Cercopithecus mitis , Colobus guereza , Lophocebus albigena , Papio anubis , and Piliocolobus tephrosceles ) and whether monkey group size impacts fly densities. Fly densities were generally higher inside groups than outside them, and considering data from these primat…
Plant secondary metabolites and primate food choices
The role of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) in shaping the feeding decisions, habitat suitability, and reproductive success of herbivorous mammals has been a major theme in ecology for decades. Although primatologists were among the first to test these ideas, studies of PSMs in the feeding ecology of non‐human primates have lagged in recent years, leading to a recent call for primatologists to reconnect with phytochemists to advance our unders…
High levels of infant handling by adult males in Rwenzori Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) compared to two closely related species, C. guereza and C. vellerosus
Nutritional geometry of female chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )
Primate foraging is influenced by the spatial and temporal distribution of foods, which may facilitate or constrain optimal nutrient intakes. Chimpanzees are frugivorous primates that mainly subsist on ripe fruit that is typically low in available protein (AP) and high in easily digestible carbohydrates. Because chimpanzees prefer ripe fruit and often eat it in large quantities compared with other foods, we hypothesized that protein intake would …
Maternal feeding benefits of allomaternal care in black‐and‐white colobus ( Colobus guereza )
Caring for infants involves lactation, protection, provisioning, and carrying—all energetically taxing states for primate mothers. Holding and carrying clinging infants often constrains mothers from moving and traveling, potentially reducing their food and energy intake; however, when separated from its mother an infant is at risk of predation. This separation therefore requires that mothers be vigilant, further deterring them from feeding. Allom…
Opportunities for respiratory disease transmission from people to chimpanzees at an East African tourism site
Respiratory illnesses, including COVID‐19, present a serious threat to endangered wild chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) populations. In some parts of sub‐Saharan Africa, chimpanzee tracking is a popular tourism activity, offering visitors a chance to view apes in their natural habitats. Chimpanzee tourism is an important source of revenue and thus benefits conservation; however, chimpanzee tracking may also increase the risk of disease transmission…
Western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) access a nutritionally balanced, high energy, and abundant food, baobab ( Adansonia digitata ) fruit, with extractive foraging and reingestion
Intrinsic to several hypotheses explaining the evolution of foraging behavior complexity, such as proto‐tool use, is the assumption that more complex ingestive behaviors are adaptations allowing individuals to access difficult to procure but nutritionally or energetically rewarding foods. However, nutritional approaches to understanding this complexity have been underutilized. The goal of this study was to evaluate potential nutritional determina…
Deconstructing Protein in the Diet and Biomass of Colobine Primates
Eating Bushmeat Improves Food Security in a Biodiversity and Infectious Disease “Hotspot”
Wood and meat as complementary sources of sodium for Kanyawara chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )
OBJECTIVES: Sodium, a vital micronutrient that is often in scarce supply for tropical herbivores, is sometimes found at high concentration in decaying wood. We tested two hypotheses for chimpanzees: first, that wood-eating facilitates acquisition of sodium; second, that wood-eating occurs in response to the low availability of sodium from other dietary sources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the behavior of more than 50 chimpanzees of all age-…
Playing it safe? Solitary vervet monkeys ( Chlorocebus pygerythrus ) choose high‐quality foods more than those in competition
An important goal in foraging ecology is to determine how biotic and abiotic variables impact the foraging decisions of wild animals and how they move throughout their multidimensional landscape. However, the interaction of food quality and feeding competition on foraging decisions is largely unknown. Here we examine the importance of food quality in a patch on the foraging decisions of wild vervet monkeys ( Chlorocebus pygerythrus ) at Lake Nabu…
Dietary generalists and nutritional specialists
Generalist primates eat many food types and shift their diet with changes in food availability. Variation in foods eaten may not, however, match variation in nutrient intake. We examined dietary variation in a generalist‐feeder, the blue monkey ( Cercopithecus mitis ), to see how dietary food intake related to variation in available food and nutrient intake. We used 371 all‐day focal follows from 24 adult females (three groups) in a wild rainfore…
Crab-fishing by chimpanzees in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea
The significance of aquatic food resources for hominins is poorly understood, despite evidence of consumption as early as 1.95 million years ago (Ma). Here we present the first evidence of a non-human ape habitually catching and consuming aquatic crabs. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the rainforest of the Nimba Mountains (Guinea) consumed freshwater crabs year-round, irrespective of rainfall or ripe fruit availability. Parties of females …
Nutritional composition of the diet of the northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus annamensis) in northeastern Cambodia
The effects of plant nutritional chemistry on food selection of Mexican black howler monkeys ( Alouatta pigra )
Understanding the nutritional basis of food selection is fundamental to evaluate dietary patterns and foraging strategies in primates. This research describes the phytochemical composition of the foods consumed by two groups of Mexican black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) during a 15-month field study, and examines how plant nutritional chemistry affected food choice. Based on indices of selectivity that reflected seasonal changes in the amount …
Nutritional ecology of wild Bornean orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii ) in a peat swamp habitat
The spatial and temporal variation in food abundance has strong effects on wildlife feeding and nutrition. This variation is exemplified by the peatland forests of Central Kalimantan, which are characterized by unpredictable fruiting fluctuations, relatively low levels of fruit availability, and low fruit periods (<3% of trees fruiting) that can last nearly a year. Challenged by these environments, large, arboreal frugivores like orangutans must …
Contrasting time‐based and weight‐based estimates of protein and energy intake of black howler monkeys ( Alouatta pigra )
Two methods are commonly used to describe the feeding behavior of wild primates, one based on the proportion of time animals spent feeding on specific plant parts ("time-based" estimates) and one based on estimates of the actual amounts of different plant materials ingested ('"weight-based" estimates). However, studies based on feeding time may not be accurate for making quantitative assessments of animals' nutrient and energy intake. We analyzed…
Minerals in the foods and diet of diademed sifakas
Minerals, though needed in small quantities, are essential to metabolic processes, and deficiencies can seriously threaten health, reproduction and survival. Despite this, few studies have measured mineral composition of wild primate foods and fewer have quantified mineral intake. Here we measured the concentration of nine minerals in 75 foods of diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema; five groups) in habitats with varying levels of disturbance at…
Macronutrient balancing affects patch departure by guerezas ( Colobus guereza )
Foraging strategies are central in shaping social structure and grouping patterns in primates. We address Colobus guereza foraging strategies by investigating their patch departure decisions in relation to diet composition and nutrition. We examine whether guerezas are constrained in their intake of food in patches and thereby forage according to a fixed amount strategy that dictates patch departure. Additionally, we assess whether guereza employ…
Sex and seasonal differences in diet and nutrient intake in Verreaux's sifakas ( Propithecus verreauxi )
Fluctuations in food availability are a major challenge faced by primates living in seasonal climates. Variation in food availability can be especially challenging for females, because of the high energetic costs of reproduction. Therefore, females must adapt the particular demands of the different reproductive stages to the seasonal availability of resources. Madagascar has a highly seasonal climate, where food availability can be extremely vari…
Feeding in fear? How adult male western chimpanzees ( P an troglodytes verus ) adjust to predation and savanna habitat pressures
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated risk-sensitive foraging in adult male western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) occupying a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal. The aim of this study was to determine how the risks of predation and heat stress influenced their behavior while feeding on a key food, fruit of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Proximity of fruiting baobab trees to anthropogenic landmarks were compared to food…
Fallback Foods, Optimal Diets, and Nutritional Targets
Eating is a risky affair. All animals have to offset risks of feeding such as exposure to plant toxins, increased vulnerability to predation, or conspecific aggression with a food's energetic and nutritional return. What, when, and where an individual eats can impact fitness and, ultimately, species-level adaptations. Here, we explore the variables that influence primate feeding preference: food availability, chemical defense, and nutrient conten…
Methods in Primate Nutritional Ecology
Nutritional contributions of insects to primate diets
Nutritional correlates of the “lean season”
Primate field studies often identify “lean seasons,” when preferred foods are scarce, and lower‐quality, abundant foods (fallback foods) are consumed. Here, we quantify the nutritional implications of these terms for two diademed sifaka groups ( Propithecus diadema ) in Madagascar, using detailed feeding observations and chemical analyses of foods. In particular, we sought to understand 1) how macronutrient and energy intakes vary seasonally, inc…
Feeding in fear? How adult male western chimpanzees ( P an troglodytes verus ) adjust to predation and savanna habitat pressures
OBJECTIVES: We evaluated risk-sensitive foraging in adult male western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) occupying a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal. The aim of this study was to determine how the risks of predation and heat stress influenced their behavior while feeding on a key food, fruit of the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Proximity of fruiting baobab trees to anthropogenic landmarks were compared to food…
Nutritional benefits of crematogaster mimosae ants and acacia drepanolobium gum for patas monkeys and vervets in laikipia, Kenya
Patas monkeys ( Erythrocebus patas ) are midsized primates that feed extensively on the gum of Acacia drepanolobium and the ants are housed in swollen thorns of this Acacia. Their diet resembles that expected more of smaller bodied primates. Patas monkeys are also more like smaller bodied primates in reproducing at high rates. We sought to better understand the convergence of patas monkeys with smaller bodied primates by comparing their feeding b…
Are Primates Ecosystem Engineers
Crab-fishing by chimpanzees in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea
The significance of aquatic food resources for hominins is poorly understood, despite evidence of consumption as early as 1.95 million years ago (Ma). Here we present the first evidence of a non-human ape habitually catching and consuming aquatic crabs. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the rainforest of the Nimba Mountains (Guinea) consumed freshwater crabs year-round, irrespective of rainfall or ripe fruit availability. Parties of females …
Macronutrient contributions of insects to the diets of hunter-gatherers
Nutritional consequences of folivory in a small‐bodied lemur ( Lepilemur leucopus )
OBJECTIVES: Small-bodied folivores are rare because processing leaves often requires extensive gut adaptations and lengthy retention times for fiber fermentation. However, the <1 kg nocturnal white-footed sportive lemurs (Lepilemur leucopus) persist on a leaf-based diet. We investigated how extrinsic (i.e., seasonality in temperature and food availability) and intrinsic factors (i.e., reproductive state) influence nutrient intake and explored how…
Macronutrient and Energy Contributions of Insects to the Diet of a Frugivorous Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)
Estrogenic plant foods of red colobus monkeys and mountain gorillas in uganda
Phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring estrogen‐mimicking compounds, are found in many human plant foods, such as soybeans ( Glycine max ) and other legumes. Because the consumption of phytoestrogens may result in both health benefits of protecting against estrogen‐dependent cancers and reproductive costs of disrupting the developing endocrine system, considerable biomedical research has been focused on the physiological and behavioral effects of…
Rapid Assessment of the Nutritional Value of Foods Eaten by Mountain Gorillas
Wood and meat as complementary sources of sodium for Kanyawara chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes )
OBJECTIVES: Sodium, a vital micronutrient that is often in scarce supply for tropical herbivores, is sometimes found at high concentration in decaying wood. We tested two hypotheses for chimpanzees: first, that wood-eating facilitates acquisition of sodium; second, that wood-eating occurs in response to the low availability of sodium from other dietary sources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the behavior of more than 50 chimpanzees of all age-…
Do Fruit Nutrients Affect Subgrouping Patterns in Wild Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)
Intestinal parasites and bacteria of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Plant choice in the construction of night nests by gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
We investigated the choice of plants in nest sites and individual night nests of a group of gorillas ( Gorilla beringei ) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Most of the nests were built on the ground in secondary forest or canopy gaps. The gorillas used 62 plant genera in their nests out of a possible 108 plant genera available in the immediate environment. This group of Bwindi gorillas chose nest sites nonrandomly with respect to habi…
Nutritional chemistry of foods eaten by gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Foods eaten by gorillas ( Gorilla beringei ) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, were analyzed for their nutrient content. The goal of the study was to assess the amounts of fiber, protein, and sugars in the foods eaten by the Bwindi gorillas, and to determine whether condensed tannins and cyanide are present in these foods. A total of 127 food plant parts representing 84 plant species eaten by two groups of Bwindi gorillas were …
Bigger groups have fewer parasites and similar cortisol levels
If stress and disease impose fitness costs, and if those costs vary as a function of group size, then stress and disease should exert selection pressures on group size. We assessed the relationships between group size, stress, and parasite infections across nine groups of red colobus monkeys ( Procolobus rufomitratus ) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used fecal cortisol as a measure of physiological stress and examined fecal samples to assess…
Fiber‐bound nitrogen in gorilla diets
Protein is essential for living organisms, but digestibility of crude protein is poorly understood and difficult to predict. Nitrogen is used to estimate protein content because nitrogen is a component of the amino acids that comprise protein, but a substantial portion of the nitrogen in plants may be bound to fiber in an indigestible form. To estimate the amount of crude protein that is unavailable in the diets of mountain gorillas ( Gorilla ber…
Measuring physical traits of primates remotely
Physical traits, such as body size, and processes like growth can be used as indices of primate health and can add to our understanding of life history and behavior. Accurately measuring physical traits in the wild can be challenging because capture is difficult, disrupts animals, and may cause injury. To measure physical traits of arboreal primates remotely, we adapted a parallel laser technique that has been used with terrestrial and marine mam…
Within-species differences in primate social structure
Condensed tannins in the diets of primates
To understand the ways in which condensed tannins (CT) affect primate diet selection and nutritional status, correct measurements are essential. In the majority of studies of the CT contents of primate foods, a tannin source such as “quebracho” is used to standardize CT assays, but the CT in quebracho tannin may not be similar to those in the plants of interest. We investigated how the choice of standard to calibrate CT assays affects the estimat…
Rapid Assessment of the Nutritional Value of Foods Eaten by Mountain Gorillas
Patch depletion behavior differs between sympatric folivorous primates
Protozoan parasites in group‐living primates
A series of articles by W.J. Freeland published in the 1970s proposed that social organization and behavioral processes were heavily influenced by parasitic infections, which led to a number of intriguing hypotheses concerning how natural selection might act on social factors because of the benefits of avoiding parasite infections. For example, Freeland [1979] showed that all individuals within a given group harbored identical gastrointestinal pr…
Methods in Primate Nutritional Ecology
Estrogenic plant foods of red colobus monkeys and mountain gorillas in uganda
Phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring estrogen‐mimicking compounds, are found in many human plant foods, such as soybeans ( Glycine max ) and other legumes. Because the consumption of phytoestrogens may result in both health benefits of protecting against estrogen‐dependent cancers and reproductive costs of disrupting the developing endocrine system, considerable biomedical research has been focused on the physiological and behavioral effects of…
Diurnal Variation in Nutrients and Chimpanzee Foraging Behavior
Primate feeding behavior varies over long (e.g., weekly, seasonally, yearly) and short (e.g., hourly) scales of time due to changes in resource availability and the nutritional composition of foods. While the factors that affect long‐term changes in feeding behavior have received considerable attention, few data exist regarding what drives variability in feeding behavior over the course of a single day. To address this problem, we investigated di…
Are Primates Ecosystem Engineers
Nutritional benefits of crematogaster mimosae ants and acacia drepanolobium gum for patas monkeys and vervets in laikipia, Kenya
Patas monkeys ( Erythrocebus patas ) are midsized primates that feed extensively on the gum of Acacia drepanolobium and the ants are housed in swollen thorns of this Acacia. Their diet resembles that expected more of smaller bodied primates. Patas monkeys are also more like smaller bodied primates in reproducing at high rates. We sought to better understand the convergence of patas monkeys with smaller bodied primates by comparing their feeding b…
Fatty acids in mountain gorilla diets
Little is known about the fatty acid composition of foods eaten by wild primates. A total of 18 staple foods that comprise 97% of the annual dietary intake of the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei) were analyzed for fatty acid concentrations. Fruits and herbaceous leaves comprise the majority of the diet, with fruits generally having a higher mean percentage of fat (of dry matter; DM), as measured by ether extract (EE), than herbaceous leaves (1…
Nutritional correlates of the “lean season”
Primate field studies often identify “lean seasons,” when preferred foods are scarce, and lower‐quality, abundant foods (fallback foods) are consumed. Here, we quantify the nutritional implications of these terms for two diademed sifaka groups ( Propithecus diadema ) in Madagascar, using detailed feeding observations and chemical analyses of foods. In particular, we sought to understand 1) how macronutrient and energy intakes vary seasonally, inc…
Macronutrient contributions of insects to the diets of hunter-gatherers
Nutritional contributions of insects to primate diets
Macronutrient and Energy Contributions of Insects to the Diet of a Frugivorous Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius)
Fallback Foods, Optimal Diets, and Nutritional Targets
Eating is a risky affair. All animals have to offset risks of feeding such as exposure to plant toxins, increased vulnerability to predation, or conspecific aggression with a food's energetic and nutritional return. What, when, and where an individual eats can impact fitness and, ultimately, species-level adaptations. Here, we explore the variables that influence primate feeding preference: food availability, chemical defense, and nutrient conten…
Stable isotopic variation in tropical forest plants for applications in primatology
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, whi…
Remembering Jerry Lwanga
Do Fruit Nutrients Affect Subgrouping Patterns in Wild Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)
Biology (47 obras) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (43 obras) · Ecology (40 obras) · Zoology (20 obras) · Primate (19 obras) · Nutrient (15 obras) · Ecology (14 obras) · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (14 obras) · Animal ecology (12 obras) · Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior (12 obras)