Reconstructing temporal variation in great ape and other primate diets

A methodological framework for isotope analyses in hair

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19389115
AutoresVicky M Oelze (0000-0002-0915-0684, Department of Primatology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany, autor de correspondencia)
Año2016
Volumen78
Número10
Páginas1004-1016
Fecha de publicación2016-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Primatology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0275-2565 • E-ISSN: 1098-2345
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajp.22497
PMID26530015
OpenAlexW1946754441
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas80

Stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen in hair provides a versatile tool for reconstructing feeding behavior in elusive primate species. Particularly in great apes, researchers can sample long hair completely non-invasively from nests, allowing the investigation of inter- and intra-individual dietary variation. Given its incremental growth pattern, hair records temporal shifts in diet over long periods and allows one to reconstruct seasonal dietary patterns in species that cannot be directly observed. However, as for other sample materials, there are potential drawbacks related to the properties of hair keratin. Here I review some important facts on the nature of primate hair and also introduce new isotopic data from infant bonobo hair to provide methodological recommendations for future sample collection in the field and sample preparation in the laboratory. While these methodological guidelines focus on great apes which can be sampled strictly non-invasively, I also consider applications to other free-ranging primates. The biochemical composition, growth cycle, isotope turnover rate and isotopic fractionation in hair keratin are particularly relevant for data analysis and interpretation. Also, one can microscopically identify infant hairs and analyze them separately to study nursing and weaning behavior in primates. The goal of this article is to encourage primatologists to analyze the stable isotope ratios of hair to assess primate feeding ecology. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1004-1016, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Biology · Bonobo · Evolutionary biology · Foraging · Hair growth · Primate · Stable isotope ratio · Zoology · Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques · Marine animal studies overview · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Ecology · Physiology