Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Volume 170, Issue 2, Pages 207-216Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23913
Keywords
capuchin; invertebrate foraging; nutrition; Santa Rosa; seasonality
Categories
Funding
- Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures
- Canada Research Chairs
- Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary
- Leakey Foundation
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Sigma Xi
- Animal Behaviour Society
- International Primatological Society
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Objectives Invertebrates are important foods for many primates and provide valuable nutrients often unavailable from plant sources. We examine the diet of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus imitator) to determine: (a) timing and types of invertebrate food consumption; (b) whether invertebrate consumption varies with availability of plant foods; and (c) how invertebrates contribute to energy and protein intake of females during different reproductive states. Materials and methods We analyze 2 years of behavioral data from 25 adult female capuchins to determine which invertebrates are eaten. We describe annual and monthly invertebrate consumption patterns, and, employing circular statistics, analyze seasonal consumption of the four most important invertebrate groups eaten. We apply logistic regression analyses to tree density and fruit energy data to determine whether capuchin invertebrate foraging is related to fruit energy availability of their most commonly consumed fruits. We evaluate the nutritional contribution of invertebrates to energetic and protein requirements of females over time and across reproductive stages. Results Capuchins consumed invertebrates from 21 identifiable groups, but their diet was dominated by four orders: Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera. All four orders were consumed in a significantly seasonal pattern, and reduced fruit energy availability was a significant predictor of increased invertebrate foraging. Capuchin females often required invertebrate energy intake to meet their overall monthly energetic needs, particularly while they were lactating, even though they appear to exceed their protein requirements every month. Discussion These results indicate that invertebrate consumption is critical for capuchin energetic needs, particularly during periods of reduced fruit availability and lactation.
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