TY - JOUR
T1 - Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure
AU - Aleixo-Pais, I
AU - Borges, F
AU - Sesay, Nazie
AU - Songe, Mustapha
AU - Cassama, Mamadu
AU - Camara, Iaia T.
AU - Ramos, Catarina
AU - Barca, Benjamin
AU - Turay, Brima S.
AU - Swaray, Mohamed
AU - de Barros, Aissa Regalla de
AU - Quecuta, Queba
AU - da Silva, Maria Joana Ferreira Da
AU - Frazao-Moreira, A
AU - Bruford, Michael William
AU - Minhós, T
N1 - info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04038%2F2020/PT#
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04038%2F2020/PT#
UIDB/04038/2020
UIDP/04038/2020
PY - 2023/11/14
Y1 - 2023/11/14
N2 - Food distribution and abundance can affect intra- and inter-dietary variation in non-human primates, influencing feeding ecology and altering behaviour. Natural and/or human-induced actions can influence the dynamics between primates and the environment, with associated impacts on socio-ecology and demography. This relationship in anthropogenic landscapes, however, is poorly understood. Here, we use DNA metabarcoding to obtain high resolution dietary diversity data, and multivariate generalised linear models to investigate variation in the diet of this threatened primate. We characterise the diet of the western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius) in both the better preserved Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP, Sierra Leone), and in the fragmented forests of Cantanhez National Park (CNP, Guinea-Bissau), and evaluate biological, ecological and temporal differences. Dietary plant species richness was high in both protected areas, and the type of plants consumed varied significantly across seasons, space, and time. Although we identify dependence on a few key plants, red colobus in CNP consumed a higher average number of plant taxa than in GRNP, and 11% of the diet consisted of cultivated foods (e.g. mango). This is the first time a molecular approach has been used to investigate red colobus diet, and reveal dietary flexibility in degraded forests. Predicting the consequences of dietary change on long-term population persistence, however, remains a significant knowledge gap. Nevertheless, our results provide critical information to inform targeted regional conservation planning and implementation.
AB - Food distribution and abundance can affect intra- and inter-dietary variation in non-human primates, influencing feeding ecology and altering behaviour. Natural and/or human-induced actions can influence the dynamics between primates and the environment, with associated impacts on socio-ecology and demography. This relationship in anthropogenic landscapes, however, is poorly understood. Here, we use DNA metabarcoding to obtain high resolution dietary diversity data, and multivariate generalised linear models to investigate variation in the diet of this threatened primate. We characterise the diet of the western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius) in both the better preserved Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP, Sierra Leone), and in the fragmented forests of Cantanhez National Park (CNP, Guinea-Bissau), and evaluate biological, ecological and temporal differences. Dietary plant species richness was high in both protected areas, and the type of plants consumed varied significantly across seasons, space, and time. Although we identify dependence on a few key plants, red colobus in CNP consumed a higher average number of plant taxa than in GRNP, and 11% of the diet consisted of cultivated foods (e.g. mango). This is the first time a molecular approach has been used to investigate red colobus diet, and reveal dietary flexibility in degraded forests. Predicting the consequences of dietary change on long-term population persistence, however, remains a significant knowledge gap. Nevertheless, our results provide critical information to inform targeted regional conservation planning and implementation.
KW - DNA metabarcoding
KW - Piliocolobus badius
KW - Altered habitats
KW - Feeding ecology
KW - Non-human primates
KW - Non-invasive sampling
KW - West Africa
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=nova_api&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001114891200001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS
U2 - 10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277
DO - 10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277
M3 - Article
SN - 2296-701X
VL - 11
SP - 1
EP - 17
JO - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
JF - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
M1 - 1280277
ER -