For many primates, sweet taste is palatable and is an indicator that the food contains carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches, as energy sources. However, we have found that Asian colobine monkeys (lutungs and langurs) have low sensitivity to various natural sugars. Sweet tastes are recognized when compounds bind to the sweet taste receptor TAS1R2/TAS1R3 in the oral cavity; accordingly, we conducted a functional assay using a heterologous expression system to evaluate the responses of Javan lutung (Trachypithecus auratus) TAS1R2/TAS1R3 to various natural sugars. We found that Javan lutung TAS1R2/TAS1R3 did not respond to natural sugars such as sucrose and maltose. We also conducted a behavioral experiment using the silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus) and Hanuman langur (Semnopithecus entellus) by measuring the consumption of sugar-flavored jellies. Consistent with the functional assay results for TAS1R2/TAS1R3, these Asian colobine monkeys showed no preference for sucrose or maltose jellies. These results demonstrate that sweet taste sensitivity to natural sugars is low in Asian colobine monkeys, and this may be related to the specific feeding habits of colobine monkeys.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10329-018-0679-2 | DOI Listing |
Am J Biol Anthropol
January 2025
Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, M263 Medical Sciences Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to examine the proportions of the manubrium and sternebrae across anthropoid primates to explore variation hypothesized to be related to thoracic shape and locomotor specialization, and to determine whether the sternoclavicular joint orientation in hominoids reflects hypothesized differences in shoulder joint positioning relative to the thorax.
Materials And Methods: Metric data and sternoclavicular joint orientation data were collected from calibrated photographs of manubria and sternebrae from a large sample (n = 244) of extant anthropoid primates, as well as a small sample of fossil taxa. Manubriosternal and rib cage metric data were also collected from CT scans of an additional 52 extant anthropoid torsos.
PLoS One
January 2025
Danau Girang Field Centre, c/o Sabah Wildlife Department, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Characterizing the feeding ecology of threatened species is essential to establish appropriate conservation strategies. We focused our study on the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus), an endangered primate species which is endemic to the island of Borneo. Our survey was conducted in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS), a riverine protected area that is surrounded by oil palm plantations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Primatol
January 2025
Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
A tooth-bearing mandible fossil of a colobine monkey discovered at Shuitangba, Zhaotong, Yunnan, China, was morphometrically analyzed and compared with extant Asian colobines. Our previous qualitative and quantitative descriptions indicate that it can be safely attributed to Mesopithecus pentelicus, a Miocene fossil colobine widely found in Europe and South Asia. The present research aims to explore fossil association with extant colobines and functionally propose its dietary preferences based on multivariate morphometric analyses of mandibular morphology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZoo Biol
November 2024
Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Anim Microbiome
November 2024
Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Changes in diet causing ecological stress pose a significant challenge to animal survival. In response, the gut microbiota, a crucial part of the host's digestive system, exhibits patterns of change reflective of alterations in the host's food component. The impact of temporal dietary shifts on gut microbiota has been elucidated through multidimensional modeling of both food component and macronutrient intake.
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