{"id":21,"date":"2015-06-01T16:44:58","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T16:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2020-05-25T19:15:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-25T19:15:01","slug":"primate-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/primate-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Primate Research"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Tana<\/a>
Ring-tailed lemur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Tana River red colobus monkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Eritrean grivet (D. Brahane)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Indri (N. Garbutt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Diadema\u2019s sifaka (N. Garbutt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Tana River crested mangabey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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black & white colobus monkey (P. Fashing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I have been studying the ecology of African primates since 1990.\u00a0\u00a0Much of my research is centered on feeding ecology.\u00a0\u00a0What is a particular primate species eating?\u00a0\u00a0What are the costs and benefits to the animal from a nutritive perspective?\u00a0\u00a0What type of digestive specializations, if any, does the animal possess?\u00a0\u00a0What type of habitat does the animal live in?\u00a0\u00a0Is the species and\/or its habitat threatened?\u00a0\u00a0Most non-human primates are found in parts of the world where human-induced activities are having a negative impact on their survival.\u00a0\u00a0Therefore, there is usually a conservation component to my work with primates.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Non-human primates have diverse diets, but most rely on plant parts as their major source of nutrition.\u00a0\u00a0Plants, however, do not necessarily sit passively by and allow themselves to be eaten.\u00a0\u00a0Chemical constituents and physical structures provide protection for the plant, and generally no single plant can provide all of the essential nutrients for an animal, including a primate.\u00a0\u00a0Due to physiological differences, some primates are better able to digest fiber and are adapted to a more folivorous (i.e., leafy) diet, some are more frugivorous (i.e., are fruit eaters), while others depend more upon insects (i.e., are insectivorous).<\/p>\n

Primate studies that I have been involved in include:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Tana River Red Colobus Monkey (<\/span>Piliocolobus rufomitratus<\/span><\/em>)<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Colobus monkeys are unique in that they have a ruminant-like digestive system, which allows them to extract nutrients from fiber-rich foods and to potentially detoxify some harmful plant chemical defenses.\u00a0\u00a0This study was conducted in the forests along the Tana River in southeastern Kenya, home to two of the world\u2019s most endangered primates, the Tana River red colobus monkey and the Tana River crested mangabey (<\/span>Cercocebus galeritus<\/span><\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ring-tailed Lemur (<\/span>Lemur catta<\/span><\/em>) Nutrition<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0I served as the Nutrition Advisor for the ring-tailed lemur Species Survival Plan (SSP).\u00a0\u00a0Ring-tailed lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, but there is also a fairly sizeable population in captivity around the world, including several free-ranging groups on St. Catherines Island off the coast of Georgia.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sympatric Indri (<\/span>Indri indri<\/span><\/em>) and Diadema\u2019s Sifaka (<\/span>Propithecus diadema diadema<\/span><\/em>).<\/span> These are Madagascar\u2019s largest living lemurs and their geographic ranges overlap, meaning that they could potentially compete with one another for resources.\u00a0\u00a0While they do not have specialized stomachs like the colobine monkeys, they do have an enlarged cecum (hindgut) for the retention and processing of high fiber foods.\u00a0\u00a0Dr. Joyce Powzyk (Duke University, Wesleyan University), the project\u2019s principle investigator, and I determined that the indri\u2019s diet is primarily folivorous while the diadema sifaka eats a variety of fruits, seeds, flowers and leaves, thereby allowing these two species to coexist.<\/span><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An Ecological Study of Eritrean Grivet Monkeys (<\/span>Cercopitheus aethiops aethiops<\/span><\/em>).<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0Vervet monkeys are found throughout Africa, but Eritrea, above Ethiopia and just below the Red Sea, appears to harbor the northernmost population.\u00a0\u00a0Distinct morphological differences occur in the Eritrean population (known locally as grivet monkeys), including long white fur at the cheeks, and they have a highly arboreal lifestyle in the dwindling tropical evergreen forests of the Semanawi Bahri region of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Western Lowland Gorilla (<\/span>Gorilla gorilla gorilla<\/span><\/em>) Diet.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0This study was conducted on lowland gorillas living in Bai Hokou, Central African Republic in collaboration with Dr. Melissa Remis (Purdue University), the principle investigator, and Dr. Ellen Dierenfeld.\u00a0\u00a0Despite their large size and fierce portrayal in popular media, gorillas are strictly vegetarians, eating large quantities of fruits and leaves.<\/span><\/p>\n

6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Black and White Colobus Monkeys (<\/span>Colobus guereza<\/span><\/em>) in Kakamega Forest, Kenya<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0Dr. Peter Fashing was the principle investigator on this project, and Dr. Ellen Dierenfeld was also involved.\u00a0\u00a0Studies from a number of Paletropical rain forests through the years have shown a positive correlation between the protein\/fiber ratio of available foliage (as a measure of food quality) and the biomass of resident colobus monkeys.\u00a0\u00a0Our data from Kakamega fits this pattern.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relevant Publications:<\/p>\n

Ganzhorn, J. U., S. J. Arrigo- Nelson, V. Carrai, M. K. Chalise, G. Donati, I. Droescher, T. M. Eppley, M. T. Irwin, F. Koch, A. Koenig, M. M. Kowalewski, C. B. Mowry, E. R. Patel, C. Pichon, J. Ralison, C. Reisdorff, B., E. Stalenberg, D. Starrs, J. Terboven, P. C. Wright and W. J. Foley (2017) The Importance of Protein in Leaf Selection of Folivorous Primates.<\/a> American Journal of Primatology<\/em> 79(4): 1-13.<\/div>\n

Fashing, P.J., E.S. Dierenfeld and C. B. Mowry (2007) Influence of plant and soil chemistry on food selection, ranging patterns, and biomass of Colobus guereza<\/span> in Kakamega Forest, Kenya. <\/span>International Journal of Primatology<\/span><\/em> 28(3): 673-703.<\/span><\/p>\n

Powzyk, J.A. and C.B. Mowry (2006) The feeding ecology and related adaptations of Indri indri<\/span>. In Gould, L and Sauther, M.S. (eds.) <\/span>Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation<\/span>, Springer, New York, pp. 355 \u2013 370.<\/span><\/p>\n

Powzyk, J.A. and C.B. Mowry (2003) Diet and feeding differences between sympatric indrids:\u00a0\u00a0Propithecus diadema diadema<\/span> and <\/span>Indri indri<\/span>. <\/span>International Journal of Primatology<\/span><\/em> 24(6): 1143-1162.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaffney, S., V.Williams, P. Flynn, R. Carlino, C. Mowry, E. Dierenfeld, C. Babb, J.Fan, and W.A. Tramontano. (2004) Tannin\/polyphenol effects on iron solubilization in vitro. BIOS<\/span><\/em> 75(2): 43-52.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remis, M.J., E.S. Dierenfeld, C.B. Mowry, and R.W. Carroll (2001) Nutritional aspects of western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) diet during seasons of fruit scarcity at Bai Hokou, Central African Republic. International Journal of Primatology<\/span><\/em> 22(5): 807-836.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mowry, C.B. and J.L. Campbell (2001) Nutrition. In: Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta<\/em>) Husbandry Manual<\/span>. American Association of Zoos and Aquariums.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mowry, C.B., C. McCann, R. Lessnau and E. Dierenfeld (1997) Secondary compounds in foods selected by free-ranging primates on St. Catherines Island, GA. Proceedings of the Second Conference of the Nutrition Advisory Group\/American Zoo and Aquarium Association on Wildlife Nutrition, Ft.Worth, Texas.<\/p>\n

Mowry, C.B., B.S. Decker and D.J. Shure. (1996) The role of phytochemistry in dietary choices of Tana River red colobus monkeys (Procolobus badius rufomitratus<\/span><\/em>). <\/span>International Journal of Primatology<\/span><\/em> 17: 63-84.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mowry, C.B. (1995) Possible infanticidal behaviour by a Tana River red colobus (Procolobus badius rufomitratus<\/span>). <\/span>African Primates<\/span><\/em> 1: 48-51.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          I have been studying the ecology of African primates since 1990.\u00a0\u00a0Much of my research is centered on feeding ecology.\u00a0\u00a0What is a particular primate species eating?\u00a0\u00a0What are the costs and benefits to the animal from a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166,"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.berry.edu\/cmowry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}