Food habits of Rhinopithecus bieti as assessed by fecal analysis at Mt. Longma, Southwest China.
The food habits of Rhinopithecus bieti were studied at Mt. Longma in Tianchi Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China using microhistological analysis of feces and phytochemical component analysis of food items, from January 2007 to March 2008. This region is the southernmost location of R. bieti with the most complex and varied vegetation types. R. bieti fed on 83 plant species of 26 families, at least 3 species of lichens and bamboos, respectively. The number of food items exploited varied markedly among seasons, with dietary diversity being greatest in summer and autumn. Young leaves of broadleaf plant, monocotyledonous plant leaves (bamboos), and 3 species of lichens in the genera Bryoria (Bryoria confuse) and Usnea (Unsea longissima and Unsea florida) were frequently eaten. Bamboos (Poaceae) and lichens formed a stable dietary constituent throughout the year, contributing about 24 and 13%, respectively, of the total feeding records. There was seasonal variation in the proportion of each food type in the diet of the R. bieti. Results of the phytochemistry analysis showed that food selectivity of R. bieti was positively correlated with the ratio of crude protein to neutral detergent fibre (CP/NDF) and negatively correlated with condensed tannins (CT). Results from the study also showed that the primary food items eaten by R. bieti in summer had higher CP and lower CT than in winter.
Li
Xue-You
XY
Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China. bioconservation@yahoo.cn
Yang
Shi-Jian
SJ
Yang
Yang
Y
D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D016673:Colobinae / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008011:Lichens / Q000145:classification; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification