To understand the effects of the chemical and physical properties of plant leaves on food choice in Rhinopithecus bieti, we collected mature leaves of nine food and five non-food plant species at the southernmost part...To understand the effects of the chemical and physical properties of plant leaves on food choice in Rhinopithecus bieti, we collected mature leaves of nine food and five non-food plant species at the southernmost part of the species＇s range. Chemical properties such as fat, ash, crude protein （CP）, total phenolics （TP）, and fiber content including neutral detergent fiber （NDF）, acid detergent fiber （ADF）, lignin, celluloses and hemicelluloses, and physical toughness were measured. R. bieti tended to choose leaves with lower fiber content, higher ash, a higher ratio of CP/ADF, and lower toughness. No difference was found for fat, crude protein, total phenolics, hemicelluloses and lignin between food and non-food leaves. Even though the ratio of CP/ADF is generally regarded as a good indicator for colobine food choice, the difference in the ratio of CP/ADF between food and non-food leaves was only the result of differences in ADE Since positive correlations were found between ADF and tough- ness from all leaves （both food and non-food species）, and toughness of leaves was likely easier for R. bieti to sense than fiber content via mastication, the toughness of leaves may function as a predictor of food choice in this species [Current Zoology 56 （6） 643-49, 2010].展开更多
It has been suggested that pairing behavior during winter in migratory ducks represents a trade-off between costs(defense of the female)and benefits(early access to females).To investigate the benefits and costs for b...It has been suggested that pairing behavior during winter in migratory ducks represents a trade-off between costs(defense of the female)and benefits(early access to females).To investigate the benefits and costs for both sexes in wintering pairs of ruddy shelducks(Tadorna ferruginea),we compared time budgets for paired males and females,and surveyed the sex ratio of the birds wintering at Lashihai Lake,southwest China.The behavior of the paired ruddy shelducks was monitored for 5 activity types:feeding,resting(including sleeping),preening,drinking and warning.Feeding was the most dominant activity.The feeding time of both sexes increased as the winter season progressed.However,the paired females always spent significantly more time feeding and less time warning than the paired males.Paired ruddy shelducks had access to better feeding grounds than unpaired individuals,resulting in a food benefit for paired individuals over single individuals.Because the sex ratio of the wintering population was strongly male biased(M:F=1.44:1.00),the paired male also gained the benefit of accessing a female in advance of the breeding season.展开更多
基金supported by TNC "Conservation Ecology of Yunnan Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Two Geographic Extremes of Species Range"PhD Funding from Dali University,National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.30770308,30960084,30960085)+1 种基金Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control in Yunnan Province (ZK09A313)Key Subject of Wildlife Conservation and Utilization in Yunnan Province (XKZ200904)
文摘To understand the effects of the chemical and physical properties of plant leaves on food choice in Rhinopithecus bieti, we collected mature leaves of nine food and five non-food plant species at the southernmost part of the species＇s range. Chemical properties such as fat, ash, crude protein （CP）, total phenolics （TP）, and fiber content including neutral detergent fiber （NDF）, acid detergent fiber （ADF）, lignin, celluloses and hemicelluloses, and physical toughness were measured. R. bieti tended to choose leaves with lower fiber content, higher ash, a higher ratio of CP/ADF, and lower toughness. No difference was found for fat, crude protein, total phenolics, hemicelluloses and lignin between food and non-food leaves. Even though the ratio of CP/ADF is generally regarded as a good indicator for colobine food choice, the difference in the ratio of CP/ADF between food and non-food leaves was only the result of differences in ADE Since positive correlations were found between ADF and tough- ness from all leaves （both food and non-food species）, and toughness of leaves was likely easier for R. bieti to sense than fiber content via mastication, the toughness of leaves may function as a predictor of food choice in this species [Current Zoology 56 （6） 643-49, 2010].
文摘It has been suggested that pairing behavior during winter in migratory ducks represents a trade-off between costs(defense of the female)and benefits(early access to females).To investigate the benefits and costs for both sexes in wintering pairs of ruddy shelducks(Tadorna ferruginea),we compared time budgets for paired males and females,and surveyed the sex ratio of the birds wintering at Lashihai Lake,southwest China.The behavior of the paired ruddy shelducks was monitored for 5 activity types:feeding,resting(including sleeping),preening,drinking and warning.Feeding was the most dominant activity.The feeding time of both sexes increased as the winter season progressed.However,the paired females always spent significantly more time feeding and less time warning than the paired males.Paired ruddy shelducks had access to better feeding grounds than unpaired individuals,resulting in a food benefit for paired individuals over single individuals.Because the sex ratio of the wintering population was strongly male biased(M:F=1.44:1.00),the paired male also gained the benefit of accessing a female in advance of the breeding season.
