Proteinbehovet styr apors matintag

[mikaelj]

(gör ett försök, verkar inte varit uppe innan)

Protein content of diets dictates the daily energy intake of a free-ranging primate

Abstract
An important goal in nutritional ecology is to understand what governs the diet selection of free-living animals. Relevant information is however scarce because of the considerable challenges of collecting and interpreting such data. Here we use recent advances in nutritional theory to analyze data on food selection and nutrient intake by wild spider monkeys (Ateles chamek). We show that hypotheses traditionally used to explain vertebrate diet selection, such as energy or protein maximization, or avoidance of plant secondary metabolites, cannot explain the observed pattern of nutrient intake. Instead, spider monkeys maintained a stable daily protein intake but allowed total energy intake to vary as a function of the composition of available food items. A similar "protein-leverage effect" has been reported in humans for whom it appears to play a role in the development of obesity.

Results
Our results fit the prediction of the protein-leverage hypothesis: Spider monkeys regulated their daily intake of available protein much more tightly than they did either carbohydrates or lipids, and this regulation disproportionately influenced total energy intake. The protein-leverage hypothesis predicts that in the most extreme case, nonprotein energy intake (i.e., intake of nonstructural carbohydrates plus lipids; C + L) will decrease hyperbolically with an increasing proportion of protein in the diet, whereas protein gain will remain constant (Simpson and Raubenheimer 2005). The observed selection of nutrients by spider monkeys closely resembled the pattern expected by this model (Figure 2).

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Mer i studien som finns gratis att läsa på http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/20/4/685

Populärvetenskaplig diskussion: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news-nz/20091108-19540.html - "Protein need makes us obese"

[Scratch89]

Baserar inte apor till stor del sitt matintag på vegetabilier?

[Trytter]

Flesta apor är allätare om jag inte är helt ute och cyklar. Så de baserar väl födointaget på det som är tillgängligt.. Förmodligen vegetabilier i de flesta fall så. Så jo.. Det stämmer nog:)

[Eddie Vedder]

Baserar inte apor till stor del sitt matintag på vegetabilier?

Om spindelapan från wikipedia:

The diet of spider monkeys consists of about 90% fruits and nuts. They can live for long periods on only one or two kinds of fruits and nuts. They eat the fruits of many big forest trees, and because they swallow fruits whole, the seeds are eventually excreted and fertilized by the feces. Most feeding happens from dawn to 10 am. Afterward, the adults rest while the young play. Through the rest of the day they may feed infrequently until around 10 pm. If food is low they may eat insects, bark, and honey.

Spider monkeys have a unique way of getting food: a lead female is responsible for feeding. If she cannot find enough food for the group, it splits into smaller groups to find food easier.[15] The traveling groups have four to nine animals. Each group is closely associated with its territory.[16] If the group is big, it spreads out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_monkey

Men med deras livsstil är det ju inte konstigt att fukt och bär från träd blir den primära födan. För inaktiva apor som lever ett mer "mänskligt" liv och inte behöver stoppa i sig varenda ätbar bit man kommer över kanske det här är överförbart på människa, vad vet jag?:)