Diet and Primate Evolution
Variation in the choices of food on a daily, seasonal, and yearly basis is one of the greatest differences between primate species. Primate diets have generally been divided into three main food categories-fruit, leaves and fauna (including insects, spiders, and bird's eggs for the most part). The different diets also are referred to as Frugivores, Folivores, and Insectivores (fruits, leaves and insects respectively). These gross dietary categories are correlated with aspects of primate activity patterns such as home range and group size. There are different problems that have to be overcome in order to obtain a balanced diet on a day-to-day basis. New leaves and mature leaves, for example, may have different nutritional bases or availabilities. Some fruits appear in large clumps while others are spread thinly over a larger area. Aside from diet, primates have tended to either adapt through specialized dentition and digestive systems or rely on a variety of different foods. Those that chose this second route have tended to have larger brain sizes relative to their overall body size. This may be due to the need to know where different types of food can be found at different times throughout th
Plants have been a major food eaten by primates. The primates were almost exclusively herbivorous. A strong focus on plant foods is characteristic of all primates-- and there is strong consensus that the primates were very strongly herbivorous (Milton 1987, 1993). Many plants are lacking vital nutrients, such as vitamins and the protein building blocks known as amino acids, that the monkeys and other animals require. Some plants lack enough carbohydrates to make them worthwhile as energy producers. Yet in all of these cases the primates would still search for specific plants that exhibited one or more of these traits, rather than just rely on the plant life that was within easy reach. The primate gut is very sensitive to the differences between C3 and C4 plants. Specifically, the microflora in human guts is sensitive to these differences. Human primates can effectively digest fiber from vegetables such as cabbage and carrots, but less
Some common words found in the essay are:
Folivores Insectivores, Interestingly Savannah, Gaulin Konner, C3 C4, Evolution Variation, Southeast Asia, milton 1987, fruit leaves, gaulin konner 1977, food items, konner 1977, natural selection, particular type, plant foods, diet primates, gaulin konner, quality diet, lack dietary specialization, particular type plant, low quality foods,
Approximate Word count = 1753
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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