Acacia gum and its use by bushbabies, Galago senegalensis (Primates: Lorisidae).
Acacia gum and its use by bushbabies, Galago senegalensis (Primates: Lorisidae).
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DOI：
10.1007/bf02735592
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发表时间：
1980-01-01
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Martin, R.D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bearder, S.K.;Martin, R.D.
在南非德兰士瓦北方的一个桑维尔德研究点，用无线电跟踪法对小乳猴（Galago senegalensis moholi）进行了为期2年的研究（1975年8月至1977年8月）。经证实，饮食完全由植物分泌物（树胶）和节肢动物组成;从未食用过可用的水果。树胶取自Acaciatrees的树干和树枝，特别是Acacia karroo（主要来源），来自MA。在很小的程度上，从A。化学分析表明，树胶主要由碳水化合物和水组成，含有少量的纤维、蛋白质和矿物质（特别是钙、镁和钾）。因此，树胶很可能是小婴儿饮食中最主要的碳水化合物来源，尽管似乎必须存在消化聚合戊糖和己糖的特殊机制。口香糖中的钙含量（约1%）可能对弥补节肢动物食物中钙含量低有重要意义，其高钙磷比可能很好地抵消了节肢动物食物中钙磷比低的影响。显然，树胶的产生主要是对昆虫活动的反应。甲虫（天牛科、天牛科和弹蛾科）和蛾（瓢虫科）的幼虫在树表面下钻有通道，树胶通过侵入寄主相思树时形成的小孔释放出来。蝇幼虫（蝇科）也可能在充满树胶的洞穴中发育。分泌到树表面的口香糖是由树宝宝在每晚的定期访问中收集的，并且在陷阱底板和某些口香糖部位上的特征标记的形式中获得了确凿的证据，即下颚中的刮刀用于从树表面铲走口香糖。在冬季的几个月里，觅食和进食树胶的数量增加，这在某些年份可能特别苛刻。在该研究所涵盖的特别寒冷的冬季，昆虫的可用性很小，而小袋鼠主要以口香糖为食，其中一些减少了夜间的总活动时间。口香糖全年都有供应，详细的记录表明，口香糖生产没有明确的季节性模式。因此，它们是小袋鼠一年四季的重要食物来源。近年来，许多灵长类动物都以树胶为食（特别是手齿鲸科（Cheirogaleidae）、懒猴科（Lorisidae）和马齿科（Callitrichidae）的各种动物），这些植物分泌物现在必须被视为灵长类动物的重要食物类别。
Lesser bushbabies(Galago senegalensis moholi)were studied by radiotracking over a 2-year period(August 1975 to August 1977)at a thornveld study site in the Northern Transvaal, South Africa. It was confirmed that the diet consisted exclusively of plant exudates (gums) and arthropods;available fruits were never eaten. The gums were taken from the trunks and branches ofAcaciatrees, particularly fromAcacia karroo(the major source), fromA. tortilis,and to a small extent fromA. nilotica.Chemical analysis shows that gums consist predominantly of carbohydrates and water, with small quantities of fiber, protein, and minerals (notably calcium, magnesium, and potassium). Thus, the gums probably present first and foremost a source of carbohydrate in the diet of the lesser bushbaby, though it seems likely that special mechanisms must exist for digestion of the polymerized pentose and hexose sugars. The calcium content of the gums (approx. 1% by weight) is probably significant in offsetting the low calcium content of the arthropod prey, and their high calcium:phosphorus ratio may well counterbalance the low calcium:phosphorus ratio of the arthropods. The gums are apparently produced largely in response to insect activity. Larvae of beetles (families Cerambycidae,Buprestidae, and Elateridae) and of moths (family Coccidae) bore channels beneath the tree surface, and gum is liberated through apertures made during invasion of the hostAcacia.Fly larvae (family Odiniidae) may also develop in the gumfilled cavities. Gum exuding onto the surface is collected by the bushbabies on regular nightly visits, and firm evidence was obtained, in the form of characteristic marks on trap baseboards and certain gum sites, that the toothscraper in the lower jaw is used to scoop away gum from tree surfaces. Foraging for, and feeding upon, gum increased during the winter months, which may be particularly harsh in certain years. In the especially cold winter covered by the study, insect availability was minimal and the lesser bushbabies fed mainly on gum, with some of them reducing their total activity period during the night. Gums are available throughout the year and detailed records indicated no clearcut seasonal pattern of gum production. They are therefore an important yearround food resource for the lesser bushbabies. Feeding on gums has been reported for a wide range of primate species in recent years (especially for various species of the families Cheirogaleidae, Lorisidae, and Callitrichidae), and these plant exudates must now be regarded as an important dietary category within the order Primates.