Pilot Study on Diet Nutrition and Digestive Strategies Among Gorillas

这是一项关于西部低地大猩猩（Gorilla gorilla）和黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes troglodytes）饮食和食物偏好的营养方面的初步研究。 主要目标是在实验室和动物园环境中对大猩猩和黑猩猩进行实验观察研究。这项研究将有助于更广泛地了解非洲猿、人类及其祖先的身体大小和消化生理与生态的关系，身体大小变化的多样化和演变，摄食生态和社会组织。 大猩猩和黑猩猩的大小非常不同，因此，传统上被视为生态上的不同。西部低地大猩猩已经证明很难在野外进行研究，有限的野外数据提供了关于大猩猩在饮食和行为上是否与黑猩猩有根本不同的相互矛盾的信息。 吃水果塑造了大多数猿类的行为，但目前尚不清楚大型大猩猩是否是这一规则的例外，特别是它们是否比黑猩猩更少选择性和更多机会主义的水果进食者。 这项研究将提供急需的实验室数据，以补充实地数据，并协助更好地描述非洲猿的饮食和食物偏好。在实验室研究期间，将评估圈养黑猩猩和大猩猩在食物偏好、味觉和消化率方面的物种、性别和个体差异。这项试点研究将完善灵长类动物摄食策略的实验观察研究方法，同时提供初步数据，以扩大我们对黑猩猩和大猩猩的饮食差异和生态适应的理解。

This is a pilot study on the nutritional aspects of diet and food preferences of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). The primary objective is to conduct experimental observational research on gorillas and chimpanzees in laboratory and zoological park settings. This research will contribute to broader efforts to understand the relationships of body size and digestive physiology to ecology, the diversification and evolution of variation in body size, feeding ecology and social organization among the African apes, humans and their ancestors. Gorillas and chimpanzees are very different sizes, and consequently, have been traditionally viewed as ecologically distinct. Western lowland gorillas have proved difficult to study in the wild and limited field data has provided conflicting information about whether gorillas are fundamentally different from chimpanzees in their diet and behavior. Fruit eating shapes the behavior of most of the apes, but it remains unclear whether the large-bodied gorillas are an exception to this rule, specifically whether they are less selective and more opportunistic fruit eaters than chimpanzees. This research will provide much needed laboratory data to complement field data and assist efforts to better characterize diets and food preferences of the African apes. During laboratory research, species, sex and individual differences in food preferences, taste perception and rates of digestion of captive chimpanzees and gorillas will be evaluated. This pilot study will refine methods for experimental observational research on primate feeding strategies while providing preliminary data to expand our understanding of dietary differences and ecological adaptations of chimpanzees and gorillas.