부산대학교 도서관

Rationale: This study analyzes variability in the diets of wild bearded capuchin monkeys, Sapajus libidinosus, by analyzing stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios and elemental concentrations (%C and %N) of fecal samples and food items. Developing isotopic and elemental correlates for diets of habituated subjects is a necessary step towards applying similar methods to interpret diets of unhabituated or cryptic subjects. Methods: Fecal samples from wild capuchins and their foods were collected at Fazenda Boa Vista, Brazil. Fecal samples from laboratory-housed Sapajus spp. and their foods were analyzed to establish diet-feces offsets for δ13C, δ15N, %C, and %N. Samples were dried, powdered, and measured for isotopic and elemental values. A Bayesian mixing model commutes isotopic and elemental data from wild capuchins into likely proportions of different food categories. Results: The captive study shows small diet-feces spaces for Sapajus spp. of −0.8 ± 0.7‰ for δ13C, −0.2 ± 0.4‰ for δ15N, −6.1 ± 1.7% for %C, and −1.0 ± 0.6% for %N. The wild study shows omnivorous diets based on C3, C4, and CAM plants, and fauna. Subject diets are highly varied within and between days. Fecal data show age-related differences in diet and crop-raiding. There is no consistent isotopic or elemental difference between mothers and infants. Conclusions: Fecal stable isotope and elemental evidence employed in a Bayesian mixing model reflects the highly varied diets of capuchin monkeys in an isotopically heterogeneous environment. The isotopic and elemental variability reported here will aid similar diet reconstructions among unhabituated subjects in the future, but precludes tracking weaning isotopically among capuchins in this environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]