This book explores how seasonal variation in resource abundance might have driven primate and human evolution.

Feeding and Nutrition of Nonhuman Primates is a report of a two-day meeting that aims to evaluate the knowledge and information regarding the diet of primates. The meeting also aims to recommend significant information necessary to accomplish a standardized diet for this species. The study of primates' diet is relevant, because it will serve as baseline data for biomedical research. Comprised of 16 chapters, this volume starts off with the concept of selecting nonhuman primates in the biological research. The next topics are about the observations regarding the feeding behavior of the nonhuman primates and their nutritional status. Also discussed are the feeding problems encountered by imported primates. Other problem areas in the subject of diet and nutrition are also discussed, such as the effect of altering the dietary amino acids on the nutrition of a rhesus monkey and malnutrition during early life. The following chapters describe the nutritional requirements of nonhuman primates including macaque monkeys, Cebus monkeys, squirrel and woolly monkeys, marmosets, and baboons. The observations regarding their feeding behavior are also discussed. Topics regarding nutritional deficiency diseases as well as their syndromes and diseases affecting their usefulness in nutrition research are also covered in this book. This compilation of research is a relevant resource for professionals, scientists, and researchers in primate studies and biological/biomedical research.

The emergence of the genus Homo is widely linked to the colonization of 'new' highly seasonal savannah habitats. However, until recently, our understanding of the possible impact of seasonality on this shift has been limited because we have little general knowledge of how seasonality affects the lives of primates. This book documents the extent of seasonality in food abundance in tropical woody vegetation, and then presents systematic analyses of the impact of seasonality in food supply on the behavioural ecology of non-human primates. Syntheses in this volume then produce broad generalizations concerning the impact of seasonality on behavioural ecology and reproduction in both human and non-human primates, and apply these insights to primate and human evolution. Written for graduate students and researchers in biological anthropology and behavioural ecology, this is an absorbing account of how seasonality may have affected an important episode in our own evolution.

Feeding and Nutrition of Nonhuman primates ...

This new release presents the wealth of information gleaned about nonhuman primates nutrition since the previous edition was published in 1978. With expanded coverage of natural dietary habits, gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology, and the nutrient needs of species that have been difficult to maintain in captivity, it explores the impact on nutrition of physiological and life-stage considerations: infancy, weaning, immune function, obesity, aging, and more. The committee also discusses issues of environmental enrichment such as opportunities for foraging. Based on the world's scientific literature and input from authoritative sources, the book provides best estimates of nutrient requirements. The volume covers requirements for energy: carbohydrates, including the role of dietary fiber; proteins and amino acids; fats and fatty acids; minerals, fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins; and water. The book also analyzes the composition of important foods and feed ingredients and offers guidelines on feed processing and diet formulation.

A 1985 amendment to the Animal Welfare Act requires those who keep nonhuman primates to develop and follow appropriate plans for promoting the animals' psychological well-being. The amendment, however, provides few specifics. The Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates recommends practical approaches to meeting those requirements. It focuses on what is known about the psychological needs of primates and makes suggestions for assessing and promoting their well-being. This volume examines the elements of an effective care programâ€"social companionship, opportunities for species-typical activity, housing and sanitation, and daily care routinesâ€"and provides a helpful checklist for designing a plan for promoting psychological well-being. The book provides a wealth of specific and useful information about the psychological attributes and needs of the most widely used and exhibited nonhuman primates. Readable and well-organized, it will be welcomed by animal care and use committees, facilities administrators, enforcement inspectors, animal advocates, researchers, veterinarians, and caretakers.

Primate Ecology: Studies of Feeding and Ranging Behavior in Femurs, Monkeys and Apes describes the behavioral aspects of ecology, including activity patterning, food selection, and ranging behavior. The book is composed of 19 chapters; 17 of which are concerned with the ecology or behavior of particular social groups of primates, arranged in the taxonomic order of the species concerned. The final two chapters review some of the generalizations emerging from comparison of inter- and intraspecific differences in feeding and ranging behavior. The book aims to suggest areas of particular interest where research can be usefully developed.