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1. Quantifying free simple sugars in orangutan foods using spectrophotometry: Implications for orangutan feeding ecology

   Robinson, Natalie; Lang, Lexi; Kane, Erin; Knott, Cheryl (April 2018, 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists)

   Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia experience significant seasonal and annual fluctuations in the availability of their preferred food, ripe fruit. When ripe fruit is limited, orangutans increase their consumption of bark, pith, and leaves, which are continuously available and may act as fallback foods. While these foods are presumed to be less nutritious, it is not clear whether this is the case. Free simple sugars (FSS) provide orangutans with readily-metabolizable energy, and are thus an important nutritional compound for food choice. Here, we examine FSS concentrations in a variety of orangutan foods (n=54) to better understand orangutan foraging and nutritional ecology. We predicted that preferred foods would have higher concentrations of FSS than fallback foods. We analyzed FSS concentrations using a modified phenol-sulfuric acid method, and tested sample absorbency using a spectrophotometer at 490 nm. We analyzed 54 samples from 48 species, examining six plant parts: bark, flowers, leaves, pulp, seeds, and skin/pulp. Although preliminary results indicated no statistically significant differences in sugar content across the six food categories (F(5,47)=1.78, p=0.14), we did find that preferred foods (fruit pulp and seeds) had an average sugar concentration that was significantly higher (4.7%) than fallback foods (leaves and bark) (t=2.355, p=0.04). Therefore, as predicted, we find that orangutans prefer food types with higher concentrations of FSS. Obtaining adequate caloric and nutritional intake is crucial for orangutan reproduction and development, and thus this study provides new insight into what drives orangutan dietary choices. National Science Foundation (BCS-1638823, BCS-0936199, 9414388), National Geographic Society, US Fish and Wildlife (F15AP00812, F12AP00369, 98210-8-G661), Leakey Foundation, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Nacey- Maggioncalda Foundation. 

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2. Producer and consumer perspectives on supporting and diversifying local food systems in central Iowa

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10504-9  

   Dorneich, Michael C.; Krejci, Caroline C.; Schwab, Nicholas; Stone, Tiffanie F.; Huckins, Erin; Thompson, Janette R.; Passe, Ulrike (September 2023, Agriculture and Human Values)

   Abstract The majority of food in the US is distributed through global/national supply chains that exclude locally-produced goods. This situation offers opportunities to increase local food production and consumption and is influenced by constraints that limit the scale of these activities. We conducted a study to assess perspectives of producers and consumers engaged in food systems of a major Midwestern city. We examined producers’ willingness to include/increase cultivation of local foods and consumers’ interest in purchasing/increasing local foods. We used focus groups of producers (two groups of conventional farmers, four local food producers) and consumers (three conventional market participants, two locavores) to pose questions about production/consumption of local foods. We transcribed discussions verbatim and examined text to identify themes, using separate affinity diagrams for producers and consumers. We found producers and consumers are influenced by thestatus quoand real and perceived barriers to local foods. We also learned participants believed increasing production and consumption of local foods would benefit their community and creating better infrastructure could enhance efforts to scale up local food systems. Focus group participants also indicated support from external champions/programs could support expansion of local foods. We learned that diversifying local food production was viewed as a way to support local community, increase access to healthy foods and reduce environmental impacts of conventional production. Our research indicates that encouraging producers and consumers in local food systems will be more successful when support for the local community is emphasized. 

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3. Behavioral Evidence of Wild Bornean Orangutans Navigating to Non-Fruit Foods – Implications for Fallback Foods

   DiGiorgio, AL; Susanto, TW; Knott, CD (January 2020, 6th Annual Meeting of the North Eastern Evolutionary Primatologists)

   null (Ed.)

   In 2015, Lambert and Rothman urged primate nutritional ecologists to revise the view of fallback and optimal foods from stable traits inherent in the food to variable qualities determined by the state of the consumer. Here we provide behavioral evidence to support this revision. In primates, fruit is often the preferred food category because it is typically high-energy, high-carbohydrate, and low in fiber. Orangutans in particular, are said to consume fruit preferentially and when it is available, whereas leaves, bark, and pith are often considered fallback foods. Using movement ecology, we ask if wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) navigate only to fruit, or whether navigation to non-fruit foods is supported by our data. We find that orangutans do deviate from a direct fruit-to-fruit path to consume non-fruit foods (n = 54, range 8% - 84%; p = 6.819e-07.) Next, we ask if orangutans consume non-fruit foods when in the proximity of fruit resources. We find that 25.5% of the time that orangutans eat a non-fruit food, there is an available fruit within 50m (n=308). Building on previous research finding that orangutans maintain a 10.1:1 NPE:P balance, we use this geospatial data showing that orangutans navigate to and choose non-fruit foods, even when fruit is available, to suggest that orangutans are seeking foods based on their current nutritional state and not only to maximize energy. This supports the claim that 'fallback' is not an inherent characteristic of a food, but rather is in the state-dependent eye of the consumer. Funders: National Science Foundation (BCS-1638823; BCS-1613393), NSF GRFP (DGE-1247312); Boston University; National Geographic Society, US Fish and Wildlife (F15AP00812), Leakey Foundation, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund; Wenner-Gren Foundation; Nacey-Maggioncalda Foundation, Princeton University 

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4. Behavioral Evidence of Wild Bornean Orangutans Navigating to Non-Fruit Foods – Implications for Fallback Foods

   DiGiorgio, AL; Susanto, TW; Knott, CD (January 2021, American journal of physical anthropology)

   null (Ed.)

   In 2015, Lambert and Rothman urged primate nutritional ecologists to revise the view of fallback and optimal foods from stable traits inherent in the food to variable qualities determined by the state of the consumer. Here we provide behavioral evidence to support this revision. In primates, fruit is often the preferred food category because it is typically high-energy, high-carbohydrate, and low in fiber. Orangutans in particular, are said to consume fruit preferentially and when it is available, whereas leaves, bark, and pith are often considered fallback foods. Using movement ecology, we ask if wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) navigate only to fruit, or whether navigation to non-fruit foods is supported by our data. We find that orangutans do deviate from a direct fruit-to-fruit path to consume non-fruit foods (n = 54, range 8% - 84%; p = 6.819e-07.) Next, we ask if orangutans consume non-fruit foods when in the proximity of fruit resources. We find that 25.5% of the time that orangutans eat a non-fruit food, there is an available fruit within 50m (n=308). Building on previous research finding that orangutans maintain a 10.1:1 NPE:P balance, we use this geospatial data showing that orangutans navigate to and choose non-fruit foods, even when fruit is available, to suggest that orangutans are seeking foods based on their current nutritional state and not only to maximize energy. This supports the claim that 'fallback' is not an inherent characteristic of a food, but rather is in the state-dependent eye of the consumer. Funders: National Science Foundation (BCS-1638823; BCS-1613393), NSF GRFP (DGE-1247312); Boston University; National Geographic Society, US Fish and Wildlife (F15AP00812), Leakey Foundation, Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund; Wenner-Gren Foundation; Nacey-Maggioncalda Foundation, Princeton University 

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5. Potential influence of climate and anthropogenic variables on water security using blue and green water scarcity, Falkenmark index, and freshwater provision indicator

   https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.012  

   Veettil, A.V; Mishra, A.K. (December 2018, Journal of environmental management)

   Land use change and climate variability have significantly altered the regional water cycle over the last century thereby affecting water security at a local to regional scale. Therefore, it is important to investigate how the climate, land use change, and water demand potentially influence the water security by applying the concept of water footprint. An integrated hydrological modeling framework using SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was developed by considering both anthropogenic (e.g. land use change, water demand) and climatic factors to quantify the spatio-temporal variability of water security indicators such as blue water scarcity, green water scarcity, Falkenmark index, and freshwater provision indicators in Savannah River Basin (SRB). The SRB witnesses a significant change in land use land cover (e.g. forest cover, urban area) as well as water demand (e.g. irrigation, livestock production). Overall our results reveal that, SRB witnessed a significant decrease in blue water due to the climate variability indicating that the precipitation has more control over the blue water resources. Whereas, green water was more sensitive to changes in land use pattern. In addition, the magnitude of various water security indicators are different within each county suggesting that water scarcity are controlled by various factors within a region. An integrated assessment of water footprint, environmental flow, anthropogenic factors, and climatic variables can provide useful information on the rising (how and where) of water related risk to human and ecological health. 

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