Wild Bornean orangutans experience muscle catabolism during episodes of fruit scarcity.

ABSTRACT: Pronounced temporal and spatial variation in the availability of food resources can produce energetic deficits in organisms. Fruit-dependent Bornean orangutans face extreme variation in fruit availability and experience negative energy and protein balance during episodes of fruit scarcity. We evaluate the possibility that orangutans of different sexes and ages catabolize muscle tissue when the availability of fruit is low. We assess variation in muscle mass by examining the relationship between urinary creatinine and specific gravity and use the residuals as a non-invasive measure of estimated lean body mass (ELBM). Despite orangutans having a suite of adaptations to buffer them from fruit scarcity and associated caloric deficits, ELBM was lower during low fruit periods in all age-sex clas

SUBMITTER: O'Connell CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8119411 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature