Specialized digestive adaptations within the hindgut of a colobine monkey.

ABSTRACT: In mammal herbivores, fiber digestion usually occurs predominantly in either the foregut or the hindgut. Reports of mechanisms showing synergistic function in both gut regions for the digestion of fiber and other nutrients in wild mammals are rare because it requires integrative study of anatomy, physiology, and gut microbiome. Colobine monkeys (Colobinae) are folivorous, with high-fiber foods fermented primarily in their foreguts. A few colobine species live in temperate regions, so obtaining energy from fiber during the winter is essential. However, the mechanisms enabling this remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that such species possess specialized mechanisms to enhance fiber digestion in the hindgut and studied microbial and morphological digestive adaptations of golden snub-nosed

SUBMITTER: Liu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8857510 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature