Nakamura Michio, Sakamaki Tetsuya, Zamma Koichiro
Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Primates. 2017 Jan;58(1):13-17. doi: 10.1007/s10329-016-0568-5. Epub 2016 Sep 23.
Great apes are important seed dispersers with large bodies, able to swallow large seeds and travel long distances. Although there have been several studies investigating seed dispersal quality [sensu Schupp (Vegetatio 107/108:15-29, 1993)] by chimpanzees, there is little information on the volume of seeds they can carry in their bodies. When a relatively fresh corpse of a mature female chimpanzee was found at Mahale, Tanzania, we took advantage of the rare opportunity to investigate the total weight and cubic volume of seeds recovered from the corpse. The seeds contained in the corpse weighed 258.8 g (dry weight) and measured 489.4 cm. The volume of seeds was 14.7 % of the previously reported capacity of the digestive tract of a chimpanzee in captivity. We also indirectly estimated the volume of seeds from the values of observed seed volume in feces, the reported number of defecations per day, and the seed passage time. The estimated volume was significantly lower than the observed seed volume, suggesting that the number of defecations per day is underestimated because it may not include nighttime defecation.
大型猿类是重要的种子传播者，它们体型庞大，能够吞下大种子并远距离移动。尽管已经有多项研究调查了黑猩猩的种子传播质量[按照舒普的定义（《植被》107/108:15 - 29, 1993）]，但关于它们体内能够携带的种子体积的信息却很少。当在坦桑尼亚的马哈勒发现一具相对新鲜的成年雌性黑猩猩尸体时，我们利用这个难得的机会调查了从尸体中回收的种子的总重量和立方体积。尸体中所含种子重258.8克（干重），体积为489.4立方厘米。种子体积占先前报道的圈养黑猩猩消化道容量的14.7%。我们还根据粪便中观察到的种子体积值、报道的每日排便次数以及种子通过时间间接估算了种子体积。估算体积显著低于观察到的种子体积，这表明每日排便次数可能被低估了，因为可能未包括夜间排便。
