Dissertation Research: The Effects of Diet and Activity on ORANG Fecundity

论文研究：饮食和活动对猩猩繁殖力的影响

• 批准号: 9414388
• 负责人: Peter Ellison
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1995
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1995-07-15 至 1998-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9414388&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Effects; Diet; Activity

The reproduction of any species can be best understood by placing it within its ecological context. This research project is designed to test the hypothesis that reproduction, specifically female ovarian function, is effected by environmental conditions. The study will investigate whether food intake and activity levels affect ovarian hormonal levels (and hence the biological capacity to bear offspring). Orangutans are and ideal species to examine the effects of energy expenditure on fecundity for a variety of reasons. 1) Orangs have the longest average inter birth interval of any primate - 8 years, with a great deal of variability surrounding it; 2) this implies a long period after lactation, called the waiting time to conception, in which females are not yet fecund for a variety of reasons including local ecological conditions and maternal condition; 3) the slow movement of orangutans facilitates collection of detailed data on nutritional intake and energetic expenditure; 4) they inhabit an area of large fluctuations in fruit availability, so that if ovarian function responds to fluctuating fruiting patterns, this is a habitat where such a relationship is likely to be expressed. The research in West Kalimantan, Indonesia will focus on females who have finished lactating for one offspring and have not yet conceived again. The data will consist of relative hormonal indices reflecting ovarian function during each cycle that will be compared to data gathered simultaneously on estimates of nutritional intake, energetic expenditure, energy balance and food availability, testing the responsiveness of ovarian function to these variables. To accomplish this, techniques of measuring urinary hormones will be used to evaluate ovarian function. Additionally, monitoring cyclical fluctuations in hormonal patterns will make it possible to address whether aspects of orangutan socio-sexual behavior, such as the surprisingly regular occurrence of forced copulations, are influenced by ovulatory status. Knowing when ovulation occurs will provide a powerful tool to investigate the role of female choice and its impact on sexual selection in orangs.

任何物种的繁殖都可以通过将其置于其生态环境中来最好地理解。 该研究项目旨在检验生殖，特别是女性卵巢功能受环境条件影响的假设。 该研究将调查食物摄入量和活动水平是否影响卵巢激素水平（从而影响生育后代的生物能力）。 由于多种原因，猩猩是研究能量消耗对繁殖力影响的理想物种。 1) 红毛猩猩的平均生育间隔是所有灵长类动物中最长的——8年，并且存在很大的变异性； 2）这意味着哺乳后一段很长的时间，称为受孕等待时间，在此期间，由于当地生态条件和母体条件等多种原因，雌性尚未生育； 3）猩猩的缓慢运动有利于收集营养摄入和能量消耗的详细数据； 4）它们栖息在果实可用性波动较大的地区，因此，如果卵巢功能对波动的结果模式做出反应，那么这里就是可能表达这种关系的栖息地。 印度尼西亚西加里曼丹省的这项研究将重点关注已完成一个后代哺乳但尚未再次怀孕的女性。 这些数据将包括反映每个周期期间卵巢功能的相对激素指数，该指数将与同时收集的营养摄入、能量消耗、能量平衡和食物供应估计数据进行比较，测试卵巢功能对这些变量的反应。 为了实现这一目标，将使用测量尿激素的技术来评估卵巢功能。 此外，监测荷尔蒙模式的周期性波动将有助于确定猩猩社会性行为的各个方面是否受到排卵状态的影响，例如强迫交配的频繁发生。 了解排卵何时发生将为研究雌性选择的作用及其对猩猩性选择的影响提供有力的工具。