Metabolic adaptation for low energy throughput in orangutans
Edited by Peter T. Ellison, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved May 7, 2010 (received for review January 27, 2010)
Abstract
Energy is the fundamental currency of life—needed for growth, repair, and reproduction—but little is known about the metabolic physiology and evolved energy use strategies of the great apes, our closest evolutionary relatives. Here we report daily energy use in free-living orangutans (Pongo spp.) and test whether observed differences in energy expenditure among orangutans, humans, and other mammals reflect known differences in life history. Using the doubly labeled water method, we measured daily energy expenditure (kCal/d) in orangutans living in a large indoor/outdoor habitat at the Great Ape Trust. Despite activity levels similar to orangutans in the wild, Great Ape Trust orangutans used less energy, relative to body mass, than nearly any eutherian mammal ever measured, including sedentary humans. Such an extremely low rate of energy use has not been observed previously in primates, but is consistent with the slow growth and low rate of reproduction in orangutans, and may be an evolutionary response to severe food shortages in their native Southeast Asian rainforests. These results hold important implications for the management of orangutan populations in captivity and in the wild, and underscore the flexibility and interdependence of physiological, behavioral, and life history strategies in the evolution of apes and humans.
Acknowledgments
We thank Andy Antilla, Peter Clay, Tine Geurts, and Rhonda Pietsch for their help collecting data. William Wong (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX) assayed the urine samples. Eric Castillo and Great Ape Trust volunteers assisted in collecting activity data. This work was funded by Washington University, the University of Arizona, and an Earle and Suzanne Harbison Faculty Fellowship (to H.P.).
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Published online: August 2, 2010
Published in issue: August 10, 2010
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Acknowledgments
We thank Andy Antilla, Peter Clay, Tine Geurts, and Rhonda Pietsch for their help collecting data. William Wong (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX) assayed the urine samples. Eric Castillo and Great Ape Trust volunteers assisted in collecting activity data. This work was funded by Washington University, the University of Arizona, and an Earle and Suzanne Harbison Faculty Fellowship (to H.P.).
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The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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