Course PrimBio 04/02
Primate Nutrition
04-07/02/2008

Course Schedule: Monday, 04.02. 08:15 am Registration 09:00 Welcome, Information about EUPRIM-Net and the Course Series Eckhard Heymann, Deike Terruhn 09:30 Primate feeding ecology (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, references) Jörg Ganzhorn, Hamburg University, Germany   incl. Coffee Break 12:30 Lunch Break at DPZ 02:00 pm The Role of Taste and Smell in Primate Nutrition Claude Marcel Hladik, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Brunoy, France   incl. Coffee Break 05:00 End of Session     05:15 Movie in the DPZ lecture hall 06:30 Dinner at DPZ*     Tuesday, 05.02. 09:00 am Metabolism and digestive physiology (part 1, part 2, part 3) Mike Power, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA 10:30 Coffee Break Group Photograph 12:30 Lunch Break at University Cafeteria** 02:00 pm Metabolic diseases Christina Schlumbohm and Penelope Nayudu, DPZ   incl. Coffee Break 05:00 End of Session       Transfer: Bus No. 5 from “Kellnerweg” to “Markt” at 5:09 or 5:39 06:00 Guided City Tour (Göttingen Pub Tour, optional) 07:30 Dinner in a restaurant in the town centre (optional)**     Wednesday, 06.02. 09:00 am Feeding Enrichment in Primates Inbal Badihi, University of Stirling, Scotland   incl. Coffee Break 12:30 Lunch Break at University Cafeteria** 02:00 pm The role of learning and imitation in primate food acquisition Augusto Vitale, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy   incl. Coffee Break 04:30 End of Session     Thursday, 07.02. 09:00 am Geophagy Eckhard W. Heymann, DPZ   incl. Coffee Break 10:45 Closing Remarks 11:00 Guided Tour through the DPZ Facilities with a focus on primate nutrition Uwe Schönmann, DPZ 12:30 Lunch Break at University Cafeteria**     02:00 pm Optional Exam (1 hour)       *Extra Cost for Dinner (15 € - has to be booked and paid on the first day of course if you like to participate)   **Not included in the course fee Abstracts: Metabolism and digestive physiology Mike L. Power, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA Animals eat food; they need nutrients. Nutrients are essential, but many are also toxic in high concentrations; and food contains many things, good and bad, besides nutrients. The function of our digestive physiology is to render food into nutrients safely and efficiently. Eating requires a complex set of coordinated physical, physiological and behavioral actions. Of course when we eat we don’t really have to think about it. We do it easily and naturally; but when we consider it as scientists we can see that eating is a very complex process. In this lecture we are going to follow the journey of food from the mouth to the anus. The different functions of the different segments of the gut, the variation among primates, and how that variation relates to diet will be examined. Digestive function in callitrichid monkeys will be explored in greater detail. Once food is digested and the nutrients are absorbed they can be used in metabolism. Metabolism is the totality of the chemical processes necessary for life; obviously too large a subject to be covered in a short lecture. The focus of the lecture will be on primate energy metabolism. Primate resting metabolic rate will be examined in relation to body mass, temperature, circadian rhythm, and phylogeny. The relationship between resting metabolic rate and energy requirement will be explored, as well as the other components of energy requirement. Finally, primate lactation and milk composition will be examined. Milk is every mammal’s first food; but milks vary quite dramatically among mammals. The sources of variation in primate milks will be explored, and what can and cannot be learned about primate nutrient requirements from their milk will be discussed. ---   Feeding Enrichment in Primates Inbal Badihi, Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Scotland There are two main approaches to environmental enrichment. The first one is the natural approach, which attempts to mimic the wild habitat in captivity to provide natural stimulation for captive animals. The second approach is that of behavioural engineering, which provides artificial devices that the animals can operate to receive a reward. Various feeding enrichment techniques are appropriate for both approaches. Providing captive primates with more natural foods and more opportunities to express foraging behaviour and food processing activities is one of the easiest ways to mimic features of the natural habitats. Further, food is a primary positive reward and can be used to encourage non-human primates to perform different behaviours or to use various devices. Nevertheless, feeding enrichment and the use of food as a reward are not always desired and may lead to new problems such as obesity. Different methods of feeding enrichment will be presented and discussed together with the pros and cons and these techniques. Participants will be encouraged to discuss feeding enrichment opportunities in their own facilities, and how to implement them. ---