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Folivory with leaf folding by giant flying squirrels: its patterns and possible function

2016; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 31; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s11284-016-1371-x

1440-1703

Mutsumi Ito, Nickie Seto, Brianna Rico, Mayumi Shigeta, Noriko Tamura, Fumio Hayashi,

Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Abstract Japanese giant flying squirrels, Petaurista leucogenys , are entirely arboreal folivores. From spring to summer, their principal food source consists of leaves of the deciduous oak Quercus acutissima in western Tokyo, Japan. Before consuming the central part of each leaf, the squirrels fold the leaf two or more times with their forelegs. In the wild, leaf folding is a very rare behavior, even in primates. In our study, this peculiar feeding behavior was not observed across all study sites or even in some local populations. Herbivores generally try to maximize their intake of nutritious foods (e.g., sugars) containing low levels of plant defensive chemicals (e.g., phenols). We found that total phenolic contents in individual leaves of Q. acutissima were lower in the center than at the margins, whereas sugar (glucose) was homogenously distributed. Consequently, consumption of only leaf centers appears to be an adaptation by Japanese giant flying squirrels to avoid leaf margin defensive chemicals and structures. These leaf margin characteristics, which may have developed as defenses against herbivorous insects that generally feed from the margins, have contributed to the skillful and complex feeding behavior of this generalist folivore.