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Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei).

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dunham, NT; Koester, DC; Dierenfeld, ES; Rimbach, R; Pontzer, H
Published in: PloS one
January 2022

Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is an endangered arboreal marsupial native to Papua New Guinea. Detailed field studies of its behavior and ecology are scarce due largely to its occupation of remote cloud forests and cryptic nature. Although this species has been in human care since the 1950s, much of its biology is still unknown. The current ex situ population is not sustainable due to health and reproductive problems, believed to stem largely from issues with diet and obesity. To better assess potential discrepancies between energy requirements and energy intake, we sought to 1) quantify total energy expenditure (TEE) of two zoo-housed Matschie's tree kangaroos (body mass = 9.0-9.7 kg) on a diet composed largely of leafy browse; 2) quantify food and macronutrient intake, apparent dry matter macronutrient digestibility, and metabolizable energy (ME) intake over a 14-month period; and 3) test for seasonal changes in ME intake due to seasonal differences in the varieties of leafy browse offered. Using the doubly labeled water method, we determined TEE for the female (288 kcal day -1) and male (411 kcal day -1). Resulting mean TEE was well below the expected value for marsupials and macropods (i.e., ~60% of the expected value based on body mass). The mean calculated ME intakes for the female and male were 307 kcal day-1 and 454 kcal day-1, respectively. There were significant seasonal differences in ME intakes, driven by reduced intake in the autumn. These results demonstrate that Matschie's tree kangaroos can be maintained at healthy body weights and conditions on fiber-rich and browse-heavy diets. Our findings contribute important insights into tree kangaroo energetics and physiology and can be applied to help reformulate the diet of Matschie's tree kangaroos at captive facilities to improve population health and sustainability.

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Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2022

Volume

17

Issue

6

Start / End Page

e0270570

Related Subject Headings

  • Reproduction
  • Male
  • Macropodidae
  • General Science & Technology
  • Forests
  • Female
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Energy Intake
  • Animals
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Dunham, N. T., Koester, D. C., Dierenfeld, E. S., Rimbach, R., & Pontzer, H. (2022). Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei). PloS One, 17(6), e0270570. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270570
Dunham, Noah T., Diana C. Koester, Ellen S. Dierenfeld, Rebecca Rimbach, and Herman Pontzer. “Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei).PloS One 17, no. 6 (January 2022): e0270570. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270570.
Dunham, Noah T., et al. “Balancing the scales: Preliminary investigation of total energy expenditure and daily metabolizable energy intake in Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei).PloS One, vol. 17, no. 6, Jan. 2022, p. e0270570. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270570.

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2022

Volume

17

Issue

6

Start / End Page

e0270570

Related Subject Headings

  • Reproduction
  • Male
  • Macropodidae
  • General Science & Technology
  • Forests
  • Female
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Energy Intake
  • Animals