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Folivore
In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, relatively little energy, and often toxic compounds.Jones, S., Martin, R., & Pilbeam, D. (1994) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. For this reason folivorous animals tend to have long digestive tracts and slow metabolisms. Many enlist the help of symbiotic bacteria to release the nutrients in their diet. Additionally, as has been observed in folivorous primates, animals may exhibit a strong preference for immature leaves, which tend to be higher in protein and lower in fibre and poisons than more mature leaves.
Folivory and flight
It has been observed that folivory is extremely rare among flying animals.[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0269-8463(1992)6%3A1%3C101%3ADTPROF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C Do the Power Requirements of Flapping Flight Constrain Folivory in Flying Animals?] R. Dudley, G. J. Vermeij Functional Ecology, Vol. 6, No. 1 (1992), pp. 101-104 Morton (1978) attributed this to the fact that leaves are heavy, slow to digest, and contain little energy relative to other foods. The Hoatzin is an example of a flighted, folivorous bird. Some bats are partially folivorous; their method of deriving nourishment from leaves, according to Lowry (1989), is to chew up the leaves, swallowing the sap and spitting out the remainder. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0269-8463%28199410%298%3A5%3C665%3AFIBAAD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-G&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage Folivory in Bats: An Adaptation Derived from Frugivory] by T. H. Kunz and K. A. Ingalls; Functional Ecology, Vol. 8, No. 5 (Oct., 1994), pp. 665-668Arboreal folivores
Primates
Standard ecological theory predicts relatively large group sizes for folivorous primates, as large groups offer better collective defense against predators and they face little competition for food among each other. It has been observed that these animals nevertheless frequently live in small groups. Explanations offered for this apparent paradox include social factors such as increased incidence of infanticide in large groups. [http://www.springerlink.com/content/xet3vu7b5k8q97cn/ Competition and group size in Thomas's langurs (Presbytis thomasi): the folivore paradox revisited] R. Steenbeek and Carel P. van Schaik: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Volume 49, Numbers 2-3 / January, 2001; Print ISSN: 0340-5443; Online ISSN 1432-0762 Folivorous primates are relatively rare in the New World, the primary exception being howler monkeys. One explanation that has been offered is that fruiting and leafing occur simultaneously among New World plants. However a 2001 study found no evidence for simultaneous fruiting and leafing at most sites, apparently disproving this hypothesis. <[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&list_uids=11746280&cmd=Retrieve&indexed=google Can phenology explain the scarcity of folivory in New World primates?] Heymann EW. in the American Journal of Primatology; November 2001Examples
Examples of folivorous animals include:- Reptiles: Iguanas [http://www.anapsid.org/iguana/rand.html]
- Insects: various kinds of caterpillars, sawflies, beetles, and Orthoptera
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