10.5061/DRYAD.831G4
Gochman, Samuel R.
Dartmouth College
Brown, Michael B.
Dartmouth College
Dominy, Nathaniel J.
Dartmouth College
Data from: Alcohol discrimination and preferences in two species of
nectar-feeding primate
Dryad
dataset
2016
dietary ethanol
Anthropocene
Late Holocene
Ravenala madagascariensis
Daubentonia madagascariensis
Eugeissona tristis
Miocene
alcohol dehydrogenase class IV (ADH4)
Nycticebus coucang
2016-06-21T21:09:01Z
2016-06-21T21:09:01Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160217
5145 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Recent reports suggest that dietary ethanol, or alcohol, is a supplemental
source of calories for some primates. For example, slow lorises
(Nycticebus coucang) consume fermented nectars with a mean alcohol
concentration of 0.6% (range: 0.0–3.8%). A similar behaviour is
hypothesized for aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) based on a single
point mutation (A294V) in the gene that encodes alcohol dehydrogenase
class IV (ADH4), the first enzyme to catabolize alcohol during digestion.
The mutation increases catalytic efficiency 40-fold and may confer a
selective advantage to aye-ayes that consume the nectar of Ravenala
madagascariensis. It is uncertain, however, whether alcohol exists in this
nectar or whether alcohol is preferred or merely tolerated by
nectarivorous primates. Here, we report the results of a multiple-choice
food preference experiment with two aye-ayes and a slow loris. We
conducted observer-blind trials with randomized, serial dilutions of
ethanol (0–5%) in a standard array of nectar-simulating sucrose solutions.
We found that both species can discriminate varying concentrations of
alcohol; and further, that both species prefer the highest available
concentrations. These results bolster the hypothesized adaptive function
of the A294V mutation in ADH4, and a connection with fermented foods, both
in aye-ayes and the last common ancestor of African apes and humans.
Gochman_et_al_data_aye_ayeThis is the raw data collected from the
aye-ayes. It includes both DPME counts and mass consumed in grams for each
variable. ReadMe file explains how data were derived, processed, and
analysed.Gochman_et_al_data_lorisThis is the raw data collected from the
slow loris. It includes mass consumed in grams for each variable. ReadMe
file explains how data were derived, processed, and analysed.
Duke Lemur Center
Southeast Asia (Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand)
Madagascar