Sicotte, PascaleTan, Evelyn Yee-Ling Chanida2017-12-182017-12-182006http://hdl.handle.net/1880/101640Bibliography: p. 114-123Some pages are in colour.The nutritional quality of foods is one important feature of habitat quality. For folivores, the protein-to-fiber ratio is a reliable predictor of food selection and folivore biomass and allows for comparisons between forests. I analyzed the nutritional quality of mature leaves eaten by Colobus vellerosus in three forests. This study fits well with previous research and there was a correlation between feeding time and the protein-to-fiber ratio. Surprisingly we found that food, nonfood, deciduous, evergreen, pioneer, and nonpioneer species had similar nutrient profiles. Seasonality and leaf longevity may have an overriding influence on leaf quality. Additionally, plants allocated nutrients evenly throughout plant parts because of their deciduous phenology pattern. Differences between forests were variable and may have been the result of ecological disturbance or soil quality. From a conservation perspective, nutritional studies allow us to assess the population viability of primates that are living in increasingly fragmented habitats.xii, 154 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.master thesis10.11575/PRISM/639