Frugivory

Frugivory refers to the consumption of the fleshy pulp components of angiosperm fruit. Many primate species have a diet that is composed, at least in part, of fruit. Most specialist mammalian frugivores—including primates—are found in the tropics, where fruit is more likely to be available year round compared with regions with more extreme seasons. However, although fruit pulp can provide simple sugars and starchy carbohydrates, frugivory presents multiple ecological and nutritional challenges. Fruit as a food resource is both temporally and spatially patchy, and fruit pulp is typically low in protein and may be protected by plant‐defensive chemistry.