Mountain gorillas are strict herbivores and their diverse diet is apparently determined to a great extent by nutritional and non-nutritional chemistry. This PhD examined the phytochemical aspects of the diet of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable and Magahinga National Parks in Uganda, with a view to establishing the role of the chemical constituents of plants in their feeding ecology.
It proposes a role for antimicrobial constituents of the food plants of gorillas in the perpetuation of stable enteric microflora, helping to maintain health.
Thesis Year
1998