Interspecific variation in the diet of Symphalangussyndactylus and Macacanemestrina at Genting Highlands, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.

Primate communities in the Genting Highlands consist of a single species of Hylobatidae and four species of Cercopithecidae, which are known to exhibit social interaction behaviour. Thus, a study on the diets of Symphalangussyndactylus (siamang; family Hylobatidae) and Macacanemestrina (pig-tailed macaque; family Cercopithecidae) was carried out at Genting Highlands, in order to compare the dietary preferences and interspecific competition between the two primate families. A DNA metabarcoding approach was used to analyse diet intake using non-invasive samples based on the trnL region. Based on the 140 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) generated, 26 plant orders, 46 different families, 60 genera and 49 species were identified from 23 different plant classes. Fabaceae and Moraceae were classified as the most preferred plants at the family level for S.syndactylus; meanwhile, Piperaceae and Arecaceae were classified as the most preferred for M.nemestrina. Only six out of the 60 different plant genera classified in this study, were found to be consumed by both species. Therefore, the low similarity of preferred plants in the diets between the two families suggests that there is little interspecific competition. These findings are important for future conservation management of highland primates, especially in the Genting Highlands.

Aporphine alkaloids from Piper erecticaule and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity / Alcaloides de aporfina obtenida de Piper erecticaule y actividad inhibitoria de la acetilcolinesterasa

Chemical constituents and biological activities of the aerial parts of Piper erecticaule C.DC. have been studied for the first time. Fractionation and purification of the extracts afforded aristolactam AII (1), aristolactam BII (2), piperolactam A (3), piperolactam C (4), piperolactam D (5), together with terpenoids of ß-sitosterol, ß-sitostenone, taraxerol, and lupeol. The structures of these compounds were obtained by analysis of their spectroscopic data, as well as the comparison with that of reported data. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity revealed that compounds 1 and 3 showed strong AChE inhibitory effects with the percentage inhibition of 75.8% and 74.8%, respectively.

Se estudiaron por primera vez los constituyentes químicos y actividad biológica de las partes aéreas de Piper erecticaule C.DC. El fraccionamiento y la purificación de los extractos proporcionaron aristolactama AII (1), aristolactama BII (2), piperolactama A (3), piperolactama C (4), piperolactama D (5), junto con terpenoides de ß-sitosterol, ß-sitostenona, taraxerol, y el lupeol. Las estructuras de estos compuestos se obtuvieron mediante el análisis de sus datos espectroscópicos, así como mediante la comparación con datos ya informados. La actividad inhibidora de la acetilcolinesterasa reveló que los compuestos 1 y 3 mostraron un potente efecto inhibidor de la AChE con un porcentaje de inhibición del 75.8% y 74.8%, respectivamente.