Phenology of figs in Budongo Forest Uganda and its importance for the chimpanzee diet

Abstract

This paper reports on the phenological patterns of figs in Budongo Forest, Uganda, and how it relates to chimpanzee food availability in different seasons. In addition, we analysed the dung of chimpanzees to understand the composition of fruits in their diet. The aim of our study was to assess Ficus phenology and how it affects chimpanzee diet. Fifteen species of figs were monitored for fruit (syconium) and leaf phenology between June 2000 and 2001. Ficus fruit production varied significantly between and within species, and also with tree trunk and crown diameters. Fig fruit production was asynchronous and individual fig trees produced crops from one to five times in a year. In addition to fruits, chimpanzees fed on young leaves of some Ficus species. Shedding of old Ficus leaves coincided with the dry season, followed by appearance of young leaves. The dry season in Budongo is a period of general fruit scarcity. The combination of fig fruits and young leaves make up the most important food in the diet of chimpanzees. From the chimpanzee dung, more than 78% of seeds comprised fig ‘seeds’ (nutlets) and the rest of the diaspores were from other tree species. Our findings suggest that chimpanzees disperse large number of diaspores in their dung, thereby serving as important agents of natural forest regeneration.

Urinary C-peptide tracks seasonal and individual variation in energy balance in wild chimpanzees

“…For instance, C-peptide concentrations of Kanyawara chimpanzees were particularly high when they consumed Ficus sur. This fig, rare at Kanyawara, produces large clusters of plump fruits and is noted as the dominant, and likely preferred, species consumed by another Ugandan chimpanzee community (Budongo: Emery Thompson, 2005b;Fawcett, 2000;Newton-Fisher, 1999;Tweheyo and Lye, 2003). While our examination focused on fruits as a category of high-quality foods, detailed, long-term C-peptide analysis could help elucidate the nutritional benefits of other items in the diverse chimpanzee diet, such as the ability of different fall-back foods to buffer seasonal fruit availability (Malenky et al, 1994).…”

Buccal dental microwear variability in extant African Hominoidea: taxonomy versus ecology

“…However, this proportion greatly depends on the population analyzed. Basabose (2002) reported 58% fruit consumption in the Kahuzi chimpanzee population (Pan t. schweinfurthii), whereas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the same subspecies, Tweheyo and Obua (2001) and Tweheyo and Lye (2003) described 83% fruit ingestion at the Budongo Forest Reserve in Uganda. Other studies have reported 87% consumption of fruits and seeds for Pan t. troglodytes (Tutin and Fernández 1993) and 72% for Pan t. verus in Bossou (Sugiyama and Koman 1992), similar to the percentage reported for the Kibale Pan t. schweinfurthii (67%) (Wrangham et al 1991).…”

Protected Apes, Unprotected Forest: Composition, Structure and Diversity of Riverine Forest Fragments and Their Conservation Value in Uganda

“…5). In addition, figs were the most commonly eaten fruit in the chimpanzee diet at Bulindi [36], as at Sonso [40,56]. Riverine forests in Bulindi contained a higher density of fig trees (16.8 individuals ha -1 ) than many tropical forests [cf.…”

“…Members of the Moraceae produce fleshy drupaceous fruits attractive to frugivores. Figs, for example, are an important resource for many tropical vertebrates [68,69] including chimpanzees [40,70], due to their asynchronous fruiting. High densities of certain species (e.g.…”

“…Rainfall averages 1600 mm per annum [39] and exhibits a bimodal pattern with a main annual dry season occurring during DecemberFebruary. Minimum temperatures average 21°C but daily temperatures reach 32°C in the dry season [40]. The forest has been logged on a sustainable yield basis since the 1920s up to the present day [27], although illegal logging is widespread [41].…”