Seasonal Variation in Physiology Challenges the Notion of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) as a Forest-Adapted Species

Wessling, Erin G.; Deschner, Tobias; Mundry, Roger; Pruetz, Jill D.; Wittig, Roman M.; Kühl, Hjalmar S.

doi:10.3389/fevo.2018.00060

Cited by 60 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 105 publications

(135 reference statements)

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“…Chimpanzees in the Fouta Djallon and adjacent areas appear to be a large population characterized by savanna-mosaic habitat. Despite challenging ecological conditions (Wessling et al 2018), chimpanzees persist here at high densities due to relatively low levels of anthropogenic threats and a high prevalence of hunting taboos (Boesch et al 2017, Heinicke et al 2019. Chimpanzees in the second largest population live in a habitat mostly characterized by rainforest.…”

Section: Implications For Western Chimpanzee Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing conservation planning for western chimpanzees using IUCN SSC A.P.E.S.—the case of a taxon-specific database

Heinicke

Mundry

Boesch

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Even though information on global biodiversity trends becomes increasingly available, large taxonomic and spatial data gaps persist at the scale relevant to planning conservation interventions. This is because data collectors are hesitant to share data with global repositories due to workload, lack of incentives, and perceived risk of losing intellectual property rights. In contrast, due to greater conceptual and methodological proximity, taxon-specific database initiatives can provide more direct benefits to data collectors through research collaborations and shared authorship. The IUCN SSC Ape Populations, Environments and Surveys (A.P.E.S.) database was created in 2005 as a repository for data on great apes and other primate taxa. It aims to acquire field survey data and make different types of data accessible, and OPEN ACCESS RECEIVED provide up-to-date species status information. To support the current update of the conservation action plan for western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) we compiled field surveys for this taxon from IUCN SSC A.P.E.S., 75% of which were unpublished. We used spatial modeling to infer total population size, range-wide density distribution, population connectivity and landscape-scale metrics. We estimated a total abundance of 52 800 (95% CI 17 577-96 564) western chimpanzees, of which only 17% occurred in national parks. We also found that 10% of chimpanzees live within 25 km of four multi-national 'development corridors' currently planned for West Africa. These large infrastructure projects aim to promote economic integration and agriculture expansion, but are likely to cause further habitat loss and reduce population connectivity. We close by demonstrating the wealth of conservation-relevant information derivable from a taxon-specific database like IUCN SSC A.P.E.S. and propose that a network of many more such databases could be created to provide the essential information to conservation that can neither be supplied by one-off projects nor by global repositories, and thus are highly complementary to existing initiatives.

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Section: Implications For Western Chimpanzee Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing conservation planning for western chimpanzees using IUCN SSC A.P.E.S.—the case of a taxon-specific database

Heinicke

Mundry

Boesch

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…We furthermore controlled for group identity, average male party size (Sobolewski, 2012), log-transformed age (Sapolsky and Altmann, 1991;Goncharova and Lapin, 2002;Gesquiere et al, 2011b) and monthly fruit availability (Muller and Wrangham, 2004b). To control for seasonal variation in cortisol levels we converted Julian dates into a circular variable and included its sine and cosine into the model (Stolwijk et al, 1999;Wessling et al, 2018). As random effects, we included the identity of the focal individual, and date nested in group.…”

Section: Urinary Cortisol Model (Model 1)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Cortisol, Aggression, Dominance and Competition in Wild, West African Male Chimpanzees

et al. 2019

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High dominance status is associated with fitness benefits in many social mammals. Yet, attaining and maintaining a high social status often comes with elevated energetic costs. Dominance rank-related exposure to energetic and psychosocial stressors is predicted to vary depending on the type of breeding system, the means a high rank is acquired and maintained, and the stability of the dominance hierarchy. Using behavioral data and urinary cortisol levels, we investigated whether a high dominance rank is associated with elevated energetic costs in Taï male chimpanzees and whether the relationship between male dominance rank and cortisol levels varies between stable and unstable dominance periods. Additionally, we investigated potential sources of energetic and psychosocial stress linked to competition over dominance status and mating opportunities. We found that higher-ranking males gave more aggressions than lower-ranking males in stable and unstable dominance periods, but that dominance rank and urinary cortisol levels were not associated in either period. Urinary cortisol levels were higher in all males in unstable compared to stable dominance periods, whereas aggression rates showed the reversed pattern, with higher rates in stable periods. Our results indicate that dominance maintenance is not associated with elevated physiological stress for dominant Taï male chimpanzees, and that social instability exposed all males to psychosocial stress, despite lower rates of aggressive interactions. Overall, these findings suggest that male chimpanzees adjust competitive behavior to context dependent conditions, possibly by means of predictability of outcomes of social interactions, and use conflict management strategies, such as avoidance of aggression potentially diminishing the risk of escalation.

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“…Four subspecies are currently described: P. t. verus from West Africa, P. t. ellioti from Nigeria and Cameroon, P. t. troglodytes from Central Africa and P. t. schweinfurthii from Central and Eastern Africa. Chimpanzee diversity is also apparent in their social organisation (community size ranges from 12 to 200, Langergraber et al 2017), feeding ecology and diet (proportions and species of vertebrates, insects and fruits consumed varies among populations (Basabose, 2002;McGrew, Baldwin & Tutin, 1988;Nishida & Uehara, 1983;Wrangham, 1977), and range sizes (from around 3 km 2 to over 60 km 2 (Herbinger, Boesch, & Rothe, 2001;Pruetz & Bertolani, 2009;Wessling et al, 2018). Behavioural complexity in chimpanzees is highly variable, with diverse repertoires of tool use (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Quaternary habitat suitability models for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) since the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP)

Barratt

Lester

Gratton

et al. 2020

Preprint

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AimPaleoclimate reconstructions have enhanced our understanding of how past climates may have shaped present-day biodiversity. We hypothesize that habitat stability in historical Afrotropical refugia played a major role in the habitat suitability and persistence of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) during the late Quaternary. We aimed to build a dynamic model of changing habitat suitability for chimpanzees at fine spatio-temporal scales to provide a new resource for understanding their ecology, behaviour and evolution.LocationAfrotropics.TaxonChimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), including all four subspecies (P. t. verus, P. t. ellioti, P. t. troglodytes, P. t. schweinfurthii).MethodsWe used downscaled bioclimatic variables representing monthly temperature and precipitation estimates, historical human population density data and an extensive database of georeferenced presence points to infer chimpanzee habitat suitability at 62 paleoclimatic time periods across the Afrotropics based on ensemble species distribution models. We mapped habitat stability over time using an approach that accounts for dispersal between time periods, and compared our modelled stability estimates to existing knowledge of Afrotropical refugia. Our models cover a spatial resolution of 0.0467 degrees (approximately 5.19 km2 grid cells) and a temporal resolution of every 1,000–4,000 years dating back to the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP).ResultsOur results show high habitat stability concordant with known historical forest refugia across Africa, but suggest that their extents are underestimated for chimpanzees. We provide the first fine-grained dynamic map of historical chimpanzee habitat suitability since the Last Interglacial which is suspected to have influenced a number of ecological-evolutionary processes, such as the emergence of complex patterns of behavioural and genetic diversity.Main ConclusionsWe provide a novel resource that can be used to reveal spatio-temporally explicit insights into the role of refugia in determining chimpanzee behavioural, ecological and genetic diversity. This methodology can be applied to other taxonomic groups and geographic areas where sufficient data are available.

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Seasonal Variation in Physiology Challenges the Notion of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) as a Forest-Adapted Species

Cited by 60 publications

References 105 publications

Advancing conservation planning for western chimpanzees using IUCN SSC A.P.E.S.—the case of a taxon-specific database

Advancing conservation planning for western chimpanzees using IUCN SSC A.P.E.S.—the case of a taxon-specific database

Urinary Cortisol, Aggression, Dominance and Competition in Wild, West African Male Chimpanzees

Late Quaternary habitat suitability models for chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) since the Last Interglacial (120,000 BP)

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