Skip to main content

Ground-nesting by the chimpanzees of the Nimba Mountains, Guinea: Environmentally or socially determined?

Koops, Kathelijne, Humle, Tatyana, Sterck, E.H.M., Matsuzawa, Tetsuro (2007) Ground-nesting by the chimpanzees of the Nimba Mountains, Guinea: Environmentally or socially determined? American Journal of Primatology, 69 (4). pp. 407-419. ISSN 0275-2565. (doi:10.1002/ajp.20358) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:38038)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20358

Abstract

The chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of the Nimba Mountains, Guinea, West Africa, commonly make both elaborate ("night") and simple ("day") nests on the ground. In this study we investigated which factors might influence ground-nesting in this population, and tested two ecological hypotheses: 1) climatic conditions, such as high wind speeds at high altitudes, may deter chimpanzees from nesting in trees; and 2) a lack of appropriate arboreal nesting opportunities may drive the chimpanzees to nest on the ground. In addition to testing these two hypotheses, we explored whether ground-nesting is a sex-linked behavior. Data were collected monthly between August 2003 and May 2004 along transects and ad libitum. To identify the sex of ground-nesting individuals, we used DNA extracted from hair samples. The results showed that the occurrence and distribution of ground nests were not affected by climatic conditions or a lack of appropriate nest trees. Support was found for the notion that ground-nesting is a sex-linked behavior, as males were responsible for building all of the elaborate ground nests and most of the simple ground nests sampled. Elaborate ground nests occurred mostly in nest groups associated with tree nests, whereas simple ground nests usually occurred without tree nests in their vicinity. These results suggest that ground-nesting may be socially, rather than ecologically, determined.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1002/ajp.20358
Uncontrolled keywords: DNA analyses, Ground-nesting, Nimba Mountains, Pan troglodytes verus, amelogenin, climate conditions, DNA, ecological theory, genetic analysis, hypothesis testing, nest site, nesting behavior, primate, sexual behavior, animal, article, chemistry, climate, ecosystem, female, genetics, Guinea, hair, male, nesting, Pan troglodytes, physiology, polymerase chain reaction, sex determination, sex difference, tree, Amelogenin, Animals, Climate, Ecosystem, Female, Guinea, Hair, Male, Nesting Behavior, Pan troglodytes, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sex Determination (Analysis), Sex Factors, Trees, Africa, Guinea, Nimba Range, Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa, Nimba, Pan, Pan troglodytes, Pan troglodytes verus
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
Q Science > QH Natural history > QH541 Ecology
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation
Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Depositing User: Tatyana Humle
Date Deposited: 04 Apr 2014 09:19 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:14 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/38038 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.