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Dietary Ecology of the Nigeria–Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti)

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Abstract

Examining the diets of primate populations inhabiting different habitat types could be useful in understanding local adaptation and divergence between these populations. In Cameroon, the Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) is subdivided into two genetically distinct populations that occupy different habitat types; one occurs in forests to the west and the other in a forest–woodland–savanna mosaic (ecotone) in the center of the country. We used macroscopic fecal sample assessment to investigate dietary differences in relation to monthly fruit availability among P. t. ellioti communities in both habitat types: at Ebo Forest (rainforest) and Mbam and Djerem National Park (ecotone). We collected data simultaneously across three sites: Bekob and Njuma (rainforest) and Ganga (ecotone) from January 2016 to December 2017. In the dry season, fruits were the most important dietary component at Bekob and Njuma, while nonfruit plant material (leaves, pith, and bark) were most important at Ganga. In the wet season, the proportion of fruits in the diet was greatest at Ganga, while nonfruit plant material dominated chimpanzee diets at Bekob and Njuma. Chimpanzees at Bekob ate more fruits from introduced and secondary forest plant species than those at Njuma and Ganga, especially during periods of fruit scarcity. Animal consumption was higher at Ganga and was inversely associated with fruit consumption. These observations link habitat diversity to differences in feeding ecology among genetically distinct populations of P. t. ellioti. We speculate that dietary differences reflect broader socioecological variation between these populations, and collectively, that these factors promote intraspecific divergence.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife for authorization to carry out research in Ebo Forest and Mbam & Djerem National Park (MDNP). We are grateful for logistical support from Ebo Forest Research Project in Ebo, and Wildlife Conservation Society at MDNP. In the field, we had help from Daouda Betare, Thomas Elanga, Christian Mbella, Daniel Mfossa, Marcel Ketchen, Abwe Enang, Celestin Njukang, Julius Alobwede, Stanley Enongene, Solomon Ngongbia, Junior Kibong, Wilson Tuka, Elie Liboho, Lappe Blaise, Jonas Mam, Jean Melba, Daniel Batouan, and Felix Nkumbe. We are grateful to the reviewers, editors, and editor-in-chief for their invaluable comments and suggestions that improved the quality of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Ekwoge E. Abwe, Fabrice Kentatchime, Dana M. Venditti, Matthew W. Mitchell & Mary Katherine Gonder

  2. Ebo Forest Research Project, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Ekwoge E. Abwe & Bethan J. Morgan

  3. San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, CA, USA

    Ekwoge E. Abwe & Bethan J. Morgan

  4. Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Roger Doudja & Albert Mounga

  5. Wildlife Conservation Society, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Flaubert Mba, Bernard Fosso & Roger C. Fotso

  6. Department of Plant Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Alvine Dadjo

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  1. Ekwoge E. Abwe
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Contributions

EEA, BF, AM, RCF, BJM and MKG conceived and designed the study. EEA, AD, FB, FK, and RD collected the data. EEA, DMV, MWM and MKG analyzed the data. EEA, BJM and MKG led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the drafts.

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Correspondence to Ekwoge E. Abwe.

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Abwe, E.E., Morgan, B.J., Doudja, R. et al. Dietary Ecology of the Nigeria–Cameroon Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti). Int J Primatol 41, 81–104 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-020-00138-7

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