Chimpanzee oil‐palm use in southern Cantanhez National Park, Guinea‐Bissau

Abstract

Cantanhez National Park in southern Guinea-Bissau is a mosaic of forest, mangrove, savanna, and agricultural fields, with a high prevalence of oil-palm trees (Elaeis guineensis). It hosts many different animal species, including the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). Very little is known about the ecology of chimpanzees inhabiting this area. The main aims of this study were to evaluate chimpanzee nesting behavior, define trends of habitat use, and estimate chimpanzee density in four separate forests by applying the marked nest counts methodology. From the 287 new nests counted, 92% were built in oil-palm trees with a significantly higher frequency of nests in the forest edge than in forest cores. Differences in nest detection rates were observed in the four monitored forests, with two forests being more important for chimpanzee's nesting demands. The number of nests documented in the forests seemed to be correlated with the frequency of other signs of chimpanzee activity. Although chimpanzees selected nests on the forest edge, they were most frequently observed in forest core areas. Constraints associated with estimating chimpanzee density through oil-palm nest counting are discussed.

Population Status of Pan troglodytes verus in Lagoas de Cufada Natural Park, Guinea-Bissau

“…By comparison with previous studies for Guinea-Bissau we report the lowest chimpanzee density estimate (Table S3). There are three published studies for this country that provide density estimates based on distance sampling, however, just one of them employed a random sampling of line transects [62] and the remainder used abandoned trails or trails used by locals for access to crops or for hunting [36], [63].…”

“…verus in this country dates from 1940 (Monard 1940 in [34]) and only recently have studies provided updated assessments [6], [35], [36], which, however, have focused only on a small area of the country or have employed a less robust study design [31], [33], [36] than is recommended [37]. For LCNP, the evidence available before 2008 suggests that chimpanzees occurred in the forests surrounding 23 villages, while in other areas they were scarce and seriously threatened by deforestation, poaching and increasing human populations, in others there were no signs at all of their presence [38].…”

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Flexibly Use Introduced Species for Nesting and Bark Feeding in a Human-Dominated Habitat

“…2015; Sousa et al . 2011). Lower nest tree availability may also lead great apes to reuse nests, as low availability of fresh leaves may contribute to nest reuse (Fruth and Hohmann 1996; Wrangham 1992).…”

Phylogeography, conservation genetics and parasitology of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

“…The most recent figures available, from 1996 (Gippoliti et al, 2003), estimate that the number of Chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau ranges from between 600 and 1000 individuals. It is estimated that Chimpanzee density in the southern area of CNP is of 2.34 nest builders/km 2 in a total area of 17.225 km 2 , corresponding to 40 individuals (Sousa et al, 2011), while in the neighbouring area east of Gadamael, just outside the CNP area, this value decreases to 0.89 T HE intestine of apes is colonized by a spectrum of protists that cause no or little harm to their host and can be classified as mutualists or commensals. Among them, ciliates are the most prominent group, as they apparently participate in the hindgut fermentation (e.g.…”