Insights into short‐ and long‐term crop‐foraging strategies in a chacma baboon (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) from GPS and accelerometer data

Walton, Ben J.; Findlay, Leah J.; Hill, Russell A.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7114

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…NDVI is an indicator of the greenness of an area and has been largely used to estimate plant biomass (Carlson & Ripley, 1997). NDVI has previously been used to estimate food availability (Dezeure et al , in press; Baniel et al , 2018; Dezeure et al , 2021; Walton et al , 2021) in several baboons populations and has also proved relevant to predict reproductive seasonality in humans (Macfarlan et al , 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary determinants of reproductive seasonality: a theoretical approach

Burtschell

Dezeure

Godelle

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Reproductive seasonality is a major adaptation to seasonal cycles and varies substantially among organisms. This variation, which was long thought to reflect a simple latitudinal gradient, remains poorly understood for many species, in part due to a lacunary theoretical framework. Because seasonal cycles are increasingly disrupted by climate change, a better understanding of the ecology of reproductive seasonality could generate important insights on how climate change may affect biodiversity. The goal of this study was to investigate the drivers of evolutionary transitions towards reproductive seasonality using a realistic agent-based optimisation model simulating the life cycle of a female yellow baboon, who typically breeds year-round. Specifically, we tested the influence of three ecological traits (environmental seasonality, productivity and unpredictability) and three life-history traits (daily reproductive energy expenditure, reproductive cycle length and infant extrinsic mortality) on the intensity of reproductive seasonality. To do so, we simulated diverse reproductive phenology strategies (from non-seasonal to highly seasonal), assessed which were optimal and computed, for the set of optimal strategies, the intensity of reproductive seasonality. We then induced variation in each trait of interest and examined how it affected the intensity of reproductive seasonality. We found significant effects of all three environmental traits: high reproductive seasonality was favoured by high environmental seasonality, low environmental productivity and low unpredictability. It was further, and most strongly, favoured by high daily reproductive energy expenditure. In contrast, there was no significant effect of reproductive cycle length and infant extrinsic mortality. Our modelling approach successfully disentangled the effects of environmental seasonality, productivity and unpredictability on the intensity of reproductive seasonality, which likely all contribute to generate the well-known association between latitude and reproductive seasonality. Our results further highlight the critical importance of life history pace on the evolution of reproductive seasonality. Overall, this study contributes a powerful theoretical framework and modelling tool that may apply across the life-history space, as well as sheds new light on the emergence and maintenance of non-seasonal breeding in slow-living species, including humans.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary determinants of reproductive seasonality: a theoretical approach

Burtschell

Dezeure

Godelle

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Urban or crop‐foraging individuals, therefore, benefit from increased energetic intake allowing them to reduce the time spent foraging (Altmann & Muruthi, 1988; Strum, 2010), increase fertility (Strum, 2010) and improve survival (Beamish & O'Riain, 2014). However, urban and crop foraging is a risky foraging strategy, typically characterized by increased activity levels when ranging in human‐altered environments (Fehlmann, O'Riain, Kerr‐Smith, Hailes, et al, 2017; Walton et al, 2021), increased stress levels (Chowdhury et al, 2020), and high risks of injuries or death (Beamish, 2009). Urban foraging baboons also experience high risks of disease transmission to and from pets (Drewe et al, 2012), and physiological pathologies such as diabetes because of the high sugar content of the available food item (Leith et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using behavioral studies to adapt management decisions and reduce negative interactions between humans and baboons in Cape Town, South Africa

Fehlmann

O’Riain

Kerr‐Smith

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Understanding the behavioral ecology of wildlife that experiences negative interactions with humans and the outcome of any wildlife management intervention is essential. In the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) search for anthropogenic food sources in both urban and agricultural areas. In response, the city of Cape Town and private farmers employ "rangers" to keep baboons within the Table Mountain National Park. In this study, we investigated the success of rangers' intervention in keeping baboons in their natural habitat. Based on our findings in year one, we recommended adjustments to the rangers' management strategy in year two. We recommended improved consensus of actions toward baboons (that is, when/where to herd them), and the construction of a baboon-proof fence around one of the farms that provided a corridor to urban areas. During the 2 months following recommendations, these interventions combined resulted in a significant reduction in the time baboons spent in both urban and agricultural land. Our case study illustrates the importance of integrating research findings into ongoing management actions to improve both human livelihoods and baboon conservation through an adaptive management framework. We expect similar approaches to be beneficial in a wide range of species and contexts. This article should prove useful to conservation practitioners and researchers, researchers in behavioral ecology with an interest in conservation, as well as management agencies.

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“…Human‐elephant conflict around agricultural fields, for example, causes many human and elephant deaths every year (Naha et al, 2019; Shaffer et al, 2019; Thirgood et al, 2005). The animals' motivation to forage on crops and to take risks entering human landscapes is likely related to nutritional/mineral needs (African and Asian elephants: Branco et al, 2019; Rode et al, 2006; Vogel et al, 2019; chacma baboons Papio ursinus : Findlay & Hill, 2020; Walton et al, 2021) and/or food availability (wild boars Sus scrofa : Ballari & Barrios‐García, 2014; Herrero et al, 2006). Few of the crop deterrent methods (e.g.…”

Section: Applications Of Disgust To Wildlife Management and Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The animals' motivation to forage on crops and to take risks entering human landscapes is likely related to nutritional/mineral needs (African and Asian elephants: Branco et al, 2019;Rode et al, 2006;Vogel et al, 2019;chacma baboons Papio ursinus: Findlay & Hill, 2020;Walton et al, 2021) and/or food availability (wild boars Sus scrofa:…”

Section: Crop-foraging and Use Of Agricultural Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disgust in animals and the application of disease avoidance to wildlife management and conservation

Sarabian

Wilkinson

Sigaud

et al. 2023

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Disgust is an adaptive system hypothesized to have evolved to reduce the risk of becoming sick. It is associated with behavioural, cognitive and physiological responses tuned to allow animals to avoid and/or get rid of parasites, pathogens and toxins. Little is known about the mechanisms and outcomes of disease avoidance in wild animals. Furthermore, given the escalation of negative human‐wildlife interactions, the translation of such knowledge into the design of evolutionarily relevant conservation and wildlife management strategies is becoming urgent. Contemporary methods in animal ecology and related fields, using direct (sensory cues) or indirect (remote sensing technologies and machine learning) means, provide a flexible toolbox for testing and applying disgust at individual and collective levels. In this review/perspective paper, we provide an empirical framework for testing the adaptive function of disgust and its associated disease avoidance behaviours across species, from the least to the most social, in different habitats. We predict various trade‐offs to be at play depending on the social system and ecology of the species. We propose five contexts in which disgust‐related avoidance behaviours could be applied, including endangered species rehabilitation, invasive species, crop‐raiding, urban pests and animal tourism. We highlight some of the perspectives and current challenges of testing disgust in the wild. In particular, we recommend future studies to consider together disease, predation and competition risks. We discuss the ethics associated with disgust experiments in the above contexts. Finally, we promote the creation of a database gathering disease avoidance evidence in animals and its applications.

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Insights into short‐ and long‐term crop‐foraging strategies in a chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) from GPS and accelerometer data

Cited by 14 publications

References 49 publications

Evolutionary determinants of reproductive seasonality: a theoretical approach

Evolutionary determinants of reproductive seasonality: a theoretical approach

Using behavioral studies to adapt management decisions and reduce negative interactions between humans and baboons in Cape Town, South Africa

Disgust in animals and the application of disease avoidance to wildlife management and conservation

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