Using abundance and habitat variables to identify high conservation value areas for threatened mammals

Tédonzong, Luc Roscelin Dongmo; Willie, Jacob; Keuko, Ada Myriane Patipe; Kuenbou, Jacques Keumo; Njotah, Giscard; Tchamba, Martin Ngankam; Tagg, Nikki; Lens, Luc

doi:10.1007/s10531-017-1483-9

Cited by 11 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…We found gorillas to randomly use LG and YSF in all seasons, except in the long rainy season when they used YSF in proportion significantly less than would be expected by chance; however, a general analysis revealed that gorillas preferred LG, but again used YSF in proportion significantly less than would be expected by chance. A recent study in the same region but using a different data set also found a general use of YSF proportionally to its availability and a preference of LG by gorillas and subsequently considered young secondary forests to be an important habitat for gorilla survival because of the higher percentage of nests built (Tédonzong et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…We hypothesized that (a) if habitat selection alone is the underlying mechanism of coexistence of gorillas and chimpanzees, the same pattern of habitat selection must be observed across all seasons; (b) if differential diet breadth alone is responsible for the coexistence of gorillas and chimpanzees, the pattern of habitat selection will not be different between the two species across all seasons; (c) the distribution of preferred and fallback woody fruiting plant species across habitat types may explain the coexistence of gorillas and chimpanzees; the seasonal availability of preferred and fallback fruits may vary between habitats, and the seasonal patterns of habitat use may vary between species. For this third hypothesis, considering chimpanzees as the superior competitor, we predicted that preferred species for both animals would be more associated with chimpanzee commonly preferred habitats (old secondary forests [Arnhem, Dupain, Drubbel, Devos, & Vercauteren, ; Tédonzong et al, ]); while fallback species would be more associated with gorilla commonly preferred habitats (young secondary forests, opened forests and swamps [Willie et al, ]). Also, gorillas may avoid nesting in habitats preferred by chimpanzees to escape competitive exclusion but may still forage in those chimpanzees‐preferred nesting habitats when their preferred fruits are available there.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The distribution of plant consumption traits across habitat types and the patterns of fruit availability suggest a mechanism of coexistence of two sympatric frugivorous mammals

Tédonzong

Willie

Tagg

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding the mechanisms governing the coexistence of organisms is an important question in ecology, and providing potential solutions contributes to conservation science. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of several mechanisms to the coexistence of two sympatric frugivores, using western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) and central chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes ) in a tropical rainforest of southeast Cameroon as a model system. We collected great ape fecal samples to determine and classify fruit species consumed; we conducted great ape nest surveys to evaluate seasonal patterns of habitat use; and we collected botanical data to investigate the distribution of plant species across habitat types in relation to their “consumption traits” (which indicate whether plants are preferred or fallback for either gorilla, chimpanzee, or both). We found that patterns of habitat use varied seasonally for both gorillas and chimpanzees and that gorilla and chimpanzee preferred and fallback fruits differed. Also, the distribution of plant consumption traits was influenced by habitat type and matched accordingly with the patterns of habitat use by gorillas and chimpanzees. We show that neither habitat selection nor fruit preference alone can explain the coexistence of gorillas and chimpanzees, but that considering together the distribution of plant consumption traits of fruiting woody plants across habitats as well as the pattern of fruit availability may contribute to explaining coexistence. This supports the assumptions of niche theory with dominant and subordinate species in heterogeneous landscapes, whereby a species may prefer nesting in habitats where it is less subject to competitive exclusion and where food availability is higher. To our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the contribution of plant consumption traits, seasonality, and habitat heterogeneity to enabling the coexistence of two sympatric frugivores. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://datadryad.org/resource/doi:10.5061/dryad.ms65f29 10.5061/dryad.ms65f29 .

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The distribution of plant consumption traits across habitat types and the patterns of fruit availability suggest a mechanism of coexistence of two sympatric frugivorous mammals

Tédonzong

Willie

Tagg

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The study area lies between the longitude 3°01′00″E–18°12′00″E and latitude 3°20′00″N–3°30′00″N, covering about 200 km 2 (Figure 1a). The altitude above sea level ranges from 633 to 751 m (mean = 680.58; SD = 17.53 m) (Tédonzong et al, 2018). The drainage features comprise the Dja River and its tributaries, Moun, Djo'o, Nkoun, and Mpou'o.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees are threatened primate species, and the former considered “critically endangered” and the latter “endangered,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (Humle, Maisels, Oates, Plumptre, & Williamson, 2016; Maisels, Bergl, & Williamson, 2018). Gorillas and chimpanzees prefer different sets of habitat types: In the study area, gorillas prefer nesting in young secondary forests, light gaps, and swamps, while chimpanzees prefer nesting in mature forests and riparian forests (Tédonzong et al, 2018; Willie, Petre, Tagg, & Lens, 2013). Habitat selection by chimpanzees may be guided by the abundance of their preferred fruiting woody plants (Tédonzong et al, 2019), while gorilla‐preferred nesting habitats tend to be those with highest densities of herbaceous plants, necessary for nest building (Willie et al, 2013; Willie, Tagg, Petre, Pereboom, & Lens, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in behavioral traits of two frugivorous mammals may lead to differential responses to human disturbance

Tédonzong

Willie

Makengveu

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Human activities can lead to a shift in wildlife species' spatial distribution.Understanding the specific effects of human activities on ranging behavior can improve conservation management of wildlife populations in human-dominated landscapes. This study evaluated the effects of forest use by humans on the spatial distribution of mammal species with different behavioral adaptations, using sympatric western lowland gorilla and central chimpanzee as focal species. We collected data on great ape nest locations, ecological and physical variables (habitat distribution, permanent rivers, and topographic data), and anthropogenic variables (distance to trails, villages, and a permanent research site). Here, we show that anthropogenic variables are important predictors of the distribution of wild animals. In the resource model, the distribution of gorilla nests was predicted by nesting habitat distribution, while chimpanzee nests were predicted first by elevation followed by nesting habitat distribution. In the anthropogenic model, the major predictors of gorilla nesting changed to human features, while the major predictors of chimpanzee nesting remained elevation and the availability of their preferred nesting habitats. Animal behavioral traits (body size, terrestrial/arboreal, level of specialization/ generalization, and competitive inferiority/superiority) may influence the response of mammals to human activities. Our results suggest that chimpanzees may survive in human-encroached areas whenever the availability of their nesting habitat and preferred fruits can support their population, while a certain level of human activities may threaten gorillas. Consequently, the survival of gorillas in human-dominated landscapes is more at risk than that of chimpanzees. Replicating our research in other sites should permit a systematic evaluation of the influence of human activity on the distribution of mammal populations. As wild animals are increasingly exposed to human disturbance, understanding the resulting consequences of shifting species distributions due to human disturbance on animal population abundance and their long-term survival will be of growing conservation importance. | 3799TÉDONZONG eT al. S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O NAdditional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section.

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“…Primate occurrence data have been incorporated into studies that prioritize areas based on the number of species (Lee, ; Ribeiro et al, ; Struebig et al, ), and in studies that identified hotspots of primate species (Castillo Ayala, ; Law et al, ; Meijaard & Nijman, ). In contrast, great ape densities were used by Murai et al () to identify priority areas across Río Muni in mainland Equatorial Guinea, and by Tédonzong et al () to identify areas of high conservation value in a logging concession in southeastern Cameroon. Similarly, Junker et al () used density data to identify priority areas for the protection of western chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes verus ) and biodiversity across Liberia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards systematic and evidence‐based conservation planning for western chimpanzees

Heinicke

Mundry

Boesch

et al. 2019

American J Primatol

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As animal populations continue to decline, frequently driven by large-scale land-use change, there is a critical need for improved environmental planning. While data-driven spatial planning is widely applied in conservation, as of yet it is rarely used for primates.The western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) declined by 80% within 24 years and was uplisted to Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016. To support conservation planning for western chimpanzees, we systematically identified geographic areas important for this taxon. We based our analysis on a previously published data set of modeled density distribution and on several scenarios that accounted for different spatial scales and conservation targets. Across all scenarios, typically less than one-third of areas we identified as important are currently designated as high-level protected areas (i.e., national park or IUCN category I or II).For example, in the scenario for protecting 50% of all chimpanzees remaining in West Africa (i.e., approximately 26,500 chimpanzees), an area of approximately 60,000 km 2 was selected (i.e., approximately 12% of the geographic range), only 24% of which is currently designated as protected areas. The derived maps can be used to inform the geographic prioritization of conservation interventions, including protected area expansion, "no-go-zones" for industry and infrastructure, and conservation sites outside the protected area network. Environmental guidelines by major institutions funding infrastructure and resource extraction projects explicitly require corporations to minimize the negative impact on great apes. Therefore, our results can inform avoidance and mitigation measures during the planning phases of such projects.This study was designed to inform future stakeholder consultation processes that could ultimately integrate the conservation of western chimpanzees with national land-use priorities. Our approach may help in promoting similar work for other primate taxa to inform systematic conservation planning in times of growing threats. K E Y W O R D SPan troglodytes verus, spatial planning, spatial prioritization, systematic conservation planning, West Africa, western chimpanzee ---

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Using abundance and habitat variables to identify high conservation value areas for threatened mammals

Cited by 11 publications

References 80 publications

The distribution of plant consumption traits across habitat types and the patterns of fruit availability suggest a mechanism of coexistence of two sympatric frugivorous mammals

The distribution of plant consumption traits across habitat types and the patterns of fruit availability suggest a mechanism of coexistence of two sympatric frugivorous mammals

Variation in behavioral traits of two frugivorous mammals may lead to differential responses to human disturbance

Towards systematic and evidence‐based conservation planning for western chimpanzees

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