Wild chimpanzees show group differences in selection of agricultural crops

Sci Rep. 2014 Aug 5:4:5956. doi: 10.1038/srep05956.

Abstract

The ability of wild animals to respond flexibly to anthropogenic environmental changes, including agriculture, is critical to survival in human-impacted habitats. Understanding use of human foods by wildlife can shed light on the acquisition of novel feeding habits and how animals respond to human-driven land-use changes. Little attention has focused on within-species variation in use of human foods or its causes. We examined crop-feeding in two groups of wild chimpanzees - a specialist frugivore - with differing histories of exposure to agriculture. Both groups exploited a variety of crops, with more accessible crops consumed most frequently. However, crop selection by chimpanzees with long-term exposure to agriculture was more omnivorous (i.e., less fruit-biased) compared to those with more recent exposure, which ignored most non-fruit crops. Our results suggest chimpanzees show increased foraging adaptations to cultivated landscapes over time; however, local feeding traditions may also contribute to group differences in crop-feeding in this species. Understanding the dynamic responses of wildlife to agriculture can help predict current and future adaptability of species to fast-changing anthropogenic landscapes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological
  • Animals
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Crops, Agricultural / growth & development
  • Ecosystem
  • Feeding Behavior / physiology
  • Feeding Behavior / psychology*
  • Female
  • Fruit / growth & development
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pan troglodytes / physiology
  • Pan troglodytes / psychology*
  • Seasons