![]() ![]() Consequently, chimpanzees are usually considered ripe fruit specialists 13, 14. They preferentially seek out ripe fleshy fruits, which are often seasonal and patchily distributed and exhibit flexible socio-behavioural adaptations (high fission–fusion dynamics) which enable them to pursue a fruit-dominated diet even when fruit is scarce 12. While the natural diet of this great ape is broadly omnivorous, comprising diverse plant and animal foods, chimpanzees are not generalist feeders. In medium- to large-bodied mammals, this is reflected in the predominance of omnivorous, generalist feeders among species that commonly exploit human foods, for example African elephants Loxodonta africana 8, black bears Ursus americanus 9 and wild boars Sus scrofa 10, as well as certain primates including olive baboon Papio anubis 11 and rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta 6.Ĭhimpanzees do not confirm wholly to this pattern. In particular, species exhibiting high behavioral plasticity and dietary flexibility should cope better with human habitat alterations than ecological specialists 1, 7. The extent to which wildlife utilise anthropogenic environments including human food sources will depend on species-specific traits, as well as local people's attitudes toward the species. However, populations of certain species are able to prosper in association with people and may rely on human activities for a substantial portion of their diet (e.g., some species of macaque monkey, Macaca 6). Some wild animals never or rarely exploit human foods and fare badly in human-modified environments. In this study we compared crop-feeding in two allopatric populations of chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) – an endangered mammal, threatened by habitat loss – to better understand how human foods are assimilated into animal diets under conditions of dynamic land-use change. To date, little attention has focused on potential variation among conspecific populations in use of human foods or its causes. Understanding use of human food sources by wild animals is of considerable interest since it can shed light on the acquisition of novel feeding habits and the process by which species adjust their behaviour in response to rapidly changing environments. While land-use changes including cultivation, plantation forestry, ranching and urbanisation invariably erode wild food supplies, they provide wildlife with opportunities to feed on novel foods such as agricultural crops, introduced exotics, garbage and livestock 2, 3, 4, 5. Understanding the dynamic responses of wildlife to agriculture can help predict current and future adaptability of species to fast-changing anthropogenic landscapes.Įxtensive transformation of natural habitats to alternative land-uses by people means that wild animals must adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions, migrate, or perish 1. 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. 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. Both groups exploited a variety of crops, with more accessible crops consumed most frequently. We examined crop-feeding in two groups of wild chimpanzees – a specialist frugivore – with differing histories of exposure to agriculture. Little attention has focused on within-species variation in use of human foods or its causes. 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. The ability of wild animals to respond flexibly to anthropogenic environmental changes, including agriculture, is critical to survival in human-impacted habitats. ![]()
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