The macronutrient composition of wild and cultivated plant foods of West African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) inhabiting an anthropogenic landscape

• Published in: American Journal of Primatology Vol. 82; no. 3; pp. e23102 - n/a
• Main Authors: Bryson‐Morrison, Nicola, Beer, Andy, Gaspard Soumah, Aly, Matsuzawa, Tetsuro, Humle, Tatyana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.03.2020; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Agricultural expansion; Agricultural land; Agriculture; Animals; Anthropogenic factors; anthropogenic landscape; Carbohydrates; Chimpanzees; Coexistence; Composition; Crops; Crops, Agricultural; crop‐foraging; Cultivated plants; Cultivation; Diet; Ecological effects; Ecology; Female; Food; Food intake; Food plants; Food Preferences; Food resources; Foraging behavior; Forest management; Forests; Fruit; Fruit cultivation; Fruits; Guinea; human‐primate coexistence; Landscape; Lipids; Male; Monkeys & apes; Mosaics; Nutrients; nutritional ecology; oil palm; Oils & fats; Pan troglodytes; Pan troglodytes verus; Petroleum; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Primates; Proteins; Tropical forests; Vegetable oils; West Africa; nutritional ecology; human-primate coexistence; oil palm; Pan troglodytes verus; crop-foraging; anthropogenic landscape
• ISSN: 0275-2565; 1098-2345; 1098-2345
• DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23102

Agricultural expansion encroaches on tropical forests and primates in such landscapes frequently incorporate crops into their diet. Understanding the nutritional drivers behind crop‐foraging can help inform conservation efforts to improve human‐primate coexistence. This study builds on existing knowledge of primate diets in anthropogenic landscapes by estimating the macronutrient content of 24 wild and 11 cultivated foods (90.5% of food intake) consumed by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) at Bossou, Guinea, West Africa. We also compared the macronutrient composition of Bossou crops to published macronutrient measures of crops from Bulindi, Uganda, East Africa. The composition of wild fruits, leaves, and pith were consistent with previous reports for primate diets. Cultivated fruits were higher in carbohydrates and lower in insoluble fiber than wild fruits, while wild fruits were higher in protein. Macronutrient content of cultivated pith fell within the ranges of consumed wild pith. Oil palm food parts were relatively rich in carbohydrates, protein, lipids, and/or fermentable fiber, adding support for the nutritional importance of the oil palm for West African chimpanzees. We found no differences in the composition of cultivated fruits between Bossou and Bulindi, suggesting that macronutrient content alone does not explain differences in crop selection. Our results build on the current understanding of chimpanzee feeding ecology within forest‐agricultural mosaics and provide additional support for the assumption that crops offer primates energetic benefits over wild foods. Comparison of macronutrient and energy content of cultivated fruits eaten by chimpanzees in Bossou (Guinea) this study and Bulindi (Uganda) taken from McLennan and Ganzhorn (2017). Research Highlights Crop fruits have higher carbohydrates and lower fiber content than wild fruits which contain comparatively more protein. Oil palm food parts are nutrient dense, highlighting their critical importance as a food resource for western chimpanzees.