Wild chimpanzees show group differences in selection of agricultural crops

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 4; no. 1; p. 5956
• Main Authors: McLennan, Matthew R, Hockings, Kimberley J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 05.08.2014
• Subjects: Adaptability; Adaptation; Adaptation, Physiological; Agriculture; Animals; Conservation of Natural Resources; Crops; Crops, Agricultural - growth & development; Ecosystem; Environmental changes; Feeding; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food; Fruit - growth & development; Humans; Land use; Male; Pan troglodytes - physiology; Pan troglodytes - psychology; Seasons; Species
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep05956

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.