Locomotion and habitat use of Stampflii's putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii) in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast

Stampflii's putty-nosed monkeys Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii are large, rare, poorly known guenons with a discontinuous distribution in West Africa. Putty-nosed monkeys occur at low densities in Ivory Coast's Tai National Park where they are believed to have migrated from less forested regions north of the park (Eckardt and Zuberbühler: Behav Ecol 15 (2004) 400-411). In this article, we compare the positional behavior of Putty-nosed monkeys to that of three other guenon species in the Tai Forest and provide an additional test of the relationship among locomotion, body size, maintenance activity, and habitat use in generalized arboreal quadrupeds. Our results indicate that putty-nosed monkeys confine the great majority of their locomotion to the main canopy where most movement occurs on boughs and branches. Comparison of overall locomotor frequencies across the four Tai guenon species reveals a general pattern; quadrupedalism accounts for at least 70% of the total profile, climbing ranges between 15 and 20%, and leaping accounts for 5-10% of total movement. The overall locomotor consistency among the taxa, especially between putty-nosed and Diana monkeys, is significant considering marked interspecific differences in support preference and strata use.     

Dyadic associations of red Colobus and diana monkey groups in the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast

Members of the genus Colobus have been observed to associate frequently with Cercopithecus monkeys in several African sites. In the Taï National Park, Ivory Coast, one group of western red colobus was found to be in association with one particular group of diana monkeys more than could be expected by chance (Holenweg et al., 1996). We show that dyadic association is not an idiosyncrasy of these two groups, but rather a pattern that is general for our study site. All five red colobus groups we studied were closely associated with diana monkeys during more than 60% of the time. Four groups had one particular diana partner group, the fifth two different partners. Apart from the red colobus, three more primate species, the olive colobus, Campbell's monkey, and the lesser spot-nosed monkey, were also strongly attracted to diana monkeys.     

Brief communication: Endocranial volumes in an ontogenetic sample of chimpanzees from the Taï Forest National Park, Ivory Coast

Ontogenetic samples of endocranial volumes (EVs) from great apes and humans are critical for understanding the evolution of the brain growth pattern in the hominin lineage. However, high quality ontogenetic data are scarce, especially for nonhuman primates. Here, we provide original data derived from an osteological collection of a wild population of Pan troglodytes verus from the Taï Forest National Park, Ivory Coast. This sample is unique, because age, sex, and pedigree information are available for many specimens from behavioral observations in the wild. We scanned crania of all 30 immature specimens and 13 adult individuals using high-resolution computed tomography. We then created virtual casts of the bony braincase (endocasts) to measure EVs. We also measured cranial length, width, and height and attempted to relate cranial distances to EV via regression analysis. Our data are consistent with previous studies. The only neonate in the sample has an EV of 127 cm³ or 34% of the adult mean. EV increases rapidly during early ontogeny. The average adult EV in this sample is 378.7 ± 30.1 cm³. We found sexual dimorphism in adults; males seem to be already larger than females before adult EV is attained. Regressions on cranial width and multiple regression provide better estimates for EV than regressions on cranial length or height. Increasing the sample size and compiling more high quality ontogenetic data of EV will help to reconcile ongoing discussions about the evolution of hominin brain growth. Am J Phys Anthropol 147:319–325, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Core area analysis at semi-deciduous forest islands in the Comoé National Park,NE Ivory Coast

For the protection of forest-interior species in both natural forest islands and anthropogenic forest fragments knowledge on the size of forest-core areas is a central issue. In an intact mosaic of semi-deciduous forests and savanna in the Comoé National Park 31 forest islands were selected (2.1–146.1 ha). Values for the depth-of-edge influence (DEI) of the study area recently published range from 0 m up to nearly 150 m. Thus, core-area analysis was carried out for this range in 5 m steps. For a DEI of 55 m—e.g. computed for tree-species composition of large trees—half of the total forest area can be considered as core area, but only 9 of the studied forest islands still contained a relative core area (rCA) of more than 50%. From non-linear regression it was estimated that for a DEI of 55 m an rCA of 50% can be expected for forest islands with a size of 36.6 ± 7.6 ha. This value increased exponentially with increasing DEI. The GIS-based core-area analysis presented in this paper proved to be suitable to give a well interpretable overview on rCA with respect to varying DEI, and we recommend to incorporate this type of analysis in existing GIS-tools. As the presented study is the first sound core area analysis at forest islands in West Africa, data contribute to a better understanding of this field of ecology that is of high relevance for planners and decision makers to protect biodiversity.     

Seed dispersal mechanisms and the vegetation of forest islands in a West African forest-savanna mosaic (Comoé National Park,Ivory Coast)

The transition zone between forest and savanna is typically characterized by a dynamic patchwork of forest and savanna. We studied the woody plant species composition of 49 forest islands, 18 savanna, and 3 gallery forest plots in the Comoé National Park (Ivory Coast), West Africa's largest savanna reserve. TWINSPAN makes a clear distinction in vegetational composition between these three major habitat types but, nevertheless, more than 50% of the 292 species occur in at least 2 of them. The gallery forest is dominated by Cynometra megalophylla (Caesalpiniaceae), a genus known to dominate humid forests in other afrotropical regions. Ordination reveals four distinct categories of forest islands, (1) humid forests comparable to the gallery forest in their species composition, (2) dry disturbed and (3) dry undisturbed forests and (4) forests formerly inhabited by humans. Disturbed forests harbor more savanna species but also a distinct group of disturbance-tolerant forest species. Compared to other forest species, in this latter group we found an exceptionally high fraction of animal dispersed species (80% vs. 58%), while wind dispersed species or species lacking long distance seed dispersal mechanisms were correspondingly rare. This pattern occurs in spite of the fact that the frequency of wind dispersed species in general increases from dense humid forests to open dry forests and savanna. Species lacking long distance dispersal mechanisms are most abundant among those specialized on humid forests. These observations suggest that the species composition of forest islands is to some extent determined by the seed dispersal abilities of the different species.     

Evaluation of habitat use of a semi-captive population of Cuvier’s gazellesGazella cuvieri following release in Boukornine National Park, Tunisia

Thirteen Cuvier’s gazelles were relocated to a 6-ha acclimatization enclosure in Boukornine National Park (Boukornine NP) in Tunisia, where they are part of a reintroduction project. To determine the degree of adaptation and habitat use under the new conditions, the acclimatization enclosure was divided into 6 sections according to topography, plant cover and plant species in the area. Signs of gazelle activity were coded as feeding site, paths, passages, feces and resting places. Sampling was done in spring, summer and autumn from September 2000 to July 2001. Multivariate analysis using PATN analysis and Χ² distribution tests were used to analyze the data. Multivariate analysis yielded 5 groups of biotopes according to the above variables. The Χ² distribution test showed the significant effect of each variable on the presence of signs of gazelles. Cuvier’s gazelles prefer areas with low and west to north facing slopes and scant plant cover; animals are attracted to the proximity of the fence as the limit of their territory and even though the presence of humans does not represent a disturbance, gazelles select areas far (> 50 m) from the supplementary feeding and water supply for their activities.     

Mites in the mist: How unique is a rainforest canopy-knockdown fauna?

Abstract We intensively sampled the parasitiform mite faunas of three subtropical rainforest canopy habitats (leaves, bark, hanging humus) and three forest floor habitats (leaf litter, fungal sporocarps, arthropod associates) in the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park, Queensland, and compared them to 423 specimens collected from the canopy by pyrethrin knockdown (PKD). In total, 165 species (80% new to science) were identified, including 58 from PKD. Few species occurred in more than one habitat, and complementarity averaged 96 ± 1%. About half of the species from PKD were found in canopy habitats, but less than 10% occurred in forest floor habitats. Thus, the canopy fauna is composed primarily of canopy specialists, not of forest floor mites, and habitat specificity is a major component of acarine diversity. An Incidence-based Coverage estimator (generated by the EstimateS program) proved useful in predicting asymptotes for collector's curves. Conservative extrapolations from this study suggest that more than 2000 species of mites live in subtropical rainforest in the Green Mountains.     

Sustainable Peeling of Kapok Tree (Ceiba pentandra) Bark by the Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of Comoé National Park,Ivory Coast

International Journal of Primatology - Primates often consume either bark or cambium (inner bark) as a fallback food to complete their diet during periods of food scarcity. Wild chimpanzees exhibit...     

Disease in scleractinian corals: a new problem in the reef at Cayo Sombrero, Morrocoy National Park, Venezuela?

At the beginning of 1996 coral reefs in Morrocoy National Park, Venezuela, suffered an unprecedented mass mortality event. As a consequence, live coral cover dropped to 2-10%. One of the few reefs that kept live coral cover over 35% was Cayo Sombrero; nonetheless, the presence of some coral diseases has been detected within the past 2 years, representing a new source of coral mortality. Due to this situation, this study started a monitoring program on the incidence of coral diseases and syndromes in the reef of Cayo Sombrero. The CARICOMP protocol was used in order to evaluate reef health. Ten parallel band-transects (20 x 2m) where established at two depth intervals: Five between 3-8 m and five between 8-12 m, and the frequency of both, healthy and unhealthy colonies of each coral species was recorded along each band transect. In addition to other sources of coral damage (predation, siltation, etc), significant differences in disease incidence between the two depths intervals were tested with a Kruskall-Wallis test. The main problems observed were coral diseases such as yellow band (4.2%), dark spots (1.61%) and white plague-II (1.4%), mainly affecting Montastraea faveolata, M. annularis and Siderastrea siderea. Siltation, affecting massive colonies, such as Colpophyllia natans and Diploria strigosa; algae overgrowth, predation, anchor damage, and bleaching. Significant differences were found in the incidence of unhealthy (Kruskall-Wallis, p < 0.05) bleached (Kruskall-Wallis, p < 0.05) and colonies affected by siltation (Kruskall-Wallis, p < 0.05). More than 60% of the 585 coral colonies surveyed at both depths were found to be healthy, indicating that the Cayo Sombrero reef is still in good conditions compared to other localities in the Park. This study stresses the need to conduct early monitoring programs that survey coral disease incidence as a source of mortality for this coral reef.     

Registers and follow-up methods of populations in a public health survey: the example of the village Glanlé in Ivory Coast

Demography has a fundamental place in a public health survey, and it is essential to provide the population follow-up. A population exhaustive census is the first compulsory phase. It turns out that this phase is necessary if we want to know with precision the size of the population studied and its main demographic characteristics (sex, age ...). The census allows us to provide a real population follow-up, in order to measure the evolution of the different disorders and to estimate the effects of a prophylaxis on each individual in a precise time. This follow-up requires a computerized population register which contains all the information concerning every individual. This data file is updated with new data collected by next surveys. The realization of the nominal population pyramid, is a complementary tool to the population follow-up. Each individual, characterized by sex and age, is allocated a position in the pyramid by his identification number. The figurative contrasts show several cases noticed according to the studied events. The reconstruction of the genealogy represents another form of the population follow-up, by reconstructing biological kinship relationships between the inhabitants.     

Seasonal variations of pollution indicators in a wildfowl reserve (Do?ana National Park, Spain)

Pollution indicators in Do?ana National Park show a cyclic seasonal pattern with maximum level in the autumn and minimum in the spring. While faecal streptococci proved to be the best indicator micro-organisms in this type of salty, alkaline environment, total coliforms gave an overestimation of pollution because of the presence of hydroteluric coliforms.     

Reptiles from Len?óis Maranhenses National Park,Maranh?o,northeastern Brazil

We are presenting a list of the reptile species from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP), Maranhão, Brazil, obtained during 235 days of field work. The study area is located in the contact zone between three major Neotropical ecosystems: Amazonia, Caatinga, and Cerrado. The PNLM encompasses the largest dune fields in Brazil, wide shrubby areas (restingas), lakes, mangroves, and many freshwater lagoons. We have recorded 42 species of reptiles in the area: 24 snakes, 12 lizards, two worm lizards, three turtles, and one alligator. About 81 % of the recorded species occurred only in restinga areas. Our data highlights the uniqueness of the PNLM in the context of the biomes that surround it and shows the importance of efforts to improve the conservation of reptiles living in the restinga, which currently comprise only about 20 % of the total area protected by the park, but which are the mesohabitat containing most of the reptile species in the Lençóis Maranhenses complex of habitats.     

Biodiversity and ecology of epilithic diatoms in the Agnéby River,Ivory Coast

The ecology and taxonomy of the epilithic diatom flora of the Agnéby River, Ivory Coast were studied in 2012. Ten sites were investigated and diatoms were sampled on glass slides immersed for a period of 30 days during the wet and dry seasons. Physico-chemical parameters were measured at each site while sampling diatoms. Five taxa were largely dominant: Planothidium comperei CE Wetzel, N’Guessan and Tison-Rosebery, Eolimna minima (Grunow) Lange-Bertalot, Planothidium piaficum (JR Carter and Denny) CE Wetzel and Ector, Cocconeis schroederi Foged and Cocconeis scutellum var. parva (Grunow in Van Heurck) Cleve. Electrical conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrite and phosphorus were found to influence the distribution of taxa.     

Where,When and Why Do Tsetse Contact Humans? Answers from Studies in a National Park of Zimbabwe

Background

Sleeping sickness, also called human African trypanosomiasis, is transmitted by the tsetse, a blood-sucking fly confined to sub-Saharan Africa. The form of the disease in West and Central Africa is carried mainly by species of tsetse that inhabit riverine woodland and feed avidly on humans. In contrast, the vectors for the East and Southern African form of the disease are usually savannah species that feed mostly on wild and domestic animals and bite humans infrequently, mainly because the odours produced by humans can be repellent. Hence, it takes a long time to catch many savannah tsetse from people, which in turn means that studies of the nature of contact between savannah tsetse and humans, and the ways of minimizing it, have been largely neglected.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The savannah tsetse, Glossina morsitans morsitans and G. pallidipes, were caught from men in the Mana Pools National park of Zimbabwe. Mostly the catch consisted of young G. m. morsitans, with little food reserve. Catches were increased by 4–8 times if the men were walking, not stationary, and increased about ten times more if they rode on a truck at 10 km/h. Catches were unaffected if the men used deodorant or were baited with artificial ox odour, but declined by about 95% if the men were with an ox. Surprisingly, men pursuing their normal daily activities were bitten about as much when in or near buildings as when in woodland. Catches from oxen and a standard ox-like trap were poor indices of the number and physiological state of tsetse attacking men.

Conclusion/Significance

The search for new strategies to minimize the contact between humans and savannah tsetse should focus on that occurring in buildings and vehicles. There is a need to design a man-like trap to help to provide an index of sleeping sickness risk.     

Our use,misuse, and abandonment of a concept: Whither habitat?

The foundational concept of habitat lies at the very root of the entire science of ecology, but inaccurate use of the term compromises scientific rigor and communication among scientists and nonscientists. In 1997, Hall, Krausman & Morrison showed that ‘habitat’ was used correctly in only 55% of articles. We ask whether use of the term has been more accurate since their plea for standardization and whether use varies across the broader range of journals and taxa in the contemporary literature (1998–2012). We searched contemporary literature for ‘habitat’ and habitat‐related terms, ranking usage as either correct or incorrect, following a simplified version of Hall et al.'s definitions. We used generalized linear models to compare use of the term in contemporary literature with the papers reviewed by Hall et al. and to test the effects of taxa, journal impact in the contemporary articles and effects due to authors that cited Hall et al. Use of the term ‘habitat’ has not improved; it was still only used correctly about 55% of the time in the contemporary data. Proportionately more correct uses occurred in articles that focused on animals compared to ones that included plants, and papers that cited Hall et al. did use the term correctly more often. However, journal impact had no effect. Some habitat terms are more likely to be misused than others, notably ‘habitat type’, usually used to refer to vegetation type, and ‘suitable habitat’ or ‘unsuitable habitat’, which are either redundant or nonsensical by definition. Inaccurate and inconsistent use of the term can lead to (1) misinterpretation of scientific findings; (2) inefficient use of conservation resources; (3) ineffective identification and prioritization of protected areas; (4) limited comparability among studies; and (5) miscommunication of science‐based findings. Correct usage would improve communication with scientists and nonscientists, thereby benefiting conservation efforts, and ecology as a science.