Activity and Ranging Patterns of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii</Emphasis> in Nyungwe Forest,Rwanda: Possible Costs of Large Group Size |
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Authors: | Peter J Fashing Felix Mulindahabi Jean-Baptiste Gakima Michel Masozera Ian Mununura Andrew J Plumptre Nga Nguyen |
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Institution: | 1.Department of Science and Conservation,Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium,Pittsburgh,USA;2.Department of Biological Sciences,Carnegie Mellon University,Pittsburgh,USA;3.Department of Anthropology,University of Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh,USA;4.Projet Conservation de la Forêt de Nyungwe,Wildlife Conservation Society,Gisakura,Rwanda;5.Albertine Rift Programme,Wildlife Conservation Society,Kampala,Uganda;6.Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,Princeton University,Princeton,USA;7.Department of Conservation and Science,Cleveland Metroparks Zoo,Cleveland,USA |
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Abstract: | With group sizes sometimes >300 individuals, the Angolan black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) population
in Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda is an intriguing exception to the tendency for folivores to live in smaller groups than expected
relative to body size. Researchers have hypothesized that the unusually high quality of foliage at Nyungwe allows colobus
there to avoid intragroup feeding competition, releasing constraints on the formation of large groups (Fimbel et al., 2001). We collected data on the activity and ranging patterns of a >300-member Nyungwe colobus group and compared our results
to those from smaller groups in other black-and-white colobus (Colobus spp.) populations. Colobus at Nyungwe spent far more
time feeding and moving (62%) and far less time resting (32%) than black-and-white colobus at any other site. The annual home
range of the Nyungwe colobus was also many times larger (95% minimum convex polygon: 20.7 km
2
; 95% fixed kernel: 24.4 km
2
) than those for other populations. We terminated our research after the group engaged in an unprecedented migration among
black-and-white colobus by moving 13 km south of their former range. Our results suggest that intragroup scramble competition
may be more intense than originally believed within the large colobus groups at Nyungwe and that long periods of resource
renewal may be necessary after a large colobus group passes through an area, thereby potentially helping to explain their
wide ranging patterns. We discuss the socioecological convergence between the Nyungwe colobus and Chinese snub-nosed monkeys
(Rhinopithecus spp.) and suggest directions for future research on the unique black-and-white colobus population at Nyungwe.
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Keywords: | Colobine Fixed kernel Folivore paradox Minimum convex polygon Rhinopithecus Scramble competition |
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