Foraging strategies as a function of season and rank among wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) |
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Authors: | Murray, Carson M. Eberly, Lynn E. Pusey, Anne E. |
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Affiliation: | a Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA b Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, A-465 Mayo, MMC 303, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA |
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Abstract: | Among mammals, female reproduction is generally thought to befood limited, and dominance should theoretically afford high-rankingfemales with access to better food resources. Although the importanceof dominance rank among female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)has been debated in the past, mounting evidence suggests thatrank is very important among females (P. t. schweinfurthii)at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In this study, we investigatedthe influence of season and dominance rank on female foragingstrategies. We found that high-ranking females spent less timeforaging and tended to have a narrower diet breadth and higherdiet quality than subordinate females. In this way, subordinatefemale foraging strategies were consistent with how femalesin general adapted to periods of food scarcity. The resultsof this study therefore suggest that low-ranking females mayface persistent "food scarcity" as a result of interferencefood competition. We also provide evidence that subordinatesmay forage less efficiently because they occupy lower qualityhabitats or avoid associating with dominant females in sharedareas. |
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Keywords: | chimpanzees dominance rank foraging strategies habitat quality season. |
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