Volume 27, Issue 1, August 2019, Pages 133–145
Teva Juste Vivia KAMI1, Jean-Marie MOUTSAMBOTE2, Sofia Fdez-Navarro3, Laura Darby4, and Rebecca ATENCIA5
1 Herbier National, Institut National en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles (IRSEN), Cité Scientifique de Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
2 Herbier National, Institut National en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles (IRSEN), Cité Scientifique de Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
3 Jane Goodall Institute, Tchimpounga Nature Reserve, Département du Kouilou, Republic of the Congo
4 University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
5 Institut Jane Goodall, Réserve naturelle de Tchimpounga, Département du Kouilou, Republic of the Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2019 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This study presents the feeding phenology of chimpanzees in the forests of the Conkouati-Douli National Park (CDNP) as part of a larger assessment of its suitability for chimpanzee reintroduction. All phenological monitoring and follow-up were conducted using the methods outlined by Diouf & Zaafouri (2003). Observation yielded five species that were found to be used by chimpanzees. Some of these species were also found to be used by chimpanzees for nesting. A strong link between rainfall and phenology was found in the area. Most fruiting was observed during periods of slower rainfall, while flowering occurred in the rainy season. This study assessed more than 300 trees, including those of the species Staudtia kamerunensis var. gabonensis, Trichoscypha acuminata, Uapaca guineensis, Vitex grandifolia and Xylopia aethiopica, all of which are regularly found in the diet of chimpanzees in the CDNP. The patterns of fruiting and availability were also compared to those at other tropical forests, particularly those that also support chimpanzees. These results, though focused on only five species of trees, can constitute a database to guide further research in the CDNP, as well as in other tropical African forests, in order to properly assess chimpanzee food security and sustainability in the wild.
Author Keywords: Phenology, species, feeding, Pan troglodytes, Conkouati-Douli National Park, Congo.
Teva Juste Vivia KAMI1, Jean-Marie MOUTSAMBOTE2, Sofia Fdez-Navarro3, Laura Darby4, and Rebecca ATENCIA5
1 Herbier National, Institut National en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles (IRSEN), Cité Scientifique de Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
2 Herbier National, Institut National en Sciences Exactes et Naturelles (IRSEN), Cité Scientifique de Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
3 Jane Goodall Institute, Tchimpounga Nature Reserve, Département du Kouilou, Republic of the Congo
4 University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
5 Institut Jane Goodall, Réserve naturelle de Tchimpounga, Département du Kouilou, Republic of the Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2019 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
This study presents the feeding phenology of chimpanzees in the forests of the Conkouati-Douli National Park (CDNP) as part of a larger assessment of its suitability for chimpanzee reintroduction. All phenological monitoring and follow-up were conducted using the methods outlined by Diouf & Zaafouri (2003). Observation yielded five species that were found to be used by chimpanzees. Some of these species were also found to be used by chimpanzees for nesting. A strong link between rainfall and phenology was found in the area. Most fruiting was observed during periods of slower rainfall, while flowering occurred in the rainy season. This study assessed more than 300 trees, including those of the species Staudtia kamerunensis var. gabonensis, Trichoscypha acuminata, Uapaca guineensis, Vitex grandifolia and Xylopia aethiopica, all of which are regularly found in the diet of chimpanzees in the CDNP. The patterns of fruiting and availability were also compared to those at other tropical forests, particularly those that also support chimpanzees. These results, though focused on only five species of trees, can constitute a database to guide further research in the CDNP, as well as in other tropical African forests, in order to properly assess chimpanzee food security and sustainability in the wild.
Author Keywords: Phenology, species, feeding, Pan troglodytes, Conkouati-Douli National Park, Congo.
How to Cite this Article
Teva Juste Vivia KAMI, Jean-Marie MOUTSAMBOTE, Sofia Fdez-Navarro, Laura Darby, and Rebecca ATENCIA, “Forest Feeding Phenology of Pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) east of Conkouati-Douli National Park, Republic of Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 133–145, August 2019.
