Moore Jennifer F, Mulindahabi Felix, Gatorano Gratien, Niyigaba Protais, Ndikubwimana Innocent, Cipolletta Chloé, Masozera Michel K
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Wildlife Conservation Society Rwanda Program, Kigali, Rwanda.
Am J Primatol. 2018 Aug;80(8):e22897. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22897. Epub 2018 Jul 10.
Populations of the endangered eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are declining throughout their range. Although Nyungwe National Park (NNP) harbors the largest remaining eastern chimpanzee population in Rwanda, we know little about their space use and dietary patterns. We studied home range, movement, and diet of two communities of chimpanzees in NNP using daily tracking data (6:00 am to 6:00 pm) collected from 2000 to 2015. One community, Mayebe, resided in the forest center, and the other community, Cyamudongo, inhabited a forest fragment located about 10 km from the main forest. Home range estimated with the 95% kernel density estimation (KDE) method was 21 km for the Mayebe community and 4 km for the Cyamudongo community. Chimpanzee home range sizes were smaller during the dry versus wet season and varied monthly throughout the year. The Mayebe community had an average hourly step length of 75 ± SE 5 m with a daily movement range of 987 ± SE 71 m, while the Cyamudongo community had a shorter hourly step length of 52 ± SE 3 m with a daily movement range of 651 ± SE 71 m. Both chimpanzee communities fed primarily on Ficus spp. Other important dietary items included fruits of Symphonia globulifera, Syzygium guineense, and Chrysophyllum gorungosanum for the Mayebe community and Trilepisium madagascariense for the Cyamudongo community. Food choice varied monthly and seasonally for each chimpanzee community. Our study provides the first estimates of home range size and movement parameters for chimpanzees in Rwanda and documents their food habits and seasonal variations therein. We also identified the 50% core home range for each chimpanzee community and suggest this area as the focus of management actions. These results could help park management reduce threats to chimpanzees and other sympatric species by improving the efficiency of ranger patrols.
濒危的东部黑猩猩（Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii）种群数量在其整个分布范围内都在下降。尽管纽恩威国家公园（NNP）拥有卢旺达境内现存最大的东部黑猩猩种群，但我们对它们的空间利用和饮食模式知之甚少。我们利用2000年至2015年收集的每日追踪数据（上午6:00至下午6:00），研究了纽恩威国家公园内两个黑猩猩群落的活动范围、移动情况和饮食。其中一个群落，马耶贝群落，栖息在森林中心，另一个群落，恰穆东戈群落，居住在距离主森林约10公里的一片森林碎片中。用95%核密度估计（KDE）方法估计的马耶贝群落的活动范围为21平方公里，恰穆东戈群落为4平方公里。黑猩猩的活动范围大小在旱季比雨季小，且全年每月都有变化。马耶贝群落平均每小时步长为75±标准误5米，每日移动范围为987±标准误71米，而恰穆东戈群落每小时步长较短，为52±标准误3米，每日移动范围为651±标准误71米。两个黑猩猩群落主要以榕属植物为食。其他重要的食物项目包括马耶贝群落的球形风车子、几内亚蒲桃和戈伦戈萨金叶树的果实，以及恰穆东戈群落的马达加斯加三鳞树的果实。每个黑猩猩群落的食物选择每月和季节性都有所不同。我们的研究首次估计了卢旺达黑猩猩的活动范围大小和移动参数，并记录了它们的饮食习惯及其季节性变化。我们还确定了每个黑猩猩群落50%的核心活动范围，并建议将该区域作为管理行动的重点。这些结果有助于公园管理部门通过提高护林员巡逻效率来减少对黑猩猩和其他同域物种的威胁。
