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Journal article
The relationship between the abundance of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) and its habitat: a conservation concern in Mbam-Djerem National Park, Cameroon
BMC ecology, v 18(1), pp 40-40
01 Oct 2018
PMID: 30285707
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between great apes and their habitat is essential for the development of successful conservation strategies. The chimpanzee Pan troglodytes ellioti is endemic to Nigeria and Cameroon, and occupies an ecologically diverse range of habitats from forests to forest-savannah mosaic in Mbam-Djerem National Park (MDNP) in Cameroon. The habitat variation in chimpanzees is poorly understood in MDNP which provides an excellent opportunity to assess ecological factors that shape the abundance and distribution patterns of P. t. ellioti over a small geographic scale.
We counted 249 nests along 132 km of transects in total. Of these, 119 nests along 68 km occurred in dense forest and 130 nests along 64 km in forest-savannah mosaic. Chimpanzee density was 0.88 [95% CI (0.55-1.41)] individuals/km
in the dense forest and 0.59 [95% CI (0.19-1.76)] in the forest-savannah mosaic. Nest abundance varied with vegetation type and was higher in areas with dense canopy cover, steeper slopes and relatively higher altitudes.
Our estimates of chimpanzee densities were lower than reported in other studied populations in the range of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. However, we found that habitat features, slope and altitude likely play a role in shaping patterns of chimpanzee nesting ecology. Further studies need to be focused on nest decay rates and phenology of useful plants in order to model chimpanzee abundance and distribution in Mbam-Djerem National Park.
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- Title
- The relationship between the abundance of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) and its habitat: a conservation concern in Mbam-Djerem National Park, Cameroon
- Creators
- Serge Alexis Kamgang - National University of BeninKadiri Serge Bobo - Université de DschangFiona Maisels - University of StirlingRuffin Dupleix Delarue Ambahe - Wildlife Conservation SocietyDésiré Edgar Ambassa Ongono - Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Yaounde, CameroonMary Katherine Gonder - Drexel UniversityPaul Johnson - University of OxfordJorgelina Marino - University of OxfordBrice Sinsin - National University of Benin
- Publication Details
- BMC ecology, v 18(1), pp 40-40
- Publisher
- Springer BMC
- Grant note
- ST68 / WWf Russel E.Train education Nature 20258_2 / Rufford Foundation 13184_1 / Rufford Foundation
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000446482900001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85054128510
- Other Identifier
- 991019169710404721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Ecology