Browsing by Author "Klein, Harmonie"

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    Habitual ground nesting in the Bugoma Forest chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Uganda
    (Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2024-02) Hobaiter, Catherine; Klein, Harmonie; Gruber, Thibaud
    We report the presence of habitual ground nesting in a newly studied East African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) population in the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, Uganda. Across a 2‐year period, we encountered 891 night nests, 189 of which were classified as ground nests, a rate of ~21%. We find no preliminary evidence of socio‐ecological factors that would promote its use and highlight local factors, such as high incidence of forest disturbance due to poaching and logging, which appear to make its use disadvantageous. While further study is required to establish whether this behavior meets the strict criteria for nonhuman animal culture, we support the argument that the wider use of population and group‐specific behavioral repertoires in flagship species, such as chimpanzees, offers a tool to promote the urgent conservation action needed to protect threatened ecosystems, including the Bugoma forest. Chimpanzees of the Mwera community in the Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, Uganda, construct 21% of their overnight nests on the ground, with a further 4% at under 2 m in height. Overnight ground nests can be distinguished from flimsier structures, such as day beds, by the use of multiple interwoven structural branches. Research highlights Chimpanzees in the Bugoma Forest, Uganda, habitually employ overnight ground nests (21% of total nests, ground nests present in 25% of nest sites). We discuss a range of socio‐ecological and cultural explanations, highlighting local factors that appear to be disadvantageous for the behavior. While behavioral variation may offer a powerful tool for conservation, strict scientific thresholds for establishing cultural explanations may not be compatible with urgent conservation timelines.