Browsing by Author "Reynolds, Vernon"

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    Decaying Raphia farinifera Palm Trees Provide a Source of Sodium for Wild Chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda
    (PloSone, 2009) Reynolds, Vernon; Lloyd, Andrew W.; Babweteera, Fred; English, Christopher J.
    For some years, chimpanzees have been observed eating the pith of decaying palm trees of Raphia farinifera in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. The reasons for doing this have until now been unknown. An analysis of the pith for mineral content showed high levels of sodium to be present in the samples. By contrast, lower levels were found in bark of other tree species, and also in leaf and fruit samples eaten by chimpanzees. The differences between the Raphia samples and the non-Raphia samples were highly significant (p,0.001). It is concluded that Raphia provides a rich and possibly essential source of sodium for the Budongo chimpanzees. Comparison of a chewed sample (wadge) of Raphia pith with a sample from the tree showed a clear reduction in sodium content in the chewed sample. Black and white colobus monkeys in Budongo Forest also feed on the pith of Raphia. At present, the survival of Raphia palms in Budongo Forest is threatened by the use of this tree by local tobacco farmers.
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    The ecology of tree reproduction in an African medium altitude rainforest
    (PloSone, 2009) Babweteera, Fred; Plumptre, Andrew J.; Adamescu, Gabriela S.; Shoo, Luke P.; Beale, Colin M.; Reynolds, Vernon; Nyeko, Philip; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey
    The occurrence of flowering and fruiting in tropical trees will be affected by a variety of factors, linked to availability of resources and suitable climatic triggers, that may be affected by increasing global temperatures. Community-wide flowering and fruiting of 2,526 trees in 206 plots were monitored over 24 years in the Budongo Forest Reserve (BFR), Uganda. Factors that were assessed included: the size of the tree, access to light, the impacts of liana load, effects of tree growth and variation between guilds of trees. Most flowering occurs at the end of the long dry season from February to April. Trees that had access to more light flowered and fruited more frequently. Pioneer and non-pioneer light demanding species tended to reproduce more frequently than shade-bearing species. Trees that grew faster between 1993-2011 also fruited more frequently. When examining all factors, growth rate, tree size, and crown position were all important for fruiting, while liana load but not growth rate was important in reducing flowering. Trees in BFR show a large decline in fruiting over 24 years, particularly in non-pioneer light demanders, shade-bearers, and species that produce fleshy fruits eaten by primates. The decline in fruit production is of concern and is having impacts on primate diets and potential recruitment of mahogany trees. Whether climate change is responsible is unclear but flowering of the guilds/dispersal types which show declines is correlated with months with the coolest maximum temperatures and we show temperature has been increasing in BFR since the early 1990s.
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    Geophagy in Chimpanzees {Pan trogrlodytes schweinfurthii) of the Budongo Forest Reserve Uganda: A Multidisciplinary Study
    (Springer, New York, NY., 2006) Tweheyo, Mnason; Reynolds, Vernon; Huffmany, Michael A.; Pebsworth, Paula; Goto, Shunji; Mahaney, William C.; Milner, Michael W.; Waddell, Anthony; Dirszowsky, Randy; Hancock, Ronald G. V.
    Geophagy occurs widely among primate species (Krishnamani & Mahaney, 2000). While reported for chimpanzees in the wild since the 1960s (Hladik, 1977; Nishida & Uehara, 1983; Goodall, 1986), the geochemical and behavioral study of geophagy in relation to self-medication (Huffman, 1997) was not initiated until the mid-1990s, the first being that of Mahaney and Huffman. This work began in Tanzania with the analysis of termite mound soils, behavioral and parasitological data collected from the Mahale Mountains National Park (Mahaney etui, 1996b; 1998; Aufreiter etal, 2001; Ketch etal, 2001). Further analyses have included termite soils eaten by chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, and exposed subsurface clays eaten by chimpanzees in the Kibale National Park, Uganda (Mahaney etal., 1997,1998; Aufreiter etd., 2001). Geophagy has recently been noted to occur in a fourth East African population, the Sonso community in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Western Uganda. Early published studies from Budongo did not report any kind of soil eating by chimpanzees. However, more recently, Reynolds etal. (1998) referred to the eating of riverbank soil and other authors have noted sporadic termite mound soil eating by chimpanzees in this forest (e.g., D. Quiatt in Reynolds et al.y 1998:335; Newton-Fisher, 1999a,b). Termite mounds of the species CubiUrmesspeciosuszrc present in the Budongo forest (Newton-Fisher, 1999b). At Gombe, chimpanzees consume Macrotermes with the aid of termite fishing tools inserted in a mound's ventilation ducts (Goodall, 1986). Reference is made to the consumption of mound soils of Pseudacanthotermes spnigcr in Mahale, as being distinct from the consumption of termite mound soil there (Uehara, 1982). In the case of Cubiurmes 2it Budongo, however, chimpanzees consume termites along with lumps of earth wrenched from termite mounds. While information exists on the consumption of termites, little consideration is given to the depth reached by termite species. Pomeroy (1976) cites Pseudacanthotermes 2LS a builder of smaller mounds in Uganda. Cubitermes humiverus is also a builder of small mounds that are characteristically mushroom-shaped. This species' shallow activity in the soil, unlike the other mound builders, is likely to produce high organic contents in mound soils, a characteristic antithetic to geophagy. Furthermore, nowhere is there a detailed analysis of soils that provides information on the different structural components of these mounds. When considering the ingestion of termite mound soils, this information is important for increasing our understanding of their selection by chimpanzees.
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    Selective deforestation and exposure of African wildlife to bat-borne viruses
    (Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024-04) Fedurek, Pawel; Asiimwe, Caroline; Rice, Gregory K.; Akankwasa, Walter J; Reynolds, Vernon; Hobaiter, Catherine; Kityo, Robert; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Crockford, Catherine; Cer, Regina Z; Bennett, Andrew J; Rothman, Jessica M; Bishop-Lilly, Kimberly A; Goldberg, Tony L.
    Proposed mechanisms of zoonotic virus spillover often posit that wildlife transmission and amplification precede human outbreaks. Between 2006 and 2012, the palm Raphia farinifera , a rich source of dietary minerals for wildlife, was nearly extirpated from Budongo Forest, Uganda. Since then, chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus, and red duiker were observed feeding on bat guano, a behavior not previously observed. Here we show that guano consumption may be a response to dietary mineral scarcity and may expose wildlife to bat-borne viruses. Videos from 2017–2019 recorded 839 instances of guano consumption by the aforementioned species. Nutritional analysis of the guano revealed high concentrations of sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Metagenomic analyses of the guano identified 27 eukaryotic viruses, including a novel betacoronavirus. Our findings illustrate how “upstream” drivers such as socioeconomics and resource extraction can initiate elaborate chains of causation, ultimately increasing virus spillover risk. A study in Uganda found that local extirpation of a mineral-rich tree species used in tobacco farming forced wildlife to obtain minerals by eating bat guano, in which 27 eukaryotic viruses were identified, including a novel betacoronavirus.
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    Vaginal Prolapse in a Handicapped, Multiparous Wild Chimpanzee in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda
    (African Primates, 2014) Asiimwe, Caroline; Reynolds, Vernon; Zziwa, Paul; Mugabe, Timothy; Walumbe, Wyclif; Muhanguzi, Geoffrey; Babweteera, Fred; Zuberbühler, Klaus
    The propensity of human females to develop vaginal prolapse is related to age, number of births, neonatal birth weight, genetics and other factors. Here, we report on a vaginal prolapse in a 33-year old, multiparous, handicapped wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), following her sixth delivery. Compared to the other 22 parous females of the Sonso community, the subject exhibited a high number of births within a short time period. Thus, the possible cause for her condition may have been the high number of vaginal births combined with the size and weight of the neonate. Additional possible factors not investigated here are: the impact of prolonged stage-two labour, persistent straining and genetic factors. The female fully recovered within 15 days and exhibited no unusual behavioural patterns or physiological abnormalities during recovery. We conclude that vaginal prolapse is not restricted to humans but also occurs in our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.