Mangabey(Cercocebus albigena). Social organization and population density in relation to food use and availability.

Abstract

Data are presented on the feeding behavior and activities of mangabeys (Cercocebus albigena) in the Ngogo study area, Kibale Forest, Uganda. Mangabeys spend 47% of activity observations feeding, 27% moving, and the remainder of the activity observations is accounted for by grooming, playing, vocalizing, copulating, etc. Feeding on fruit constitutes 58% of feeding records, arthropods 25%, young leaves and flowers 10%, cambium 5% and rare and unidentified items 2%. 29 tree species are used as sources of vegetable food and 31 tree species are used as substrate for arthropod search. Mangabeys move an average distance of 1,299 m per day, and use an average of 28,50 X 50 m quadrats per day. The activity patterns, the types and number of food species, the daily distances traveled, and the number of quadrats used per day, are not significantly different from those found in the literature for mangabeys in the Kanyawara research area, Kibale Forest, Uganda. Mangabey population density in Ngogo is approximately 1.46 times that of the Kanyawara mangabeys. The difference in density is associated with Ngogo exhibiting a greater mangabey food tree density than is found at Kanyawara. The higher mangabey density in Ngogo is associated with an average group size similar to that at Kanyawara, and an increase in the number of groups per unit area. The greater number of groups is accommodated by the mangabey having smaller home ranges, and less home range overlap than do the Kanyawara mangabeys. I suggest that these results are compatible with an interpretation based on disease control via regulation of group size, and social and spatial isolation between groups. The role of food availability in regulation of group size, or determining land tenure systems remains uncertain.