Using Patch Focals to Study Unhabituated Dry-Habitat Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and Sympatric Fauna at Issa, Ugalla, Tanzania

Abstract

Researchers studying primate community ecology have largely focused on primate species only, ignoring the interactive role that primates have within their larger communities. However, non-primate species (e.g., birds, bats, and other mammals) can greatly influence the behavioral ecology of primates, especially by competing for food and habitat space. Shifting the focus of research to include these potential non-primate competitors requires a modification in methods. Patch focals, in which areas of habitat are monitored, allow for observation of all animals within a study area, capture resources that are not used by the study species, and are particularly well suited for unhabituated communities, where closely following fauna is not possible. From October 2010 to October 2011, I collected data pertaining to the ecological role of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at the dry habitat site of Issa, Ugalla, Tanzania using patch focals. I determined habitat use by chimpanzees and other fauna, resulting in a detailed analysis of chimpanzees within their larger faunal community. Despite limited availability of forested habitat, Issa chimpanzees were encountered more often in forest than woodland patches. Non-chimpanzee fauna exhibited habitat use patterns as expected, based on species’ preferences at other study sites. Overlap in habitat use, and therefore potential for competition, varied greatly between the different faunal categories and chimpanzees. Most importantly, this project highlights that using patch focals successfully allows for the collection of useful data pertaining to multiple socio-ecological aspects of numerous species at the same time.