Abstract
Changes in population size are driven by environmental and social factors. In spite of repeated efforts to identify the constraints on an unusually low-density population of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), it remains unclear why this generalist species fails to thrive in Kibale National Park in Uganda. While an unidentified disease may occasionally obstruct conception, it does not seem to limit overall reproductive rates. Infanticide at this site is infrequent due to the long tenures of resident males. Our analyses indicate that the single biggest constraint on blue monkey densities may be feeding competition with grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena): across Kibale, the densities of these two species are strongly and negatively correlated. Though further analysis is needed to understand the timing and strength of feeding competition between them, we conclude that blue monkeys at Ngogo experience competitive exclusion from grey-cheeked mangabeys, possibly resolving the 50-year mystery surrounding this population.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 961-987 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Behaviour |
| Volume | 159 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This manuscript is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jeremiah Lwanga, who mentored and cheered many of us and whose enduring love of blue monkeys inspired us to study the Kibale population. We thank the staff of the Ngogo Monkey Project for their assistance in the field and the many funding agencies whose financial support made this research possible. Grants awarded to M.B. were from the Leakey Foundation; the US National Science Foundation (grant Nos 0333415, 0742450, 1103444 and 2127253); Columbia University; the International Primatological Society; the American Association of Physical Anthropologists; the Hellman Family Foundation; the University of California, Santa Barbara (grants from the Academic Senate and the Institute for Social, Behavioural, and Economic Research); and an anonymous donor. The UC Global Health Institute supported the research of H.F. and the Conservation, Research, and Educational Opportunities International supported the research of R.A.J. Research by S.A. was funded by the US National Science Foundation through a grant (# IOB-0516644) awarded to John Mitani (David Watts and Linda Vigilant as co-PIs) for the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project. Logistical support was provided to M.B. by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (in the framework of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and awarded to Margaret Crofoot). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies. The data used in these analyses are archived and freely available on the Data Dryad website ( https://doi.org/10.25349/D9CG7F ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Copyright 2022 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Keywords
- competitive exclusion
- resource competition
- wildlife health
