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Identifying novel medicinal resources in chimpanzee diets has historically presented challenges, requiring extensive behavioral data collection and health monitoring, accompanied by expensive pharmacological analyses. When putative therapeutic self-medicative behaviors are observed, these events are often considered isolated occurrences, with little attention paid to other resources ingested in combination. For chimpanzees, medicinal resource combinations could play an important role in maintaining well-being by tackling different symptoms of an illness, chemically strengthening efficacy of a treatment, or providing prophylactic compounds that prevent future ailments. We call this concept the self-medicative resource combination hypothesis. However, a dearth of methodological approaches for holistically investigating primate feeding ecology has limited our ability to identify nonrandom resource combinations and explore potential synergistic relationships between medicinal resource candidates. Here we present two analytical tools that test such a hypothesis and demonstrate these approaches on feeding data from the Sonso chimpanzee community in Budongo Forest, Uganda. Using 4 months of data, we establish that both collocation and APRIORI analyses are effective exploratory tools for identifying binary combinations, and that APRIORI is effective for multi-item rule associations. We then compare outputs from both methods, finding up to 60% agreement, and propose APRIORI as more effective for studies requiring control over confidence intervals and those investigating nonrandom associations between more than two resources. These analytical tools, which can be extrapolated across the animal kingdom, can provide a cost-effective and efficient method for targeting resources for further pharmacological investigation, potentially aiding in the discovery of novel medicines., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Uganda was highly successful in reducing poverty over the past two decades but made little progress towards household food security. This underlines the need for designing food security interventions customised for household-specific needs and behaviours. This study estimates Ugandan household demand behaviour with a focus on food consumption paying particular attention to household-specific characteristics. The results show that preferences to increase calorie-dense staple consumption, likely associated with food energy deficiency, extend far beyond the percentage of rural Ugandans officially deemed poor. Price elasticities indicate that poor rural households are largely well positioned to compensate staple price increases by substitution as long as they are not already concentrated on the cheapest foods. This flexibility applies less to urban households. The estimated demand elasticities generally vary widely between rural and urban households and depend on expenditure levels. Household-specific characteristics have significant, sometimes pronounced, influences on demand, as do seasons and regions. The results reflect highly differentiated demand behaviour, which can be utilised to improve the design and evaluation of food security interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most primate populations remain unobservable; therefore, researchers depend on the analyses of indirect evidence encountered at a study-site in order to understand their behavioral ecology. Diet can be determined through the analyses of scats or feeding remains encountered on-site. This allows aspects of their dietary repertoire to be established, which has implications both for conservation efforts (by locating food resources), and for understanding the evolution of hominin diet (if used as referential models). Macroscopic inspection of fecal samples is a common method applied to ascertain a primate population's diet. However, new approaches are required to identify food-items unrecognizable at this level. We applied a dry ash extraction method to fecal samples ( N = 50) collected from 10 adult chimpanzees in Kanyawara, Kibale National Park, Uganda and also to plant parts ( N = 66) from 34 species known to be included in the diet of this community of apes. We recovered phytoliths in 26 of the 34 plant species. Fifteen phytolith morphotypes were only detected in 14 plant species (termed 'distinct' phytoliths). We used these distinct phytoliths to identify plant foods (i.e., that they were associated with) in fecal samples. We then validated findings by checking if the 10 chimpanzees had eaten parts of these plants ∼24 hr prior to fecal sample collection; six plant species associated with five distinct phytoliths had been eaten. Finally, we compared plant foods identified in fecal samples from phytolith analyses with plants that had been identified from macroscopic inspection of the same fecal samples. Findings from phytolith analyses corroborate with those from macroscopic inspection by expanding the total number of plant species identified per fecal sample (i.e., we identified certain plant parts that remained unrecognizable at macroscopic level). This study highlights the potential of phytolith analyses of feces to increase our knowledgebase of the dietary repertoire of primate populations. Am. J. Primatol. 76:757-773, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing debate about the adaptive function of chimpanzee's food-associated calls. Here, we tested a new hypothesis that food-associated calls in male chimpanzees function to signal that the calling individual is likely to initiate or prolong feeding. We propose that the signal functions to coordinate activities between individuals and that its ultimate function is to retain the nearby individuals in proximity. To test this hypothesis, we collected data on social and ecological correlates of food-associates calls in male chimpanzees. The results of this study, which was conducted on the Kanyawara community in the Kibale National Park, Uganda, show that males tended to feed for significantly longer after giving food-associated calls upon initiating feeding than after remaining silent. The type of audience had a significant effect on food calling, with males producing food-associated calls more often when males rather than females and preferred rather than neutral male social partners were in close proximity. However, the total party or male party size did not correlate with food calling behaviors, suggesting that the signal 'targets' those in close proximity. Finally, a male feeding partner was more likely to remain with the focal until the end of a feeding bout after the focal gave a food-associated call at the beginning of the feeding bout than when he was silent. These results support our hypothesis and suggest that one of the functions of food calling in chimpanzees might be signaling that the caller is likely to initiate and prolong a feeding bout. This information might be used by receivers to make the decision whether or not to stay with the calling individual on a feeding patch or leave him (fission). The study suggests therefore that ultimately the function of food calling might be to coordinate feeding behaviors between males. Am. J. Primatol. 75:726-739, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to assess sources of food hazards in Uganda’s emerging commercial aquaculture industry based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), focusing on inputs, their sources and farm-practices on ten representative commercial farms. Critical control points (CCPs) were identified to reveal potential hazards that would jeopardise any export trade. Site selection, water quality, fertiliser, fish seed, fish rearing facilities, feeds, and post-harvest practices were the main CCPs identified. Animal manure was used to generate plankton as pond fertiliser in nine of the ten surveyed farms and veterinary drugs were not found in any of the ten farms, which is starkly different from aquaculture in indutrialised countries. Potential sources of hazards from water were mainly: municipal waste flow which was more likely on five of the ten farms, domestic waste (four farms), agricultural run-off (three farms), and low water pH (three farms). Fish fry and fingerlings from other farms, feeds formulated on-farm from unapproved sources, chemical products, uncontrolled fish predators, and domestic animal and human activities were the other potential sources of hazards. A complete application of HACCP is recommended for producing safe products that meet the strict market standards of developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the constituents of food eaten by Nahan's Francolin Francolinus nahani in Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda. The study showed that forestry practices that negatively impact on the food resources have a potentially negative impact on their survival. The diet of Nahan's Francolin consisted mainly of ground invertebrates. Combined method of fecal and insects sampling within the home range of radio-tagged individuals can be utilized to correlate the foods eaten with potentially available foods.

Objectives: This study assessed the reproducibility and relative validity of an eight-item self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) on intake of sugared snacks in Ugandan schoolchildren. A 5-day precoded food behaviour checklist (FBC) was used as validation criteria. Sociodemographic correlates of a sum frequency sugar score were explored. Methods: The study was conducted in Kampala, Uganda, in 2004. Six hundred and fourteen schoolchildren (mean age 12.4 years) completed the FFQ on cakes/biscuits, chocolate, ice sticks, soft drinks, coffee, tea, sugared desserts and sweets/candies at school. They were examined clinically for dental caries. Forty students completed the FFQ twice, 1 week apart and 325 students completed the 5 day FBC at school. Results: The mean decayed, missing and filled tooth index score was 0.98 (SD 1.6, range 0–15). Reproducibility scores (Cohen's kappa) for the sugar items ranged from 0.17 (ice sticks) to 0.55 (biscuits). No differences were seen between the average intakes at test and retest. Higher intake was reported in FFQ than in FBC across all sugar items. Crude agreement between students reporting intake at least 3–5 times a week/less than three times a week ranged from 50% to 55% (e.g. biscuits, chocolate) to 87% (tea). Spearman's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.14 (desserts) to 0.27 (sweets).anova revealed significant increase ( P = 0.001) in the mean FBC sum scores by increasing quartiles of the FFQ sum scores. The average sum FFQ sugar scores were higher in girls than in boys and higher in older than in younger students. Conclusion: Fair reproducibility was established for the FFQ sugar items. The FFQ was acceptable in classifying individuals into broad categories of low and high sugar consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the hardness of foods consumed by sympatric Cercopithecus ascanius (redtail guenons) and Lop hocebus albigena (grey-cheeked mangabeys), and consider how selection might operate to influence foraging adaptations. Since L. albigena has among the thickest dental enamel in extant primates and is commonly referred to as a hard-object consumer, we predicted that their diet would be harder than that of the guenon. Data on diet and food hardness (as measured by resistance to puncture and crushing) were collected between June-October of 1997 at Kibale National Park, Uganda, and were compared to similar data collected in Kibale between 199 1-1994. Contrary to what we predicted, there was no difference in dietary hardness when the puncture resistance of all fruit consumed by the two species was compared (31 tree species in both study periods). However, in June-October 1997, L. albigena exploited a diet more resistant to puncture and crushing than C. ascanius. This difference is largely explained by the higher percentage of bark and seeds consumed by the L. albigena during this period. We suggest that it is the difference in the mechanical properties of fallback foods during critical periods that may have served as the selective pressure for thick enamel in L. albigena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the spatial and temporal foraging habits of chimpanzees, red-tail monkeys and blue monkeys on figs in the Budongo Forest Reserve in western Uganda. Methods; Results; Discussion and conclusions.

Chimpanzee diets are highly variable, but in all cases dominated by ripe fruit. Previous work has suggested that in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda, ripe fruit remains available throughout the year, but dietary data for chimpanzees at this site remain sparse. This paper details the diet of a recently habituated community of Budongo chimpanzees living in the Sonso region. Chimpanzees of this community spent 64.5% of their feeding time eating fruit, and 19.7% eating arboreal leaves. Terrestrial herbaceous vegetation formed only a minor component of the diet. In these general dietary characteristics, Budongo chimpanzees show greater similarity to those of the Gombe National Park than they do to those in the geographically closer and floristically more similar Kibale Forest National Park. The diet was dominated by the fruit of four species and leaves of two species, although the composition of the diet varied from month to month, remaining diverse. Figs were consumed throughout much of the year, and in consequence, should perhaps be regarded as a staple, rather than fallback, food. A period of food scarcity was not apparent in this study and future comparative nutritional investigation will be required to determine whether these chimpanzees face a time of dietary hardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in the social organization and dental morphology of Pan paniscus (bonobos) and Pan troglodytes (chimpanzees) have been related to differences in the spatiotemporal availability of food and its exploitation. The presence of abundant terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV) in the bonobo's habitat and the apparent greater reliance on herbs for food has been used to explain differences in party size and, by extension, social organization. Using fecal analysis, we assess quantitatively the amount of herbaceous foods consumed by Pan paniscus in the Lomako Forest, Zaire, compared to similar data for Pan troglodytes in Kibale Forest, Uganda. We examine this data in the context of spatiotemporal patterns of availability of herbaceous foods and fruit, as well as their nutritional content. The results support the suggestion that bonobos consume more herbaceous food than do the Kibale chimpanzees and that these foods are more prevalent in the bonobo's habitat than in the Kibale Forest. However, temporal changes in fruit availability and herb consumption, along with nutritional analyses, suggest that chimpanzees consume herbs as a fallback source of carbohydrates, whereas bonobos consume herbs as a source of protein regardless of season or fruit abundance. Available data suggest that party size while feeding on terrestrial herbs is restricted at both sites, but a determination of the relative strength of this constraint is not possible at this time. Difficulties in methods used for data collection are discussed and areas where more information is needed are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important goal in foraging ecology is to determine how biotic and abiotic variables impact the foraging decisions of wild animals and how they move throughout their multidimensional landscape. However, the interaction of food quality and feeding competition on foraging decisions is largely unknown. Here we examine the importance of food quality in a patch on the foraging decisions of wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) at Lake Nabugabo, Uganda using a multidestination platform array. The overall nutritional composition of the vervet diet was assessed and found to be low in sodium and lipids, thus we conducted a series of experimental manipulations in which the array was varied in salt and oil content. Although vervets prioritized platforms containing key nutrients (i.e., sodium and lipids) overall, we found that solitary vervets prioritized nutrient‐dense platforms more strongly than competing vervets. This finding was opposite to those in a similar experiment that manipulated food site quantity, suggesting that large, salient rewards may be worth competing over but slight differences in nutritional density may be only chosen when there are no potentially negative social consequences (i.e., aggression received). We also found that vervets chose platforms baited with oil‐only, and oil combined with salt, but not salt‐only, suggesting that energy was an important factor in food choice. Our findings demonstrate that when wild vervets detect differences in feeding patches that reflect nutritional composition, they factor these differences into their navigational and foraging decisions. In addition, our findings suggest that these nutritional differences may be considered alongside social variables, ultimately leading to the complex strategies we observed in this study. Research Highlights: We found that vervets chose nutrient‐dense patches overall, but solitary vervets prioritized nutrient‐dense patches more heavily than competing vervets.Our results suggest that the strategies animals use to consume nutrients varies in social and asocial conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-distance vocalizations mediate spacing patterns by allowing groups to choose whether to draw close enough to a neighbor to initiate a short-range interaction. It is unclear, however, whether the patterning of calls and the resulting movements are invariant or change in response to social and ecological variables. In this study, we compare the impact of long-distance calls on neighboring groups' movements in two populations of grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Uganda, which differed widely in group density and food availability. We monitored movement responses of target groups to both naturally occurring and experimentally simulated "whoop-gobble" vocalizations of neighboring adult males to test whether responses indicated mate and food defense. When defending access to fertile females, males might coerce group members to move away from neighboring males; when defending fitness-limiting food resources, however, groups might approach and attempt to evict neighbors. Controlling for pre-call movement prior to the vocalization, we found no difference in group responses between the low- and high-density populations, and little support for either form of defense. Mangabey groups generally continued moving in their original direction, albeit at a slower pace, and deviations from this pattern were predictable: they avoided nearby callers but approached distant callers; they approached if the caller was in the area where home ranges overlapped; and approached when their own group contained multiple peak-estrous females. The effect of multiple fertile females potentially indicates a breakdown of male control as a result of within-group intrasexual mating competition, and greater-than-expected female control over travel movements. As suspected, grey-cheeked mangabeys use neighbors' long-distance calls to maintain a spatial buffer between groups but changes in group movements indicate a conflict between male and female interests., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)