DIETARY VARIABILITY IN A GROUP OF MIXED-SPECIES CERCOPITHECUS MONKEYS (CERCOPITHECUS MITIS, C. ASCANIUS AND C. MITIS X C. ASCANIUS) IN MKENKE VALLEY, GOMBE NATIONAL PARK, TANZANIA

Summary: This research represents the first multi-year investigation of the feeding ecology of Gombe’s Cercopithecus populations. The main goal of this study was to identify dietary overlap and distinctiveness among the phenotypes in our study group, a mixed species group of guenons comprised of C. ascanius, C. mitis, and C. ascanius x C. mitis hybrids. Field assistants collected feeding data using ad libitum observations as well as instantaneous scan sampling at 30-minute intervals from July 2014 to December 2018. A total of 63 plant species were identified in our group’s diet. Results indicate that a significant difference exists between the diets of each phenotype. The results also found an unusually high percentage of invertebrate eating (54%) in our group. These findings suggest that invertebrates are an important food resource for the Gombe study group and may help facilitate coexistence in an environment where there are many sympatric primate species.
2019
Includes bibliography.
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection