Diet Composition and Feeding Ecology of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in a Lowland Tropical Forest in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon

Abstract

Characterizing the diet of wild chimpanzees is fundamental to understanding ecological variation, flexibility, and adaptation within and among populations. Here, we describe the diet composition of central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, southwestern Gabon. The chimpanzee diet in this area has not previously been described. Based on a macroanalysis of 809 fecal samples and 1,119 minutes of direct observation of their foraging, we showed that they consume fewer insects and more vertebrate prey than those in other study sites. No evidence for the consumption of termites or driver ants was found. Fruits of Ficus spp. was the most frequently identified plant food and appeared in the diet of Moukalaba chimpanzees throughout the year. Chimpanzees at Moukalaba, like at other study sites, exhibit a preference for a small number of fruit species, including Ficus spp., among the foods available at any given period or area while flexibly changing the foods they eat in response to seasonal changes in fruit quantity in the habitat.