TITLE:
Fruit Phenology of Tree Species and Chimpanzees’ Choice of Consumption in Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Uganda
AUTHORS:
Grace Kagoro-Rugunda, Chie Hashimoto
KEYWORDS:
Chimpanzees, Consumption, Fruit, Kalinzu, Phenology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.5 No.10,
October
9,
2015
ABSTRACT: One hundred and eighteen (118) tree species
were identified, among which 58 species produced fruit within the two-year
study. Fruit of only 26.3% of the latter is eaten by chimpanzees. The
consumption of each of these fruits was generally low, with only two species
constituting more than 25% consumption. Only about 1.7% of woody biomass is
relied upon by chimpanzees in Kalinzu for food. The major tree species in
chimpanzee diet monitored showed that fruit production varies monthly and
seasonally. Apart from Musanga
leo-errerae and Ficus spp. whose fruiting was consistent
throughout the year, general fruit phenology was positively correlated with
rainfall. Only three species namely: Craterispermum
laurinum, Aframomum angustifolium and Beilschmiedia ugandensis produced fruit
in the dry seasons. Correlation between fruit availability and consumption was
significantly positive for only one species, Landlophia dawei. This indicated that frugivory of chimpanzees in
Kalinzu was not opportunistic; they search for what they like to eat.
Chimpanzees would have to range furthest in periods of scarcity and
asynchronous fruiting hence a lot of energy expenditure in the food search
alone. Therefore, diversity in fruit phenology is important for chimpanzees’
energy conservation, health and survival. Selective logging and other selective
human activities that involve cutting down trees that are palatable would in
future affect the food diversity and consequently the health of frugivores if
not done sustainably. Since patterns of fruit phenology are also linked to
patterns of rainfall, changes in the former can assist in predicting the
influence of climate change on food availability for big frugivores like
chimpanzees.