Content uploaded by David Beaune
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by David Beaune on Mar 24, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
Ecological Role of Bonobo project
The Ecological role of the BONOBO
David Beaune ab, François Bretagnolle
b ,Loic
Bollache
b,
Gottfried Hohmann
a, Barbara Fruth
a
a Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Dept. of Primatology. Leipzig, Germany
b Laboratoire Biogéosciences, University of Burgundy. Dijon. France
Problematic:
Bonobos are threatened of extinction and the 2nd
biggest frugivore of the South Congo where +95% of trees depend
of animal for seed dispersal
The ecological function of bonobo has to be investigated in the context of defaunation
affecting tropical forests.
Methods:
Study site: DRCongo, LuiKotale MPI
research station.
Behavioral observation of habituated group (35 bonobos)
-
Feeding ecology (22 months: 1879hrs, 1152 faeces)
-
Daily movement georeferenced. GPS
(2007-2011)
Seed fate monitoring
-
Monitoring (germination rate, speed, survival, etc.)
Biodiversity inventory for plants
-
Herbarium collection (7300 vouchers, Fruth
2011)
-
12-ha plots censused (2011)
Acknowledgements: The Institut
Congolais
pour la Conservation de la Nature
(ICCN) of the DRC, granted permission to work in Salonga
National Park. The project was sponsored by the Regional Council of Burgundy , the Biogéosciences Lab and uB, France; the Federal
Ministry of Education & Research, (Biodiversity & Global Change,
BIOLOG), and the Max-Planck-Society (MPG), Germany.
Seeds passed by bonobo germinate faster,
with higher rate, and with greatest post
dispersal survival induced by diplochory
with
dung beetles Catharsius Seeds are dispersed at an average distance of 1.3km
±26m
from the parental trees range: [1-4492m]
whatever the season or the species traits (NS ANOVA)
Conclusion:
Functional overlaps with other frugivores are low in Afrotropical forest. Therefore
bonobos affect forest structure and dynamic. The conservation of
these forests
depend of bonobo fate, currently threatened of extinction (IUCN 2011). Our conclusions
classify bonobos as probable gardeners of the Congo forest
Bonobo
are mainly frugivores
(66% of the feeding sessions)
spending 3.5 hrs/day swallowing seeds
transporting
them during transit time ~24hrs00 ±SE.9min
97.8% ±0.3 of the faeces contain seeds
In its entire life a bonobo might disperse +9.0 tons of seed
or +11.6 million seeds
from more than
91 species, 45 genus, 25 families
of plants
1
40% of the tree species are dispersed by bonobo,
representing 65% of the tree abundance. 95% of the investigated
species dispersed by bonobo cannot self recruit without seed dispersal
4
3
12
4
3
1
Passed vs. unpassed
seeds
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Cissus
Cola
Dacryodes
Dialium
Garcinia
Grewia
Guarea
Manilkara
Germination rate
Unpassed
Passed
***
***
***
*
Germination speed
Guarea laurentii
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0204060
Days
Germ ination ra te
Passed
Unpassed
Fruit
Seed
ingestion Transport Deposition
24h00
Dispersal distance: 3.2km
t0
: Gambeya lacourtiana
11:37
t24
: defecation
11:37
distance of dispersion (m)
Frequency
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300 1332
Average t ree species and num ber interacti ng with
bonobo for seeds
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Endozoochory Ectozoochory Granivory
% tree per h
a
Abundanc e
Biodivers ity
2
Dispersal curve
Dispersal model