Publications by authors named "David Fasbender"
Geophagy, the deliberate consumption of earth materials, is widely observed in animals. While anecdotal evidence exists of bonobos (Pan paniscus) consuming soil from Cubitermes termite mounds, the functions of their geophagic behavior remains unexplored. This study aims to examine a preliminary hypothesis that termite mound geophagy of free-ranging bonobos at Wamba are helpful for iron supplementation.
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- The study explores how food availability influences the social organization of bonobos and its implications for understanding hominin social evolution.
- There is an ongoing debate about whether differences in social structures between bonobos and chimpanzees are driven by food resources or other factors, with a focus on bonobo communities being more stable due to abundant food in their environments.
- Research conducted in a seasonal forest fragment, Luzaka, revealed that even with varying food availability, bonobo social organization maintained characteristics similar to bonobos in more stable habitats, indicating adaptability despite environmental changes.