Primate population dynamics in Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, over nearly five decades.

Many anthropogenic-driven changes, such as hunting, have clear and immediate negative impacts on wild primate populations, but others, like climate change, may take generations to become evident. Thus, informed conservation plans will require decades of population monitoring. Here, we expand the duration of monitoring of the diurnal primates at Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda, from 32.

The life of a naturalist.

This essay summarizes some of my findings while studying primates in the field from 1962 to 2018. Although I have studied primates throughout the tropics, I focused on Africa, primarily the Kibale Forest of Uganda. My research began in the early days of primate field studies when very little was known about the behavior and ecology of most species.

Facial and genital lesions in baboons (Papio anubis) of Kibale National Park, Uganda.

We describe and document with digital images two adult male baboons (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda who were infected with some kind of disease having clinical signs suggestive of Treponema pallidum. One of these males was missing his premaxilla, part of the maxilla, upper incisors, canines, and possibly the first premolars. The condition of his scrotum was not seen.

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas.

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses.

Primate population dynamics over 32.9 years at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda.

We present census data for eight primate species spanning 32.9 years along the same transect at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, demonstrating major changes in the composition of the primate community. Correlated with an estimated decline of ∼89% in the red colobus population was an increase in encounter rates with chimpanzee parties.

Healthy baboon with no upper jaw or nose: an extreme case of adaptability in the Kibale National Park, Uganda.

We describe and document with digital images an adult female baboon (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda, who was missing all but the basal part of her upper jaw and nose, i.e., no premaxilla and very little of the maxilla and nasal bones.

Understanding long-term primate community dynamics: implications of forest change.

Understanding the causes of population declines often involves comprehending a complex set of interactions linking environmental and biotic changes, which in combination overwhelm a population's ability to persist. To understand these relationships, especially for long-lived large mammals, long-term data are required, but rarely available. Here we use 26-36 years of population and habitat data to determine the potential causes of group density changes for five species of primates in Kibale National Park, Uganda, in areas that were disturbed to varying intensities in the late 1960s.

Vegetative predictors of primate abundance: utility and limitations of a fine-scale analysis.

Determining ecological predictors of primate abundance is important for both theoretical and applied conservation management. For forest primates, research has focused on comparisons of primate abundance and vegetation in different forest blocks or forest compartments with different management histories. However, great variation in primate abundance often occurs within single forests, especially in mountainous areas or in areas with habitat mosaics due to past disturbance.

Infanticide and social organization in the redtail monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) in the Kibale Forest, Uganda.

The redtail monkeys of the Kibale Forest, W. Uganda, live in social groups of about 35 members with only one adult male. In one of the study groups the harem male was replaced by a new male from outside the group.

Behavior of vervet monkeys and other cercopithecines. New data show structural uniformities in the gestures of semiarboreal and terrestrial cercopithecines.

A comparison of the communicative gestures of vervets with those of other cercopithecines reveals both similarities and differences. Examples have been given of gestures (i) exhibited by all cercopithecines, (ii) rare or absent in vervets and common in several other species, (iii) demonstrated by vervets and a few other cercopithecines, and (iv) common in vervets and rare or absent in other members of the subfamily. Vervets, baboons, and rhesus monkeys have approximately the same number of visual signals in their behavioral repertoires-46, 42, and 49, respectively.