AI Article Synopsis
- Chimpanzees are unique among great apes as they thrive in hot, dry savanna environments, where they face challenges like food and water scarcity.
- The study highlights that savanna habitats lead to lower chimpanzee population densities and larger home ranges, and that chimpanzees exhibit behaviors like using caves to cope with high temperatures.
- The findings suggest a "savanna landscape effect" influencing chimpanzee evolution, and the research could enhance our understanding of early human traits and help improve conservation efforts for these endangered species.
Article Abstract
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are the only great apes that inhabit hot, dry, and open savannas. We review the environmental pressures of savannas on chimpanzees, such as food and water scarcity, and the evidence for chimpanzees' behavioral responses to these landscapes. In our analysis, savannas were generally associated with low chimpanzee population densities and large home ranges. In addition, thermoregulatory behaviors that likely reduce hyperthermia risk, such as cave use, were frequently observed in the hottest and driest savanna landscapes. We hypothesize that such responses are evidence of a "savanna landscape effect" in chimpanzees and offer pathways for future research to understand its evolutionary processes and mechanisms. We conclude by discussing the significance of research on savanna chimpanzees to modeling the evolution of early hominin traits and informing conservation programs for these endangered apes.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/evan.21924 | DOI Listing |
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