Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Epigraph
- Introduction: Gorilla biology: Multiple perspectives on variation within a genus
- Part 1 Gorilla taxonomy and comparative morphology
- Part 2 Molecular genetics
- Part 3 Behavioral ecology
- 11 An introductory perspective: Behavioral ecology of gorillas
- 12 Gorilla social relationships: A comparative overview
- 13 Within-group feeding competition and socioecological factors influencing social organization of gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
- 14 Comparative behavioral ecology of a lowland and highland gorilla population: Where do Bwindi gorillas fit?
- 15 Are gorillas vacuum cleaners of the forest floor? The roles of body size, habitat, and food preferences on dietary flexibility and nutrition
- Part 4 Gorilla conservation
- Afterword
- Index
- References
14 - Comparative behavioral ecology of a lowland and highland gorilla population: Where do Bwindi gorillas fit?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Epigraph
- Introduction: Gorilla biology: Multiple perspectives on variation within a genus
- Part 1 Gorilla taxonomy and comparative morphology
- Part 2 Molecular genetics
- Part 3 Behavioral ecology
- 11 An introductory perspective: Behavioral ecology of gorillas
- 12 Gorilla social relationships: A comparative overview
- 13 Within-group feeding competition and socioecological factors influencing social organization of gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
- 14 Comparative behavioral ecology of a lowland and highland gorilla population: Where do Bwindi gorillas fit?
- 15 Are gorillas vacuum cleaners of the forest floor? The roles of body size, habitat, and food preferences on dietary flexibility and nutrition
- Part 4 Gorilla conservation
- Afterword
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Primatologists have long sought explanations for the diversity of social systems found among and within primate species. Apes have received much attention given their close relationship to Homo, and the fact that within this group there are as many social systems as there are genera. Differences among genera, species, subspecies, and in some cases populations within a subspecies are presumed to be due to adaptations to varied environments.
An important way in which the environment varies is in the spatiotemporal availability of different food sources. Folivorous items, such as mature leaves and terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV), are often difficult to digest, low in energy and high in protein. In addition, they are generally available year-round, abundant and evenly distributed in the environment. On the other hand, fruits (and in most cases, young leaves) are often easily digested, high in energy, perhaps low in protein, only seasonally available, and are rarely evenly distributed in the environment (see Remis, this volume for nutritional information).
The inconsistent and unpredictable availability of fruit presents a number of obstacles for primates. For one, it requires them to travel farther each day to fulfill their nutritional requirements than folivores (Milton and May, 1976; Clutton-Brock and Harvey, 1977). Furthermore, the distance traveled is intrinsically related to the size of the social group (Wrangham et al., 1993; Janson and Goldsmith, 1995).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Gorilla BiologyA Multidisciplinary Perspective, pp. 358 - 384Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2002
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