Publications

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The influence of vegetation structure on sleeping site selection by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Luc Tédonzong, Maxwell Bienvenu Mfula Ndju'u, Martin Tchamba, Tsi Evaristus Angwafo, Luc Lens, Nikki Tagg, Jacob Willie
Sleep is an important aspect of great ape life; these animals build sleeping platforms every night. In a community of chimpanzees, each subgroup selects a sleeping site where each individual builds a sleeping platform, mostly on a tree. Previous studies have measured the heights of sleeping platforms and sleeping trees to test the predation avoidance and thermoregulation hypotheses of sleeping site selection. However, it remains unclear how ...

Investigating the impact of a long-term research and conservation project on the expansion of land use and land cover in a remote area of central DRC Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

V. Soliday, A. Louat, E. Miezi, Barbara Fruth
Anthropogenic impact and population growth have caused a dramatic loss of biodiversity worldwide. Deforestation due to logging, mining, and burning are of particular severity in tropical rainforests with the Amazonian and Congolese basins harboring the largest reminders on our planet. While research projects particularly those with permanent presence on ground have been considered as excellent conservation measures to protect habitat and ...

Chimpanzee Extraversion scores vary with epigenetic modification of dopamine receptor gene D2 (DRD2) and early rearing conditions Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp University of Antwerp

Nicky Staes, Cassandra M. White, Elaine E. Guevara, M Eens, William D. Hopkins, Steven J. Schapiro, Jeroen Stevens, Chet C. Sherwood, Brenda J. Bradley

Chimpanzees have consistent individual differences in behaviour, also referred to as personality. Similar to human personality structure, five dimensions are commonly found in chimpanzee studies that show evidence for convergent and predictive validity (Dominance, Openness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Reactivity/Undependability). These dimensions are to some extent heritable, indicating a genetic component that explains part of the ...

The Role of Serotonergic Gene Methylation in Regulating Anxiety-Related Personality Traits in Chimpanzees. Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Nicky Staes, Elaine E. Guevara, William D. Hopkins, Steven J. Schapiro, Marcel Eens, Chet C. Sherwood, Brenda J. Bradley
While low serotonergic activity is often associated with psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, mood, and personality disorders, variations in serotonin also contribute to normal personality differences. In this study, we investigated the role of blood DNA methylation levels at individual CpG sites of two key serotonergic genes (serotonin receptor gene 1A, HTR1A; serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4) in predicting the personalities ...

Evaluating Self-Directed Behaviours and Their Association with Emotional Arousal across Two Cognitive Tasks in Bonobos (Pan paniscus) Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp University of Antwerp

Daan Laméris, Jonas Verspeek, Marina Salas, Nicky Staes, Jonas Torfs, M Eens, Jeroen Stevens

Self-directed behaviours (SDBs) are widely used as markers of emotional arousal in primates, and are commonly linked to negative arousal, or are used as indicators of stress or poor welfare. However, recent studies suggest that not all SDBs have the same function. Moreover, lateralisation in the production of these behaviours has been suggested to be associated with emotional processing. Hence, a better understanding of the production and the ...

A chromosome-scale genome assembly of the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Sven Winter, Raphael T F Coimbra, Philippe Helsen, Axel Janke

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni), or forest giraffe, is the only species in its genus and the only extant sister group of the giraffe within the family Giraffidae. The species is one of the remaining large vertebrates surrounded by mystery because of its elusive behavior as well as the armed conflicts in the region where it occurs, making it difficult to study. Deforestation puts the okapi under constant anthropogenic pressure, and it is ...

Transition to siblinghood causes a substantial and long-lasting increase in urinary cortisol levels in wild bonobos Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Verena Behringer, Andreas Berghaenel, Tobias Deschner, Sean M. Lee, Barbara Fruth, Gottfried Hohmann
In animals with slow ontogeny and long-term maternal investment, immatures are likely to experience the birth of a younger sibling before reaching maturity. In these species, the birth of a sibling marks a major event in an offspring's early life as the older siblings experience a decrease in maternal support. The transition to siblinghood (TTS) is often considered to be stressful for the older offspring, but physiological evidence is lacking. ...

Gastrointestinal symbiont diversity in wild gorilla: A comparison of bacterial and strongylid communities across multiple localities Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp

Bethan Mason, Klara J. Petrzelkova, Jakub Kreisinger, Torsten Bohm, Barbora Cervena, Emilie Fairet, Terence Fuh, Andres Gomez, Sascha Knauf, Ulrich Maloueki, et al.
Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are Critically Endangered and show continued population decline. Consequently, pressure is mounting to better understand their conservation threats and ecology. Gastrointestinal symbionts, such as bacterial and eukaryotic communities, are believed to play vital roles in the physiological landscape of the host. Gorillas host a broad spectrum of eucaryotes, so called parasites, with strongylid ...