Publicaties
Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Product Valorisation to the Livelihood Assets of Local People in the Northern Periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, East Cameroon Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
A large community of scientists has demonstrated that millions of people located in tropical zones derive a significant proportion of their livelihoods from the extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Despite these results, questions remain as to whether the valorisation of NTFPs can sustainably contribute to the improvement of the livelihood assets of the extractors. This study therefore evaluated the contribution of NTFP valorisation ...
The (dis)advantages of dominance in a multiple male group of Anolis carolinensis lizards Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Male Anolis carolinensis lizards will fight and form social dominance hierarchies when placed in habitats with limited resources. Dominance may procure benefits such as priority access to food, shelter or partners, but may also come with costs, such as a higher risk of injuries due to aggressive interaction, a higher risk of predation or a higher energetic cost, all of which may lead to an increase in stress. While most research looks at ...
Wild bonobo and chimpanzee females exhibit broadly similar patterns of behavioral maturation but some evidence for divergence Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Abstract Objectives Primates exhibit variation in rates of growth and development. Variation in female growth and development across ape species appears to be explained by the Ecological Risk Aversion Hypothesis (ERAH). Indeed, existing data on variation in somatic growth and reproductive maturation between humans' closest living ape relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, appear to be consistent with this hypothesis. However, existing data on ...
Bonobo personality predicts friendship Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
In bonobos, strong bonds have been documented between unrelated females and between mothers and their adult sons, which can have important fitness benefits. Often age, sex or kinship similarity have been used to explain social bond strength variation. Recent studies in other species also stress the importance of personality, but this relationship remains to be investigated in bonobos. We used behavioral observations on 39 adult and adolescent ...
Long-term trends in wildlife community structure and functional diversity in a village hunting zone in southeast Cameroon Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Hunting may be the greatest threat to wildlife populations across the Congo basin. Large-bodied species are the most vulnerable; alterations in assemblages of such keystone species can affect many important ecological functions. There may be a reduction or loss of ecological services, such as seed dispersal. Monitoring functional diversity within a wildlife community alongside descriptions of wildlife community structure (abundances and species ...
Extensive Serological Survey of Multiple African Nonhuman Primate Species Reveals Low Prevalence of Immunoglobulin G Antibodies to 4 Ebola Virus Species Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Bats are considered a reservoir species for Ebola viruses, but nonhuman primates (NHPs) have represented a source of infection in several outbreaks in humans. Here we report serological screening of blood or fecal samples from monkeys (n = 2322) and apes (n = 2327). Thirty-six NHP species from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ivory Coast were tested with a sensitive and specific Luminex-based assay for immunoglobulin G antibodies ...
Why intergroup variation matters for understanding behaviour Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Intergroup variation (IGV) refers to variation between different groups of the same species. While its existence in the behavioural realm has been expected and evidenced, the potential effects of IGV are rarely considered in studies that aim to shed light on the evolutionary origins of human socio-cognition, especially in our closest living relatives—the great apes. Here, by taking chimpanzees as a point of reference, we argue that (i) IGV could ...
Removal and predation of aril-covered seeds: the case of Afzelia bipindensis (Fabaceae – Detarioidae) Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Background and aims – Most tree species with aril-covered seeds are assumed to be dispersed by frugivores. However, the number of studied African rainforest plant species remains low. This study focused on Afzelia bipindensis, an important timber species, which produces seeds partly covered by an aril. Specifically, this study aimed to: (1) identify the dispersers and the predators of A. bipindensis seeds, (2) characterize the role of those ...
The effect of cage size on stress levels in captive green anole (Anolis carolinensis) Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen
Reptiles are often used as model species in scientific research and are popular in the pet trade, yet how they cope with captive conditions has not been well studied. Stress caused by captivity could affect the endocrinology, physiology and behaviour of animals, resulting in a general decrease in welfare and could confound the results of scientific experiments. One of the factors that could influence stress in a captive environment is the size ...