Publicaties

Characterization of the ecology of endangered timber species is a crucial step in
any forest management strategy. In this study, we described the animal communities involved in seed dispersal and predation of a high-value timber species Guibourtia tessmannii (Fabaceae; Detarioideae), which is newly listed on Appendix II of CITES. We compared the animal communities between two forest sites (Bambidie in Gabon and Ma’an in Cameroon). A total ...

In several group-living species, individuals' social preferences are thought to be influenced by cooperation. For some societies with fission-fusion dynamics, sex-specific association patterns reflect sex differences in cooperation in within-and between-group contexts. In our study, we investigated this hypothesis further by comparing sex-specific association patterns in two closely related species, chimpanzees and bonobos, which differ in the ...

Determining individual health status is of great importance for a better understanding of life history trade-offs between growth, reproduction, and maintenance. However, existing immunological methods are invasive and therefore not suitable for investigating health status in wild populations. Thus, there is an urgent need for non-invasive methods to assess the immune status of animals. Neopterin is involved in the cell-mediated pathway of the ...

Introduction Ground reaction forces in sound horses with asymmetric hooves show systematic differences in the horizontal braking force and relative timing of break-over. The Center Of Pressure (COP) path quantifies the dynamic load distribution under the hoof in a moving horse. The objective was to test whether anatomical asymmetry, quantified by the difference in dorsal wall angle between the left and right forelimbs, correlates with asymmetry ...

Common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) experienced a selective sweep, probably caused by a SIV-like virus, which targeted their MHC class I repertoire. Based on MHC class I intron 2 data analyses, this selective sweep took place about 23 million years ago. As a consequence, common chimpanzees have a skewed MHC class I repertoire that is enriched for allotypes that are able to recognise conserved regions of the SIV proteome. The bonobo (Pan ...

Hunting for meat and profit threatens a very large number of primate species. This chapter presents evidence of the extent of hunting of wild animals, and primates in particular, across the tropical areas of the globe. We review studies investigating whether estimated extraction rates of mammal species across the tropics exceed the production levels for these taxa. In particular, data on primate extraction levels in Latin America, Africa, and ...