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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
Published on: November 11, 2011
Selective logging, habitat quality and home range use by sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees: a case study from an
E Arnhem1, J Dupain, R Vercauteren Drubbel
1Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium. eric.arnhem@ulb.ac.be
Abstract:
We examined range use by great apes during logging activities and investigated associations between local variations in ape abundance and changes in the structure of the habitat or in the availability of fruits after disturbances. We carried out two annual censuses of western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla) and chimpanzee populations (Pan t. troglodytes) in an active logging concession in Southeast Cameroon. The results suggest that gorillas may adapt their range use to avoid most recently logged compartments, while chimpanzees appear to be more spatially resilient to logging. In our study site, selective logging affected 10% of the forest. After logging, gorillas nested in all types of vegetation, while chimpanzees nested exclusively in mixed mature forest. Fruit availability was not affected by logging and did not explain the distribution of ape nests in the study area.
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