Primate carcass ecology in the Urema Rift, Mozambique

Area of Science:

• Paleoecology
• Primate Ecology
• African Mammal Ecology

Background:

• Primate populations are vital to African ecosystems, but their bone/carcass abundance often doesn't reflect live population numbers.
• Previous studies in Kenya and DRC showed fewer primate carcasses than expected compared to other mammals.
• Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, exhibits a similar discrepancy between primate abundance and carcass data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate ecological factors influencing primate carcass and bone distribution in Gorongosa National Park.
• To determine if landscape type, proximity to roads, and water sources predict primate carcass occurrence relative to other mammals.
• To compare primate bone accumulation in annually flooding versus non-annually flooding landscapes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 26 primate bones (chacma baboons) and 255 bones from 20 other mammal species.
• Utilized Generalized Linear Models (GLM) to assess factors predicting bone accumulation.
• Employed Fisher's Exact Test to compare bone deposition in different landscape types.

Main Results:

• Permanent water sources (rivers, lakes) significantly drive primate bone accumulation (p < 0.05).
• Primate bones were found more frequently in Rift Valley Riverine & Floodplain landscapes (p < 0.05).
• Crocodile predation on baboons crossing rivers may influence carcass deposition patterns.

Conclusions:

• Ecological factors, particularly water proximity and landscape type, shape primate bone accumulation.
• The observed mismatch between live primates and their bone distribution may be influenced by predation.
• Findings offer insights into primate fossil record interpretations in African paleoecology.