Foraging benefits of winning intergroup encounters in colobus monkeys.
Wikberg EC, Lucci S, Glotfelty E, Campos F, Sicotte P
Phenology
The fruiting and flushing cycles of trees in West African forests are so ecologically valuable that entire primate societies organize conflict around them — a reminder that the phenology calendar you keep for your own orchard or forest patch is woven into food webs far beyond your fence line.
Scientists watched eight groups of black-and-white colobus monkeys compete over specific trees in Ghana and found these weren't random skirmishes — the trees being fought over were the ones currently bursting with new growth, ripe fruit, or fresh seeds. After a group won a standoff, its females fed more freely on that tree than the losers did. This shows that animals track plant-production timing precisely and time their conflicts around peak food windows.
Key Findings
Contested trees were producing young leaves, fruits, or seeds significantly more often than the background rate of those resources across all monitored trees in the area.
Female monkeys were more likely to feed on the specific contested tree during and immediately after an encounter than on other trees they were already near.
Winning groups showed elevated feeding rates after encounters; losing groups did not — with no difference in feeding rates before or during the conflict itself.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Groups of colobus monkeys in Ghana actively compete over food trees that happen to be producing young leaves, fruits, or seeds at the moment of conflict — and winning groups feed more freely on those trees afterward, confirming that intergroup fights are a direct contest over peak-phenology food.
Abstract Preview
Winners of aggressive intergroup encounters are often assumed to benefit from increased access to resources, but few studies have measured whether there is differential access to resources based on...
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