Using the Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Compositions of Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to Examine Questions in Ethnoprimatology

Authors

James E. Loudon, East Carolina University
J. Paul Grobler, University of the Free State
Matt Sponheimer, University of Colorado, Boulder
Kimberly Moyer, University of Colorado, Denver
Joseph G. Lorenz, Central Washington University
Trudy R. Turner, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Document Type

Article

Department or Administrative Unit

Anthropology and Museum Studies

Publication Date

7-10-2014

Abstract

This study seeks to understand how humans impact the dietary patterns of eight free-ranging vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) groups in South Africa using stable isotope analysis. Vervets are omnivores that exploit a wide range of habitats including those that have been anthropogenically-disturbed. As humans encroach upon nonhuman primate landscapes, human-nonhuman primate interconnections become increasingly common, which has led to the rise of the field of ethnoprimatology. To date, many ethnoprimatological studies have examined human-nonhuman primate associations largely in qualitative terms. By using stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope analysis, we use quantitative data to understand the degree to which humans impact vervet monkey dietary patterns. Based on initial behavioral observations we placed the eight groups into three categories of anthropogenic disturbance (low, mid, and high). Using δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values we estimated the degree to which each group and each anthropogenically-disturbed category was consuming C₄ plants (primarily sugar cane, corn, or processed foods incorporating these crops). δ¹³C values were significantly different between groups and categories of anthropogenic-disturbance. δ¹⁵N values were significantly different at the group level. The two vervet groups with the highest consumption of C₄ plants inhabited small nature reserves, appeared to interact with humans only sporadically, and were initially placed in the mid level of anthropogenic-disturbance. However, further behavioral observations revealed that the high δ¹³C values exhibited by these groups were linked to previously unseen raiding of C₄ crops. By revealing these cryptic feeding patterns, this study illustrates the utility of stable isotopes analysis for some ethnoprimatological questions.

Comments

This article was originally published Open Access in PLoS One. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.

Recommended Citation

Loudon JE, Grobler JP, Sponheimer M, Moyer K, Lorenz JG, et al. (2014) Using the Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Compositions of Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to Examine Questions in Ethnoprimatology. PLoS ONE 9(7): e100758. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0100758

Journal

PLOS One

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

© 2014 Loudon et al.