Ecological basis for fission-fusion dynamics in Guinea baboons (Papio papio)

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One fundamental paradigm within the framework of behavioural ecology and socio-ecology is that ecological conditions shape the spatial distribution of individuals and hence the social organization of a population. Among primates, baboons (Papio spp.) live in a variety of habitats and show diverse social organizations, making them good models to investigate links between ecology and social organization. Within a larger research programme that addresses the diversity of baboon behaviour and their social systems, I propose a study of the Guinea baboon, Papio papio. In contrast to other baboon taxa whose behavioural ecology and social systems has been extensively studied, comparative data on Guinea baboons are missing. Results of our project, Social behaviour and communication of free-ranging Guinea baboons (Papio papio), suggest that their social organization and fission-fusion dynamics, differs substantially from that of the other well-studied baboon taxa. Socio-ecological models currently set the basic framework to investigate how ecological conditions may influence sociality on the level of the individual and thus shaping the social system. Distribution and abundance of essential resources and predation risk are thought to constitute major factors influencing primate social organisation. Despite criticism, socio-ecological models still provide testable prediction of whether and how ecological conditions impact grouping patterns and social systems. The objectives of the study are: (1) to describe and model the habitat characteristics, vegetation association and phenological patterns of the forest-savannah mosaic to quantify the spatio-temporal distribution and abundance of essential resources in the home-range of the baboons: (2) to systematically investigate the relationships between distribution and abundance of food patches and the grouping patterns of baboons, on both a seasonal and day-to-day time scale; and (3) to provide quantitative data on the feeding ecology, ranging behaviour (i.e. home-range use and travel path length) and activity patterns of the baboons with regard to the impact of seasonality. In our explorative study we assume to find relationships between spatial and temporal patterns of resource distribution and ranging and grouping pattern of the baboons, which will provide the socio-ecological baseline needed for further investigations of their social system, cognition, and communication in a fluid fission-fusion society.