How feeding competition determines female chimpanzee gregariousness and ranging in the Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

In Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, high-ranking female chimpanzees increase their gregariousness during periods of food scarcity, unlike low-ranking females who reduce their social interactions to minimize energy expenditure. This study challenges the assumption that high-ranking females always benefit from being more social, revealing instead a conditional response to ecological conditions. Researchers analyzed long-term data from two Taï chimpanzee communities using multivariate analysis to test whether dominance rank influenced gregariousness and travel costs. The findings suggest that female chimpanzees in Taï do not monopolize core areas, unlike other populations such as those in Gombe or Kibale, indicating significant variation in social behavior across chimpanzee populations.

Riedel, J., Franz, M., & Boesch, C. (2010). How feeding competition determines female chimpanzee gregariousness and ranging in the Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. American Journal of Primatology, 73(4), 305–313. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20897