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Abstract: This study examines the behavioral ecology of a chimpanzee population on Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, over 40years after chimpanzees were first introduced to the island from captivity. Despite little pre-release habitat assessment, rehabilitation, or post-release monitoring, these chimpanzees are one of the only released populations to survive over decades without provisioning. We surveyed habitat structure and plant composition to gain insights into ecological features that have supported this self-sufficient chimpanzee population for over 40years. We also examined possible ecological sources of chimpanzee ranging patterns on the island. We surveyed woody plant composition, and quantified densities of species producing large fleshy fruits and confirmed chimpanzee fruit foods across three chimpanzee ranging areas, each separated by several kilometers. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination to compare community-level patterns of plant composition across regions. The densities of trees and lianas producing fleshy fruits were high in comparison with similar measures at endemic chimpanzee study sites. There were major differences in the composition of tree species, including species of chimpanzee fruit foods, across the three regions. In contrast, liana species composition was similar across regions, and was characterized by a few super-abundant species, including one chimpanzee fallback food. The wide-ranging patterns of chimpanzees do not appear to be influenced by localized tree fruiting patterns, but may be facilitated by the wide-spread distribution of an important fallback food. In comparison with other endemic and release sites, the relatively low ecological population density of chimpanzees, the high density of both trees and lianas producing large fleshy fruits and the presence of a high-quality, widely-distributed fallback food are factors that likely contributed to the success of Rubondo chimpanzees in reverting to natural foraging behaviors after their release. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examined seasonal patterns of fruit availability, dietary quality, and group size in the descendants of an introduced chimpanzee population on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. The site has supported a free-ranging population without provisioning for 40 years. Our goals were to determine whether Rubondo chimpanzees experience periods of fruit shortage, and whether they respond to changes in fruit availability similarly to chimpanzees at endemic sites. We indexed the fruit availability of tree and liana species on transects stratified across three chimpanzee ranging areas. We used fecal analyses to evaluate seasonal changes in diet, and used data on party size and nesting group size to examine seasonal patterns of grouping. Tree fruit availability was positively correlated with rainfall, with a period of relative tree fruit scarcity corresponding with the long dry season. Liana fruit availability was not related to rainfall, and lianas exhibited less variable fruiting patterns across seasons. Fruits made up the majority of the chimpanzee diet, with lianas accounting for 35% of dietary fruit species. Fruits of the liana Saba comorensis were available during all months of phenological monitoring, but they were consumed more when tree fruit was scarce, suggesting that Saba comorensis fruits may be a fallback food for Rubondo chimpanzees. There were no increases in consumption of lower-quality plant parts between seasons, and there were no changes in group size between seasons. These results contrast with evidence from several endemic chimpanzee study sites, and indicate that Rubondo chimpanzees may have access to abundant and high-quality foods year round. Am. J. Primatol. 69:487–502, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]