Diversity and spatial distribution of fruit tree species in the Mbam and Djerem National Park (MDNP), a Chimpanzees Habitat, Cameroon

Abstract

The importance of tropical forests in the conservation of biodiversity can not be underrated. The Mbam and Djerem National Park (MDNP) is located in the forest-savanna transition zone, which gives it an exceptional biological diversity characterised by a wide variety of plant formations, a diversity of habitats and threatened animal species such as the chimpanzee. The chimpanzee finds almost all the food resources it needs to survive. The abundance and distribution of these resources strongly influence their ecology. To analyse the diversity and spatial distribution of trees whose fruits are consumed by chimpanzees in the MDNP, we established 30 transects of 2.5 to 5 km length consisting of contiguous quadrats of 400 m2 each, within which trees of diameter at breast height (dbh ≥ 10 cm) were identified and measured in the territories of three chimpanzee groups. Species distribution was assessed by Moran's index and by projection on the axis of the transects and the number of individuals encountered in the quadrats. The study identified 80543 individuals belonging to 281 species in 189 genera within 56 botanical families. Of these 281 species, 117 species are included in the chimpanzee diet and represent more than 60% in terms of relative density and dominance. In addition, many others were special status species. The spatial distribution of individual species whose fruits are consumed by chimpanzees was generally gregarious, with species tied to micro-habitats. Given the importance of this diet to the survival of chimpanzees in the park, it would be important to identify the type of species and their organs most consumed seasonally and to assess their availability in each of the biotopes visited.

Keywords: Chimpanzee habitat, special status species, Mbam and Djerem National Park.