Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity

Ammie K. Kalan; Lars Kulik; Mimi Arandjelovic; Christophe Boesch; Fabian Haas; Paula Dieguez; Christopher D. Barratt; Ekwoge E. Abwe; Anthony Agbor; Samuel Angedakin; Floris Aubert; Emmanuel Ayuk Ayimisin; Emma Bailey; Mattia Bessone; Gregory Brazzola; Valentine Ebua Buh; Rebecca Chancellor; Heather Cohen; Charlotte Coupland; Bryan Curran; Emmanuel Danquah; Tobias Deschner; Dervla Dowd; Manasseh Eno-Nku; J. Michael Fay; Annemarie Goedmakers; Anne Céline Granjon; Josephine Head; Daniela Hedwig; Veerle Hermans; Kathryn J. Jeffery; Sorrel Jones; Jessica Junker; Parag Kadam; Mohamed Kambi; Ivonne Kienast; Deo Kujirakwinja; Kevin E. Langergraber; Juan Lapuente; Bradley Larson; Kevin C. Lee; Vera Leinert; Manuel Llana; Sergio Marrocoli; Amelia C. Meier; Bethan Morgan; David Morgan; Emily Neil; Sonia Nicholl; Emmanuelle Normand; Lucy Jayne Ormsby; Liliana Pacheco; Alex Piel; Jodie Preece; Martha M. Robbins; Aaron Rundus; Crickette Sanz; Volker Sommer; Fiona Stewart; Nikki Tagg; Claudio Tennie; Virginie Vergnes; Adam Welsh; Erin G. Wessling; Jacob Willie; Roman M. Wittig; Yisa Ginath Yuh; Klaus Zuberbühler; Hjalmar S. Kühl

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3

Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity

Ammie K. Kalan, Lars Kulik, Mimi Arandjelovic, Christophe Boesch, Fabian Haas, Paula Dieguez, Christopher D. Barratt, Ekwoge E. Abwe, Anthony Agbor, Samuel Angedakin, Floris Aubert, Emmanuel Ayuk Ayimisin, Emma Bailey, Mattia Bessone, Gregory Brazzola, Valentine Ebua Buh, Rebecca Chancellor, Heather Cohen, Charlotte Coupland, Bryan CurranEmmanuel Danquah, Tobias Deschner, Dervla Dowd, Manasseh Eno-Nku, J. Michael Fay, Annemarie Goedmakers, Anne Céline Granjon, Josephine Head, Daniela Hedwig, Veerle Hermans, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Sorrel Jones, Jessica Junker, Parag Kadam, Mohamed Kambi, Ivonne Kienast, Deo Kujirakwinja, Kevin E. Langergraber, Juan Lapuente, Bradley Larson, Kevin C. Lee, Vera Leinert, Manuel Llana, Sergio Marrocoli, Amelia C. Meier, Bethan Morgan, David Morgan, Emily Neil, Sonia Nicholl, Emmanuelle Normand, Lucy Jayne Ormsby, Liliana Pacheco, Alex Piel, Jodie Preece, Martha M. Robbins, Aaron Rundus, Crickette Sanz, Volker Sommer, Fiona Stewart, Nikki Tagg, Claudio Tennie, Virginie Vergnes, Adam Welsh, Erin G. Wessling, Jacob Willie, Roman M. Wittig, Yisa Ginath Yuh, Klaus Zuberbühler, Hjalmar S. Kühl

Human Evolution and Social Change, School of (SHESC)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

Large brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation. Here, using a dataset of 144 wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities, we show that chimpanzees exhibit greater behavioural diversity in environments with more variability — in both recent and historical timescales. Notably, distance from Pleistocene forest refugia is associated with the presence of a larger number of behavioural traits, including both tool and non-tool use behaviours. Since more than half of the behaviours investigated are also likely to be cultural, we suggest that environmental variability was a critical evolutionary force promoting the behavioural, as well as cultural diversification of great apes.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	4451
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	11
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3
State	Published - Dec 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy

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10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3

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Kalan, A. K., Kulik, L., Arandjelovic, M., Boesch, C., Haas, F., Dieguez, P., Barratt, C. D., Abwe, E. E., Agbor, A., Angedakin, S., Aubert, F., Ayimisin, E. A., Bailey, E., Bessone, M., Brazzola, G., Buh, V. E., Chancellor, R., Cohen, H., Coupland, C., ... Kühl, H. S. (2020). Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity. Nature communications, 11(1), Article 4451. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3

Kalan, AK, Kulik, L, Arandjelovic, M, Boesch, C, Haas, F, Dieguez, P, Barratt, CD, Abwe, EE, Agbor, A, Angedakin, S, Aubert, F, Ayimisin, EA, Bailey, E, Bessone, M, Brazzola, G, Buh, VE, Chancellor, R, Cohen, H, Coupland, C, Curran, B, Danquah, E, Deschner, T, Dowd, D, Eno-Nku, M, Michael Fay, J, Goedmakers, A, Granjon, AC, Head, J, Hedwig, D, Hermans, V, Jeffery, KJ, Jones, S, Junker, J, Kadam, P, Kambi, M, Kienast, I, Kujirakwinja, D, Langergraber, KE, Lapuente, J, Larson, B, Lee, KC, Leinert, V, Llana, M, Marrocoli, S, Meier, AC, Morgan, B, Morgan, D, Neil, E, Nicholl, S, Normand, E, Ormsby, LJ, Pacheco, L, Piel, A, Preece, J, Robbins, MM, Rundus, A, Sanz, C, Sommer, V, Stewart, F, Tagg, N, Tennie, C, Vergnes, V, Welsh, A, Wessling, EG, Willie, J, Wittig, RM, Yuh, YG, Zuberbühler, K & Kühl, HS 2020, 'Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity', Nature communications, vol. 11, no. 1, 4451. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3

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abstract = "Large brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation. Here, using a dataset of 144 wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities, we show that chimpanzees exhibit greater behavioural diversity in environments with more variability — in both recent and historical timescales. Notably, distance from Pleistocene forest refugia is associated with the presence of a larger number of behavioural traits, including both tool and non-tool use behaviours. Since more than half of the behaviours investigated are also likely to be cultural, we suggest that environmental variability was a critical evolutionary force promoting the behavioural, as well as cultural diversification of great apes.",

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AU - Arandjelovic, Mimi

AU - Boesch, Christophe

AU - Haas, Fabian

AU - Dieguez, Paula

AU - Barratt, Christopher D.

AU - Abwe, Ekwoge E.

AU - Agbor, Anthony

AU - Angedakin, Samuel

AU - Aubert, Floris

AU - Ayimisin, Emmanuel Ayuk

AU - Bailey, Emma

AU - Bessone, Mattia

AU - Brazzola, Gregory

AU - Buh, Valentine Ebua

AU - Chancellor, Rebecca

AU - Cohen, Heather

AU - Coupland, Charlotte

AU - Curran, Bryan

AU - Danquah, Emmanuel

AU - Deschner, Tobias

AU - Dowd, Dervla

AU - Eno-Nku, Manasseh

AU - Michael Fay, J.

AU - Goedmakers, Annemarie

AU - Granjon, Anne Céline

AU - Head, Josephine

AU - Hedwig, Daniela

AU - Hermans, Veerle

AU - Jeffery, Kathryn J.

AU - Jones, Sorrel

AU - Junker, Jessica

AU - Kadam, Parag

AU - Kambi, Mohamed

AU - Kienast, Ivonne

AU - Kujirakwinja, Deo

AU - Langergraber, Kevin E.

AU - Lapuente, Juan

AU - Larson, Bradley

AU - Lee, Kevin C.

AU - Leinert, Vera

AU - Llana, Manuel

AU - Marrocoli, Sergio

AU - Meier, Amelia C.

AU - Morgan, Bethan

AU - Morgan, David

AU - Neil, Emily

AU - Nicholl, Sonia

AU - Normand, Emmanuelle

AU - Ormsby, Lucy Jayne

AU - Pacheco, Liliana

AU - Piel, Alex

AU - Preece, Jodie

AU - Robbins, Martha M.

AU - Rundus, Aaron

AU - Sanz, Crickette

AU - Sommer, Volker

AU - Stewart, Fiona

AU - Tagg, Nikki

AU - Tennie, Claudio

AU - Vergnes, Virginie

AU - Welsh, Adam

AU - Wessling, Erin G.

AU - Willie, Jacob

AU - Wittig, Roman M.

AU - Yuh, Yisa Ginath

AU - Zuberbühler, Klaus

AU - Kühl, Hjalmar S.

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N2 - Large brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation. Here, using a dataset of 144 wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities, we show that chimpanzees exhibit greater behavioural diversity in environments with more variability — in both recent and historical timescales. Notably, distance from Pleistocene forest refugia is associated with the presence of a larger number of behavioural traits, including both tool and non-tool use behaviours. Since more than half of the behaviours investigated are also likely to be cultural, we suggest that environmental variability was a critical evolutionary force promoting the behavioural, as well as cultural diversification of great apes.

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Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity

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