The effects of land use systems on the socioecology of the olive baboon (Papio hamadryas anubis) and human-baboon interactions in Laikipia Distrct, Kenya.

摘要

The potential importance of food availability and predation as selective forces in social evolution has been hypothesized by the socioecological models (Wrangham 1980; van Schaik 1989; Isbell, 1991; Sterck et al. 1997). Traditional socioecological models explain primate social behavior in relation to factors such as the abundance and distribution of food resources as well as the risk of predation - all of which are potentially and substantially impacted by a range of anthropogenic processes. It is from this premise I studied the olive baboon's (Papio hamadryas anubis) adaptive behavior in contrasting land use systems. I further complemented this approach by exploring human-baboon interactions in various land use systems to better understand associated patterns of coexistence through tests of Wildlife value Orientation models (WVO) (Fulton et al. 1996; Ingelhart and Baker 2000; Manfredo and Dayer 2004; Teel et al. 2007). The premise of these models is human interactions with wildlife are derived directly from basic values people have towards nature. I, therefore, explored the values associated with land use practices. The overarching question for this study is -- How do different anthropogenically modified habitats influence primate adaptive social behavior and patterns of human-primate symbiosis? I examined this question using baboon behavioral data as well as semi-structured and structured interviews with people in different land use system during a 21 month field study in Laikipia District, Kenya. I found that variation in food availability in different land use systems was the most important factor influencing baboon aggressive behaviors. This indicates that humans are also key agents in reinforcing the selective pressures of ecological factors that potentially influence primate adaptive behavior. Further, my interview data revealed that people's values towards baboons were not associated with land use systems, but rather with the duration of living in areas with baboons, level of education, and land tenure systems. Land use, on the other hand, was a prominent factor associated with people's reported direct interactions with baboons and the motivations underlying their encounters with them. My dissertation contributes towards a more integrated synthesis of our understanding of primate social evolution and coevolution of human-nonhuman primate symbiosis.