Article
Infectious Diseases
Karmele Llano Sanchez, Alex D. Greenwood, Aileen Nielsen, R. Taufiq P. Nugraha, Wendi Prameswari, Andini Nurillah, Fitria Agustina, Gail Campbell-Smith, Anik Budhi Dharmayanthi, Rahadian Pratama, Indra Exploitasia, J. Kevin Baird
Summary: This study conducted comprehensive monitoring and analysis of malaria infection in orang-utans at a rescue rehabilitation center. It found that P. pitheci is the main Plasmodium species infecting these orang-utans. Approximately 14% of infected orang-utans developed clinical malaria, and the severity of illness correlated with parasitemia. The results of this study provide important insights for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria, and raise concerns about the potential threat of this infection to endangered species.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Siti Norsyuhada Kamaluddin, Ikki Matsuda, Badrul Munir Md-Zain
Summary: The study evaluated the welfare status of three orangutans in Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island (BMOUI) by analyzing their activity budget and postural behaviors. It was found that the orangutans spent most of their time resting, with sitting being the predominant posture. Compared to free-ranging orangutans, captive orangutans engaged less in feeding activities and showed less postural diversity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Marlen Froehlich, Carel P. van Schaik, Maria A. van Noordwijk, Ulrich Knief
Summary: This study focuses on behavioral variation in maternal behavior and communication tactics among wild and zoo-housed orangutans. The results show that mothers differ in their gestural repertoires and communicative tactics towards their infants. These differences are not explained by species, setting, parity, or infant age. The findings emphasize the importance of investigating within-individual variation in understanding great ape communication.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Graham L. Banes, Emily D. Fountain, Alyssa Karklus, Robert S. Fulton, Lucinda Antonacci-Fulton, Joanne O. Nelson
Summary: The publication of the Sumatran orang-utan (Pongo abelii) reference genome in 2011, along with associated re-sequenced genomes, contained errors in sample attribution and identifiers. These errors have had significant implications for subsequent research relying on data from known individuals.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alex H. Nishida, Howard Ochman
Summary: The gut bacteria in wild great apes and humans show different patterns in captive environments. The gut microbiomes of captive great apes converge towards human-specific bacterial strains.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kirsty Graham, Catherine Hobaiter
Summary: In the comparative study of human and nonhuman communication, ape gesturing provided the first demonstrations of flexible, intentional communication outside human language. We tested human recognition and understanding of 10 frequently used ape gestures and found that humans may retain an understanding of ape gestural communication, drawing deep evolutionary continuity between their communication and our own.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Xinyu Yang, Tilo Burghardt, Majid Mirmehdi
Summary: We propose a novel end-to-end curriculum learning approach that utilizes large volumes of unlabelled data to improve supervised species detectors on sparsely labelled animal datasets. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in finding great apes in challenging real-world jungle environments using camera trap footage. Our approach dynamically adjusts learning parameters over time and incorporates pseudo-labelling with curriculum learning policies to gradually improve detection quality and avoid learning collapse. Our method outperforms state-of-the-art systems on the Extended PanAfrican Dataset and other animal datasets, particularly in ecological applications with smaller labelled ratios. Additionally, our approach achieves competitive benchmarks for generic object detection in MS-COCO and PASCAL-VOC, indicating its wider applicability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER VISION
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Martin Kuhlwilm, Claudia Fontsere, Sojung Han, Marina Alvarez-Estape, Tomas Marques-Bonet
Summary: Modern human contamination is a common issue in ancient DNA studies, and it is also present in studies on great apes. A simple method called HuConTest has been proposed to detect human contamination in short-read sequencing data from different species. This method is particularly useful for more complex samples with smaller amounts of endogenous DNA.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Robert J. Yokelson, Bambang H. Saharjo, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Erianto Putra, Thilina Jayarathne, Acep Akbar, Israr Albar, Donald R. Blake, Laura L. B. Graham, Agus Kurniawan, Simone Meinardi, Diah Ningrum, Ati D. Nurhayati, Asmadi Saad, Niken Sakuntaladewi, Eko Setianto, Isobel J. Simpson, Elizabeth A. Stone, Sigit Sutikno, Andri Thomas, Kevin C. Ryan, Mark A. Cochrane
Summary: Peat fires in Southeast Asia are a major source of trace gases and particles that affect atmospheric chemistry, climate, and air quality. By conducting field and laboratory measurements, this study provides more accurate emission factors (EFs) and optical properties for peat fires, revealing significant methane and non-methane organic gases (NMOGs) emissions and their impact on the atmosphere.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Duo Xie, Guangji Chen, Xiaoyu Meng, Haotian Wang, Xupeng Bi, Miaoquan Fang, Chentao Yang, Yang Zhou, Erping Long, Shaohong Feng
Summary: Studying genes under positive selection in great apes can provide insights into human evolutionary history and aid in non-human primate model research. The majority of multigene families in great apes exhibit signals of positive selection, leading to functional divergence of duplicates.
Article
Zoology
Lauren J. Gilhooly, Richard Burger, Sympharosa Sipangkui, Ian C. Colquhoun
Summary: Conservationists are working to address the risks associated with ecotourism by studying behaviors between tourists and primates. They found that eye contact can lead to minor human-directed aggression, while taking pictures can reduce the likelihood of aggression from the primates.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sally. L. L. Bornbusch, Mia. M. M. Keady, Michael. L. L. Power, Carly. R. R. Muletz-Wolz
Summary: Milk microbiomes play an important role in seeding infant gut microbiomes and immune development. This study investigated factors shaping milk microbiomes in three captive great ape species and found variations among host species, over lactation, and between housing facilities.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alba Motes-Rodrigo, Claudio Tennie
Summary: Humans possess a unique form of culture called cumulative culture, where behavioral forms evolve and become culture-dependent through copying. The 'Method of Local Restriction' helps identify culture-dependent forms, showing that some ape behaviors are locally restricted and potentially culture-dependent. Overall, ape cultures do not heavily rely on copying, but further investigation is needed to understand the extent of cultural dependence in non-human great apes.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Isabel Ordaz-Nemeth, Tenekwetche Sop, Bala Amarasekaran, Mona Bachmann, Christophe Boesch, Terry Brncic, Damien Caillaud, Genevieve Campbell, Joana Carvalho, Rebecca Chancellor, Tim R. B. Davenport, Dervla Dowd, Manasseh Eno-Nku, Jessica Ganas-Swaray, Nicholas Granier, Elizabeth Greengrass, Stefanie Heinicke, Ilka Herbinger, Clement Inkamba-Nkulu, Fortune Iyenguet, Jessica Junker, Kadiri S. Bobo, Alain Lushimba, Fiona Maisels, Guy Aime Florent Malanda, Maureen S. McCarthy, Prosper Motsaba, Jennifer Moustgaard, Mizuki Murai, Bezangoye Ndokoue, Stuart Nixon, Rostand Aba'a Nseme, Zacharie Nzooh, Lilian Pintea, Andrew J. Plumptre, Justin Roy, Aaron Rundus, Jim Sanderson, Adeline Serckx, Samantha Strindberg, Clement Tweh, Hilde Vanleeuwe, Ashley Vosper, Matthias Waltert, Elizabeth A. Williamson, Michael Wilson, Roger Mundry, Hjalmar S. Kuehl
Summary: Species distributions are influenced by processes occurring at multiple spatial scales, and modeling species distribution at a single geographic scale is inadequate. This study aimed to model continent-wide great ape density distribution, identifying socioeconomic and environmental factors driving densities at the continental scale. The predictions showed variations in great ape densities across different regions in Africa.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Conor R. Walker, Aylwyn Scally, Nicola De Maio, Nick Goldman
Summary: Many complex genomic rearrangements arise through template switch errors during DNA replication. By using an improved statistical approach, it has been shown that template switch events have been widespread in the evolution of great apes' genomes and provide a parsimonious explanation for the presence of many complex mutation clusters in their phylogenetic context. Larger-scale mechanisms of genome rearrangement involve structural features around breakpoints, with atypical patterns of secondary structure formation and DNA bending present at the initial template switch loci.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Denise Spaan, Anthony Di Fiore, Coral E. Rangel-Rivera, Anja Hutschenreiter, Serge Wich, Filippo Aureli
Summary: Commercial off-the-shelf multirotor drones with RGB cameras are increasingly used for wildlife survey. However, the evaluation of their application for monitoring large-bodied arboreal mammals is limited. This study found that the drones could detect Geoffroy's spider monkeys in tropical forests, but the detection rate was lower than other survey methods.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Geison P. Mesquita, Margarita Mulero-Pazmany, Serge A. Wich, Jose Domingo Rodriguez-Teijeiro
Summary: This study explores the potential of using drones for wildlife tracking, using an off-the-shelf system that is easy to use. The system's effectiveness in locating targets was tested by simulating target animals in different environments. In the tests conducted in the Brazilian Cerrado, the system achieved a detection rate of 90% in savanna areas and 40% in forest areas.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Douglas Sheil, Julie Sherman, Liana Chua, Safwanah Ni'matullah, Kerrie Wilson, Marc Ancrenaz, Darmawan Liswanto, Serge A. Wich, Benoit Goossens, Hjalmar S. Kuehl, Maria Voigt, Yaya Rayadin, Yuyun Kurniawan, Agus Trianto, Dolly Priatna, Graham L. Banes, Emily Massingham, John Payne, Andrew J. Marshall
Summary: This study evaluates the impacts of the Half-Earth and Whole-Earth conservation visions on the conservation of Bornean orangutans. The findings suggest that the Half-Earth approach is comparatively easier to achieve and is projected to result in an orangutan population of around 87% of its current size by 2032. The Whole-Earth approach, on the other hand, may lead to greater forest loss and ape killing, resulting in a prediction of only 44% of the current orangutan population by 2032.
Article
Ecology
Emma Hankinson, Amanda H. H. Korstjens, Ross A. A. Hill, Serge A. A. Wich, Helen D. D. Slater, Abdullah Abdullah, Supradi Supradi, Christopher D. D. Marsh, Vincent Nijman
Summary: Ecosystems worldwide are under irreversible impacts from climate change, habitat destruction, hunting, and population growth. Estimating species densities across their range is crucial for understanding natural variation, anthropogenic effects, and conservation effectiveness.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noemie Bonnin, Alex K. Piel, Richard P. Brown, Yingying Li, Andrew Jesse Connell, Alexa N. Avitto, Jean P. Boubli, Adrienne Chitayat, Jasmin Giles, Madhurima S. Gundlapally, Iddi Lipende, Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf, Deus Mjungu, Dismas Mwacha, Lilian Pintea, Anne E. Pusey, Jane Raphael, Serge A. Wich, Michael L. Wilson, Emily E. Wroblewski, Beatrice H. Hahn, Fiona A. Stewart
Summary: Populations on the edge of a species' distribution may be fragmented and geographically isolated, leading to lack of genetic exchanges and compromising adaptive potential. A study on chimpanzees in western Tanzania revealed two isolated populations, but with evidence of high gene flow within each cluster. The presence of barriers to gene flow, such as rivers and bare habitats, was confirmed by landscape genetic analyses. Advances in sequencing technologies and landscape genetics approaches can inform conservation efforts of endangered species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Ehsan Moqanaki
Summary: Social media, including ResearchGate, are increasingly used by the science community to share research outputs and seek feedback, but their ability to measure research interest and impacts reliably is questioned. Despite this, our article on the Eurasian wild pig in Iran received a remarkably high level of interest on ResearchGate, with the number of reads being 1,500 times higher than the average for scientists from American and Asian universities. These reads were likely due to data-gathering processes unrelated to the research details. Regardless, we used this popularity to advocate for conservation research in an understudied region and species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Paul Fergus, Carl Chalmers, Steven Longmore, Serge Wich, Carmen Warmenhove, Jonathan Swart, Thuto Ngongwane, Andre Burger, Jonathan Ledgard, Erik Meijaard
Summary: The biodiversity of our planet is at risk due to negative human actions, such as hunting, overfishing, pollution, and land conversion. Despite efforts and funding, global wildlife populations continue to decline. This paper proposes Interspecies Money, where animals own their own digital money to reward their guardians for conservation services. A trial in South Africa showed that using camera traps and deep learning, it is possible to achieve high accuracy in animal detection and transfer funds between animals and their guardians.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Serge A. Wich, Noemie Bonnin, Anja Hutschenreiter, Alex K. Piel, Adrienne Chitayat, Fiona A. Stewart, Lilian Pintea, Jeffrey T. Kerby
Summary: Effective species conservation management relies on detailed species distribution data. For chimpanzees, ground surveys can be costly and time-consuming due to their low density. This study explores the use of drones to determine the absence of chimpanzee nests, covering a large area in western Tanzania. The results show the potential of drones in accurately determining the absence of chimpanzees, but further development of automated nest detection methods is needed.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carl Chalmers, Paul Fergus, Serge Wich, Steven. N. N. Longmore, Naomi Davies Walsh, Philip. A. A. Stephens, Chris Sutherland, Naomi Matthews, Jens Mudde, Amira Nuseibeh
Summary: Birds are crucial for monitoring biodiversity and habitat health, and they play a vital role in ecosystem management. Declining bird populations can lead to reduced ecosystem services such as seed dispersal, pollination, and pest control. While monitoring birds is important for ecologists, it is often time-consuming, expensive, and challenging to manage. This paper proposes using deep learning to overcome the challenges and automate bird monitoring in camera trap data.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michela Pacifici, Andrea Cristiano, Maria Lumbierres, Mauro Lucherini, David Mallon, Erik Meijaard, Sergio Solari, Marcelo F. Tognelli, Jerrold L. Belant, Thomas M. Butynski, Drew Cronin, Jean-Pierre d'Huart, Daniele Da Re, Yvonne A. de Jong, Arjun Dheer, Li Fei, Sonia Gallina, John M. Goodrich, Abishek Harihar, Carlos A. Lopez Gonzalez, Sarah R. B. King, Rebecca L. Lewison, Fabiano R. de Melo, Constanza Napolitano, Dede Aulia Rahman, Phillip T. Robinson, Timothy Robinson, Carlo Rondinini, Gono Semiadi, Karen Strier, Mauricio Talebi, William Andrew Taylor, Christine Thiel-Bender, Nelson Ting, Ingrid Wiesel
Summary: This study investigates the impact of habitat degradation on terrestrial mammal species. By comparing historic and current distribution maps for 475 species, we found that 59% of them have less available habitat in their lost ranges, suggesting habitat loss contributed to range declines. Factors like land conversion to rangeland and high livestock density negatively affected habitat availability. Intrinsic traits such as reproductive timing, habitat breadth and medium body size also played a role. The study underscores the need for conservation efforts to mitigate human-induced habitat threats and identifies species that could potentially reclaim lost range if threats are addressed.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily Massingham, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Dino Mika, Julie Sherman, Truly Santika, Lengga Pradipta, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Despite decades of conservation management, many orangutan populations are still on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and direct killings. This study conducted the first quantitative field research in over 10 years to assess the state of killing of orangutans in Kalimantan. The findings suggest that killing is still occurring and conservation projects have not significantly reduced this behavior. Addressing killing of orangutans and its underlying drivers is crucial for improving Bornean orangutan conservation practice.
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Erik Meijaard, Nabillah Unus, Thina Ariffin, Rona Dennis, Marc Ancrenaz, Serge Wich, Sven Wunder, Chun Sheng Goh, Julie Sherman, Matthew C. Ogwu, Johannes Refisch, Jonathan Ledgard, Douglas Sheil, Kimberley Hockings
Summary: Agricultural expansion poses a threat to non-human great apes, leading to habitat loss and increasing conflict with humans. A more nuanced understanding of specific contexts is needed, along with new approaches and financial models for coexistence. Optimized land use planning and effective implementation, along with strategic investments in agriculture and wildlife conservation, can improve synergies between conservation and food production.
FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily J. Massingham, Kerrie A. Wilson, Erik Meijaard, Marc Ancrenaz, Truly Santika, Rachel Friedman, Hugh P. Possingham, Angela J. Dean
Summary: Public opinion can shape conservation policy-making and implementation, and social factors like wellbeing may influence public opinion about conservation issues. A survey of Indonesian and Malaysian residents revealed that diverse indicators of wellbeing were positively associated with public support for orangutan conservation. However, not all wellbeing indicators were related to conservation support. This study highlights the complexity of the relationship between wellbeing and public opinion and emphasizes the need to consider multidimensional aspects of wellbeing in diverse social and geographic settings.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2023)