Possible mineral contributions to the diet and health of wild chimpanzees in three East African forests

• Published in: American journal of primatology 2019-07, Vol.81 (6), p.e22978-n/a
• Main Authors: Reynolds, Vernon, Pascual‐Garrido, Alejandra, Lloyd, Andrew W., Lyons, Peter, Hobaiter, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Animals; Apes; Binoculars; Chimpanzees; Clay minerals; Clay soils; Copper; Diet; Dietary minerals; Forest soils; Forests; geophagy; Ingestion; Iron; Isoptera; Manganese; Minerals; Minerals - analysis; Mountains; National parks; Pan troglodytes; Primates; Sodium; Soil - chemistry; Tanzania; termite mound soil, minerals; Uganda; Wood
• ISSN: 0275-2565; 1098-2345
• DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22978

We present new data on the ingestion of minerals from termite mound soil by East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) living in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda, the Gombe National Park and the Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Termite mound soil is here shown to be a rich source of minerals, containing high concentrations of iron and aluminum. Termite mound soil is not, however, a source of sodium. The concentrations of iron and aluminum are the highest yet found in any of the mineral sources consumed. Levels of manganese and copper, though not so high as for iron and aluminum, are also higher than in other dietary sources. We focus on the contribution of termite mound soil to other known sources of mineral elements consumed by these apes, and compare the mineral content of termite soil with that of control forest soil, decaying wood, clay, and the normal plant‐based chimpanzee diet at Budongo. Samples obtained from Mahale Mountains National Park and Gombe National Park, both in Tanzania, show similar mineral distribution across sources. We suggest three distinct but related mechanisms by which minerals may come to be concentrated in the above‐mentioned sources, serving as potentially important sources of essential minerals in the chimpanzee diet. We present new data on the ingestion of minerals from termite mound soil by East African chimpanzees at three sites. Rich in minerals, termite mound soil contained the highest concentrations of iron and aluminium yet found in any of the dietary sources examined, as well as other minerals such as manganese and copper. We suggest mechanisms by which these minerals may come to be concentrated in termite mound soil, serving as a potentially important resource for wild chimpanzees. HIGHLIGHTS Termite mound soil provides the highest concentrations of aluminum and iron found in any of the dietary items at the sites studied hitherto. We describe concentrating mechanisms in termite mound soil for some minerals. Chimpanzees have discovered these sources of minerals and how to exploit them.