Browsing by Author "Bamford, Marion K."

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    Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique
    (2022) Luedecke, Tina; Leichliter, Jennifer N.; Aldeias, Vera; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Braun, David R.; Capelli, Cristian; Cybulski, Jonathan D.; Duprey, Nicolas N.; da Silva, Maria J. Ferreira; Foreman, Alan D.; Habermann, Joerg M.; Haug, Gerald H.; Martinez, Felipe, I; Mathe, Jacinto; Mulch, Andreas; Sigman, Daniel M.; Vonhof, Hubert; Bobe, Rene; Carvalho, Susana; Martinez-Garcia, Alfredo
    The analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (delta C-13), nitrogen (delta N-15), and oxygen (delta O-18) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of delta C-13, delta N-15, and delta O-18 in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the "oxidation-denitrification method," which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (delta N-15(enamel)), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel's low organic content, and (ii) the "cold trap method," which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic delta C-13(enamel) and delta O-18(enamel) (from >= 0.5 to <= 0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. delta N-15(enamel) values clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore delta N-15(enamel) values are 4.0 parts per thousand higher, on average, than herbivores), delta C-13(enamel) values distinguish C-3 and/or C-4 biomass consumption, and delta O-18(enamel) values reflect local meteoric water (delta O-18(water)) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.
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    Sex-mediated Gene Flow in Grayfoot Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
    (2025) Ferreira da Silva, Maria Joana; Tralma, Paula; Colmonero-Costeira, Ivo; Cravo-Mota, Mariana; Farassi, Rassina; Hammond, Philippa; Lewis-Bevan, Lynn; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Luedecke, Tina; Mathe, Jacinto; Bobe, Rene; Capelli, Cristian; Carvalho, Susana; Martínez Latrach, Felipe
    Dispersal behavior influences gene flow and the spatial distribution of genetic diversity, which is crucial for a species' evolutionary trajectory and population persistence under environmental changes. We used gene flow as a proxy to investigate dispersal patterns in the grayfoot chacma baboon (Papio ursinus griseipes) in Gorongosa National Park (GNP), central Mozambique. The baboons inhabit a mosaic landscape with a seasonally variable environment. Thirty-two years ago, GNP was the epicenter of a major war that severely reduced apex predators, resulting in limited mammalian predation on baboons. We aimed to characterize genetic diversity, examine the extent and direction of sex-biased gene flow at different time frames and investigate changes in population size and recent migration events. We collected 121 non-invasive DNA samples and analyzed uni- and bi-parentally inherited markers, comprising mitochondrial DNA, autosomal and Y-linked microsatellites, at two geographic locations (GNP and Catapú Forest Reserve) 150 km apart. We observed high genetic diversity and no evidence of a recent population decline. We identified six mitochondrial haplotypes, including a genetically distinct one in Catapu Forest Reserve. We found molecular evidence for historical and current male-mediated gene flow and female philopatry. Our results highlight the resilience of dispersal patterns in Papio sp. in diverse and seasonally variable ecosystems which have been disturbed by anthropogenic activities. O comportamento de dispersão influencia o fluxo genético e a distribuição espacial da diversidade genética, o que é crucial para a trajetória evolutiva da espécie e para a persistência das populações durante mudanças ambientais. Este estudo investiga padrões de dispersão no babuíno chacma de pés cinzentos (Papio ursinus griseipes) no Parque Nacional da Gorongosa (PNG), no centro de Moçambique, usando o fluxo genético como proxy. No PNG, os babuínos habitam uma paisagem em mosaico e mudanças sazonais do ambiente. Há trinta e dois anos, o PNG foi o epicentro de uma guerra civil que reduziu severamente os predadores mamíferos dos babuínos, o que resultou num baixo nível de predação. O impacto da guerra e respetivas perturbações do ecossistema no comportamento dos babuínos, incluindo padrões de dispersão, o fluxo genético, e a trajetória demográfica da população, permanecem pouco compreendidos. Nosso objetivo foi caracterizar a diversidade genética, investigar a extensão e a direção do fluxo genético mediado pelos sexos em diferentes períodos e investigar mudanças no tamanho da população e eventos migratórios recentes. Recolhemos 121 amostras de DNA não invasivas em duas localizações geográficas (PNG e Reserva Florestal de Catapú), que estão distanciadas cerca de 150 km, e analisamos marcadores herdados uni e bi-parentalmente, incluindo o DNA mitocondrial, microssatélites autossómicos e um associado ao cromossoma Y. Os nossos resultados sugerem alta diversidade genética e nenhuma evidência de declínio populacional recente. Identificamos seis haplótipos mitocondriais, incluindo um haplótipo geneticamente diferente na Reserva Florestal de Catapú. O nosso trabalho sugere evidências moleculares para o fluxo genético mediado por machos e a filopatria das fêmeas, tanto histórico como nas últimas gerações. Os nossos resultados evidenciam a resiliência dos padrões de dispersão em Papio sp. em ecossistemas diversas e sazonalmente variáveis, que foi perturbado por atividades antropogénicas.
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    The first Miocene fossils from coastal woodlands in the southern East African Rift
    (2023) Bobe, Rene; Aldeias, Vera; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Anemone, Robert L.; Archer, Will; Aumaitre, Georges; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Bourles, Didier L.; Boyd, Melissa Doyle; Braun, David R.; Capelli, Cristian; Coelho, Joao d'Oliveira; Habermann, Joerg M.; Head, Jason J.; Keddadouche, Karim; Kupczik, Kornelius; Lebatard, Anne-Elisabeth; Luedecke, Tina; Macoa, Amelia; Martinez, Felipe I.; Mathe, Jacinto; Mendes, Clara; Paulo, Luis Meira; Pinto, Maria; Presnyakova, Darya; Pueschel, Thomas A.; Regala, Frederico Tata; Sier, Mark; da Silva, Maria Joana Ferreira; Stalmans, Marc; Carvalho, Susana
    The Miocene was a key time in the evolution of African ecosystems witnessing the origin of the African apes and the isolation of eastern coastal forests through an expanding arid corridor. Until recently, however, Miocene sites from the southeastern regions of the continent were unknown. Here, we report the first Miocene fossil teeth from the shoulders of the Urema Rift in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. We provide the first 1) radiometric ages of the Mazamba Formation, 2) reconstructions of paleovegetation in the region based on pedogenic carbonates and fossil wood, and 3) descriptions of fossil teeth. Gorongosa is unique in the East African Rift in combining marine invertebrates, marine vertebrates, reptiles, terrestrial mammals, and fossil woods in coastal paleoenvironments. The Gorongosa fossil sites offer the first evidence of woodlands and forests on the coastal margins of southeastern Africa during the Miocene, and an exceptional assemblage of fossils including new species.
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    West Side Story: Regional Inter‐Troop Variation in Baboon Bark‐Stripping at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
    (2025) Biro, Dora; Muschinski, Jana; Hammond, Philippa; Bobe, René; Bamford, Marion K.; Capelli, Cristian; D’Oliveira Coelho, João; Farassi, Rassina; Lüdecke, Tina; Martínez Latrach, Felipe; Mathe, Jacinto; Ferreira Silva, Maria Joana; Carvalho, Susana
    Objectives: Baboons possess sophisticated physical and social cognitive abilities; hence, the lack of evidence to date of large-scale behavioral variation in these primates is puzzling. Here we studied a candidate for such variation-the stripping of bark from Acacia robusta trees for consumption of the sap and soft tissue underneath-in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique.Materials and methods: We surveyed an area inhabited by ~60 troops of chacma baboons, recording the availability and characteristics of the target trees, as well as the presence or absence of bark-stripping at 45 habitat plots distributed across a grid covering an area of ~300 km2.Results: Camera traps confirmed the presence of baboons at all habitat plots, and we identified regional clumping in the distribution of the behavior, a pattern consistent across two consecutive years. Proportion and mean height/width of A. robusta did not predict whether bark-stripping behavior was present at a given site, nor did broader ecological variables such as habitat type and distance to the nearest water source. However, stripping sites had significantly higher numbers of A. robusta than non-stripping sites, and within a given bark-stripping site, baboons preferred to strip taller and wider trees among those available.Discussion: The prominent geographical clustering we uncovered may have been driven by opportunity (i.e., the prevalence of A. robusta at a given site), but is also consistent with a possible (non-mutually exclusive) cultural interpretation. We propose avenues for future research on Gorongosa's baboons to better quantify the relative contributions of ecology, genetics, and social learning to the prevalence of bark stripping. We also briefly consider the potential relevance of baboon bark stripping to elucidating early hominin foraging strategies.