Guns, germs, and trees determine density and distribution of gorillas and chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa

Samantha Strindberg; Fiona Maisels; Elizabeth A. Williamson; Stephen Blake; Emma J. Stokes; Rostand Aba’a; Gaspard Abitsi; Anthony Agbor; Ruffin D. Ambahe; Parfait C. Bakabana; Martha Bechem; Antoine Berlemont; Bruno Bokoto de Semboli; Patrick R. Boundja; Nicolas Bout; Thomas Breuer; Genevieve Campbell; Pauwel De Wachter; Marc Ella Akou; Fidel Esono Mba; Anna T. C. Feistner; Bernard Fosso; Roger Fotso; David Greer; Clement Inkamba-Nkulu; Calixte F. Iyenguet; Kathryn J. Jeffery; Max Kokangoye; Hjalmar S. Kühl; Stephanie Latour; Bola Madzoke; Calixte Makoumbou; Guy-Aimé F. Malanda; Richard Malonga; Victor Mbolo; David B. Morgan; Prosper Motsaba; Gabin Moukala; Brice S. Mowawa; Mizuki Murai; Christian Ndzai; Tomoaki Nishihara; Zacharie Nzooh; Lilian Pintea; Amy Pokempner; Hugo J. Rainey; Tim Rayden; Heidi Ruffler; Crickette M. Sanz; Angelique Todd; Hilde Vanleeuwe; Ashley Vosper; Ymke Warren; David S. Wilkie

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aar2964

Research ArticleECOLOGY

Guns, germs, and trees determine density and distribution of gorillas and chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa

View ORCID ProfileSamantha Strindberg¹,*,
View ORCID ProfileFiona Maisels¹,²,*,
View ORCID ProfileElizabeth A. Williamson²,†,
Stephen Blake¹,³,‡,
Emma J. Stokes¹,
Rostand Aba’a¹,§,
Gaspard Abitsi¹,
Anthony Agbor⁴,⁵,
Ruffin D. Ambahe¹,
Parfait C. Bakabana¹,
Martha Bechem¹,⁶,
Antoine Berlemont⁵,
Bruno Bokoto de Semboli⁷,¶,
Patrick R. Boundja¹,
View ORCID ProfileNicolas Bout¹,
View ORCID ProfileThomas Breuer¹,
Genevieve Campbell⁴,||,
Pauwel De Wachter⁷,
Marc Ella Akou⁷,**,
Fidel Esono Mba⁸,
Anna T. C. Feistner⁷,††,
Bernard Fosso¹,
Roger Fotso¹,
David Greer⁷,
Clement Inkamba-Nkulu¹,
Calixte F. Iyenguet¹,
Kathryn J. Jeffery²,
Max Kokangoye¹,**,
View ORCID ProfileHjalmar S. Kühl⁴,⁹,
View ORCID ProfileStephanie Latour¹,¹⁰,
Bola Madzoke¹,
Calixte Makoumbou¹,‡‡,
Guy-Aimé F. Malanda¹,‡‡,
Richard Malonga¹,
Victor Mbolo⁷,
David B. Morgan¹,¹¹,
Prosper Motsaba¹,
Gabin Moukala¹,
Brice S. Mowawa¹,‡‡,
View ORCID ProfileMizuki Murai⁴,⁵,§§,
Christian Ndzai¹,
Tomoaki Nishihara¹,
Zacharie Nzooh⁷,
Lilian Pintea¹⁰,
View ORCID ProfileAmy Pokempner¹,¶¶,
Hugo J. Rainey¹,
Tim Rayden¹,
View ORCID ProfileHeidi Ruffler⁵,||||,
Crickette M. Sanz¹,¹²,
View ORCID ProfileAngelique Todd⁷,***,
Hilde Vanleeuwe¹,
Ashley Vosper¹,
Ymke Warren¹,** and
David S. Wilkie¹

¹Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.
²Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.
³Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Macelwane Hall, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
⁴Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
⁵Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.
⁶Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)–Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), MIKE Subregional Office, Yaoundé, BP 5506, Cameroon.
⁷World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁸Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Forestal y Gestión del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, Bata, Equatorial Guinea.
⁹Robert Bosch Junior Professor, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Leipzig-Jena, Leipzig, Germany.
¹⁰The Jane Goodall Institute, 1595 Spring Hill Road, Suite 550, Vienna, VA 22182, USA.
¹¹Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
¹²Department of Anthropology, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

↵†Corresponding author. Email: e.a.williamson{at}stir.ac.uk

↵* These authors contributed equally to this work.
↵‡ Present address: Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Schlossallee 2, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.
↵§ Present address: Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Batterie IV, BP 20379 Libreville, Gabon.
↵¶ Present address: Ministère des Eaux, Forêts, Chasse et Pêche, BP 830 Bangui, Central African Republic.
↵|| Present address: The Biodiversity Consultancy Ltd., 3E King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1SJ, UK.
↵** Deceased.
↵†† Present address: Centre for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, BP 48 Gamba, Gabon.
↵‡‡ Present address: Ministère de l’Economie Forestière de Développement Durable et de l’Environnement, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
↵§§ Present address: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.
↵¶¶ Present address: National Geographic Society, Impact Initiatives, 1145 17th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20036, USA.
↵|||| Present address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, International Affairs, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803, USA.
↵*** Present address: Flora and Fauna International, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK.

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Science Advances 25 Apr 2018:
Vol. 4, no. 4, eaar2964
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar2964

Samantha Strindberg

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Fiona Maisels

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

2Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.

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Elizabeth A. Williamson

2Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.

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For correspondence: e.a.williamson@stir.ac.uk

Stephen Blake

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

3Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Macelwane Hall, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.

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Emma J. Stokes

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Rostand Aba’a

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Gaspard Abitsi

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Anthony Agbor

4Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

5Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.

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Ruffin D. Ambahe

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Parfait C. Bakabana

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Martha Bechem

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

6Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)–Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE), MIKE Subregional Office, Yaoundé, BP 5506, Cameroon.

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Antoine Berlemont

5Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.

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Bruno Bokoto de Semboli

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Patrick R. Boundja

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Nicolas Bout

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Thomas Breuer

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Genevieve Campbell

4Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

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Pauwel De Wachter

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Marc Ella Akou

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Fidel Esono Mba

8Instituto Nacional de Desarrollo Forestal y Gestión del Sistema Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

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Anna T. C. Feistner

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Bernard Fosso

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Roger Fotso

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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David Greer

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Clement Inkamba-Nkulu

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Calixte F. Iyenguet

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Kathryn J. Jeffery

2Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.

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Max Kokangoye

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Hjalmar S. Kühl

4Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

9Robert Bosch Junior Professor, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Leipzig-Jena, Leipzig, Germany.

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Stephanie Latour

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

10The Jane Goodall Institute, 1595 Spring Hill Road, Suite 550, Vienna, VA 22182, USA.

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Bola Madzoke

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Calixte Makoumbou

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Guy-Aimé F. Malanda

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Richard Malonga

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Victor Mbolo

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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David B. Morgan

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

11Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.

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Prosper Motsaba

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Gabin Moukala

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Brice S. Mowawa

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Mizuki Murai

4Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

5Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.

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Christian Ndzai

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Tomoaki Nishihara

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Zacharie Nzooh

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Lilian Pintea

10The Jane Goodall Institute, 1595 Spring Hill Road, Suite 550, Vienna, VA 22182, USA.

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Amy Pokempner

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Hugo J. Rainey

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Tim Rayden

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Heidi Ruffler

5Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.

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Crickette M. Sanz

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

12Department of Anthropology, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.

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Angelique Todd

7World Wildlife Fund International, Regional Office for Africa, BP 6776 Yaoundé, Cameroon.

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Hilde Vanleeuwe

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Ashley Vosper

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Ymke Warren

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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David S. Wilkie

1Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY 10460, USA.

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Guns, germs, and trees determine density and distribution of gorillas and chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa

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