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Group fusions and minimum group sizes in vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops )
Author(s) -
Isbell Lynne A.,
Cheney Dorothy L.,
Seyfarth Robert M.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.1350250106
Subject(s) - cercopithecus aethiops , vervet monkey , national park , population , predation , group (periodic table) , biology , competition (biology) , demography , ecology , zoology , virus , virology , sociology , chemistry , organic chemistry
Six unequivocal cases of group fusion occurred between 1984 and 1988 in a declining population of vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ) in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. In each case, the remaining group members abandoned their territory and joined a neighboring group shortly after the group lost its penultimate adult. Because the number of juveniles did not appear to influence the timing of fusion, only adults (both males and females) appear able to maintain vervet groups as cohesive units. After examining the relative contributions of adults and juveniles to groupliving, we infer that intergroup competition may be more important than predation avoidance in determining the timing of fusions.