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<p>Understanding how habitat fragmentation and degradation affect primate feeding behavior is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. In the Ethiopian highlands, geladas (<i>Theropithecus gelada</i>), the world’s only graminivorous monkey, inhabit grasslands above 1,800 m asl but face increasing threats from habitat loss and competition with livestock. Despite their ecological importance, information on gelada feeding ecology across their range remains limited. The Endangered Arsi gelada (<i>T. g. arsi</i>), which occurs at the lowest elevations of any known gelada subspecies, occupies particularly harsh environments characterized by high temperatures, low rainfall, and expanding human populations. To examine how Arsi geladas persist under these conditions, we collected feeding ecology data over 16 months (April 2014 to July 2015) on a focal band of ~35 individuals at Goro-Jena, southeastern Ethiopia. Graminoids dominated their diet, but they consumed 57 plant species from 22 families and four animal prey species from three invertebrate families. During the wet season, geladas fed primarily on green graminoids, whereas during the long dry season, when green blades desiccated early, they diversified their diet to include more&#xa0;brown graminoids, succulent leaves, fruits, and forbs. Our results show that Arsi geladas exhibit notable dietary flexibility and seasonal variability, enabling them to adapt to fluctuations in food availability and anthropogenic pressures. This flexibility may be key to their persistence in degraded, human-modified landscapes. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the effects of human activities on gelada feeding behavior at Goro-Jena. Based on our findings, we recommend that local government officials legally delineate the remaining gelada habitat in Arsi to reduce human impacts and protect the diverse array of species geladas rely on for food in this region. This legal protection is crucial for developing effective management strategies aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of geladas in their natural habitats.</p>

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Dietary Flexibility of Arsi geladas (Theropithecus gelada arsi) in a Dry, Low-elevation, Human-dominated Landscape at Goro-Jena, Southeast Ethiopia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月8日

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  • Amera Moges,
  • Afework Bekele,
  • Peter J. Fashing,
  • Dereje Yazezew,
  • Hussein Ibrahim,
  • Meseret Chane,
  • Nga Nguyen,
  • Vivek V. Venkataraman,
  • Timothy M. Eppley,
  • Addisu Mekonnen

摘要

Understanding how habitat fragmentation and degradation affect primate feeding behavior is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. In the Ethiopian highlands, geladas (Theropithecus gelada), the world’s only graminivorous monkey, inhabit grasslands above 1,800 m asl but face increasing threats from habitat loss and competition with livestock. Despite their ecological importance, information on gelada feeding ecology across their range remains limited. The Endangered Arsi gelada (T. g. arsi), which occurs at the lowest elevations of any known gelada subspecies, occupies particularly harsh environments characterized by high temperatures, low rainfall, and expanding human populations. To examine how Arsi geladas persist under these conditions, we collected feeding ecology data over 16 months (April 2014 to July 2015) on a focal band of ~35 individuals at Goro-Jena, southeastern Ethiopia. Graminoids dominated their diet, but they consumed 57 plant species from 22 families and four animal prey species from three invertebrate families. During the wet season, geladas fed primarily on green graminoids, whereas during the long dry season, when green blades desiccated early, they diversified their diet to include more brown graminoids, succulent leaves, fruits, and forbs. Our results show that Arsi geladas exhibit notable dietary flexibility and seasonal variability, enabling them to adapt to fluctuations in food availability and anthropogenic pressures. This flexibility may be key to their persistence in degraded, human-modified landscapes. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the effects of human activities on gelada feeding behavior at Goro-Jena. Based on our findings, we recommend that local government officials legally delineate the remaining gelada habitat in Arsi to reduce human impacts and protect the diverse array of species geladas rely on for food in this region. This legal protection is crucial for developing effective management strategies aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of geladas in their natural habitats.