ArticleNature communications2020
Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity.
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Article in Nature communications, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 44 papers.
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44citing papers in PubMed
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sticks and Stones: Hand Preference and Grip in Wild Chimpanzee Tool-Use.American journal of biological anthropology · 2026Article
- The Complex Interplay between Evolutionary Flexibility and Diversification in a Family of Spiders.Systematic biology · 2026Article
- Freedom of choice supports social complexity in chimpanzees.iScience · 2026Article
- Chimpanzee culture beyond the conspicuous: Evidence for broad-scale observational social learning in wild individuals.iScience · 2026Article
- Evidence for multiple past introgressions among chimpanzee subspecies during warming periods.Communications biology · 2026Article
- The flexible, the stereotyped and the in-between: putting together the combinatory tool use origins hypothesis.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Behavioral Variability of Endangered Northern Pig-Tailed Macaques in a Degraded Mosaic Habitat in Northeast Bangladesh.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Female Affiliation and Status in Semi-Free-Ranging Chimpanzees.American journal of biological anthropology · 2026Article
- Brokering peace in the ape (culture) wars.Evolutionary human sciences · 2026Article
- Parsimony, homology and the continuity of stone tool use in the hominin clade.Cambridge prisms. Extinction · 2026Article
- Camera Traps Document Infant Corpse Carrying Behaviour in Multiple Unhabituated Chimpanzee Populations.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Complex Variation in Afrotropical Mammal Communities With Human Impact.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Ecology and conservation of socially learned foraging tactics in odontocetes.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- Concerted conservation actions to support chimpanzee cultures.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- Animal culture: conservation in a changing world.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Integrating culture into primate conservation.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- The effect of habitat health and environmental change on cultural diversity and richness in animals.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- The growing methodological toolkit for identifying and studying social learning and culture in non-human animals.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- Patterns of Technical Variation in Chimpanzee Termite Fishing Behavior in Mbam and Djerem National Park, Cameroon.American journal of primatology · 2025Article
- A review of great ape behavioural responses and their outcomes to anthropogenic landscapes.Primates; journal of primatology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
69 authors.
Ammie K KalanMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. ammie_kalan@eva.mpg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1542-7077
Lars KulikMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Mimi ArandjelovicMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8920-9684
Christophe BoeschMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9538-7858
Fabian HaasMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Paula DieguezMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6951-2771
Christopher D BarrattMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Ekwoge E AbweEbo Forest Research Project, BP3055, Messa, Cameroon.
Anthony AgborMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0815-9596
Samuel AngedakinMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Floris AubertWild Chimpanzee Foundation, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Emmanuel Ayuk AyimisinMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Emma BaileyMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Mattia BessoneMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Gregory BrazzolaMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Valentine Ebua BuhMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Rebecca ChancellorWest Chester University, Department of Psychology, West Chester, PA, 19382, USA.
Heather CohenMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Charlotte CouplandMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Bryan CurranWildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, 10460, USA.
Emmanuel DanquahDepartment of Wildlife and Range Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Tobias DeschnerMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Dervla DowdWild Chimpanzee Foundation, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Manasseh Eno-NkuWWF Cameroon Country Programme Office, BP 6776, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
J Michael FayWonga-Wongue Reserve, Libreville, Gabon.
Annemarie GoedmakersChimbo Foundation, 1011, PW, Amsterdam, Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6398-4778
Anne-Céline GranjonMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Josephine HeadMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Daniela HedwigElephant Listening Project, Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
Veerle HermansKMDA, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, B-2018, Antwerp, Belgium.
Kathryn J JefferySchool of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2632-0008
Sorrel JonesMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3579-7254
Jessica JunkerMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Parag KadamUniversity of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, CB2 3QG.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6534-4205
Mohamed KambiMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Ivonne KienastMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Deo KujirakwinjaWildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, 10460, USA.
Kevin E LangergraberSchool of Human Evolution and Social Change & Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
Juan LapuenteMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Bradley LarsonMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Kevin C LeeMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5606-8683
Vera LeinertWild Chimpanzee Foundation, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Manuel LlanaJane Goodall Institute Spain and Senegal, Dindefelo Biological Station, Dindefelo, Kedougou, Senegal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0570-2258
Sergio MarrocoliMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Amelia C MeierMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Bethan MorganEbo Forest Research Project, BP3055, Messa, Cameroon.
David MorganLester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA.
Emily NeilMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8156-2344
Sonia NichollMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8720-2411
Emmanuelle NormandWild Chimpanzee Foundation, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Lucy Jayne OrmsbyMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Liliana PachecoJane Goodall Institute Spain and Senegal, Dindefelo Biological Station, Dindefelo, Kedougou, Senegal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7085-6064
Alex PielSchool of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
Jodie PreeceMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Martha M RobbinsMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Aaron RundusWest Chester University, Department of Psychology, West Chester, PA, 19382, USA.
Crickette SanzWildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2018-2721
Volker SommerUniversity College London, Department of Anthropology, London, WC1H 0BW, UK.
Fiona StewartSchool of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4929-4711
Nikki TaggKMDA, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, B-2018, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1397-3720
Claudio TennieDepartment for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72070, Tübingen, Germany.
Virginie VergnesWild Chimpanzee Foundation, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Adam WelshMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Erin G WesslingMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9661-4354
Jacob WillieKMDA, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, B-2018, Antwerp, Belgium.
Roman M WittigMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6490-4031
Yisa Ginath YuhMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4537-2636
Klaus ZuberbühlerUniversité de Neuchâtel, Institut de Biologie, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Hjalmar S KühlMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4440-9161
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Large brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation. Here, using a dataset of 144 wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities, we show that chimpanzees exhibit greater behavioural diversity in environments with more variability - in both recent and historical timescales. Notably, distance from Pleistocene forest refugia is associated with the presence of a larger number of behavioural traits, including both tool and non-tool use behaviours. Since more than half of the behaviours investigated are also likely to be cultural, we suggest that environmental variability was a critical evolutionary force promoting the behavioural, as well as cultural diversification of great apes.
Indexed as
Behavior, AnimalAnimalsEcosystemEnvironmentFemaleForestsMalePan troglodytesTool Use Behavior
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