Dominance rank influences female space use in wild chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes:: towards an ideal despotic distribution

Studies from many different taxa have demonstrated that dominance rank greatly influences individual space use. While the importance of dominance among female chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, was debated in the past, mounting evidence now shows that rank is very important. In particular, rank has been shown to influence body mass, foraging strategies, association patterns, and ultimately, reproductive success. In this study, we investigated how rank influenced female space use among chimpanzees, P.t. schweinfurthii, at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Analysing 10 years of data, we found that new immigrants used areas away from dominant females, and that subordinates had lower site fidelity. We also found that high-ranking females had smaller core areas and that this size difference was pronounced during periods of food scarcity when food competition is highest. These patterns suggest that dominant females outcompete subordinates, forcing them to settle elsewhere, range more widely, and shift their space use across time. (c) 2007 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd.