西部大猩猩可能具有领域性 《科学报告》论文

论文标题：Western gorilla space use suggeststerritoriality

期刊：Scientific Reports

作者：RobinE. Morrison, JacobC. Dunnet al.

发表时间：2020/03/12

DOI：10.1038/s41598-020-60504-6

《科学报告》的一项研究Western gorillaspace use suggests territoriality发现，西部大猩猩族群可能会防御它们巢区的中心区域，不让邻近族群靠近。该发现或表明西部大猩猩具有领域意识。

相机陷阱重建的区域模式 | 来源: Morrison et.al

人们普遍认为大猩猩是非领域性动物，因为它们的巢区（生活和移动的区域）面积大，不同族群的巢区重合度高，族群之间的侵略性有限。

英国剑桥大学的Robin Morrison和同事利用大型相机陷阱监测了刚果共和国境内60平方公里面积上的八个西部大猩猩族群（共113只）。作者确定了每个族群的巢区，发现虽然不同族群的巢区之间有重合，但大猩猩通常会避开去其他族群当天到过的区域捕食。越靠近另一个族群的巢区中心，大猩猩的这种回避行为就越明显。

作者认为，大猩猩避开其他族群巢区的中心，可能是为了防止冲突，因为别的大猩猩可能会用身体攻击或拍打胸部的方式捍卫这些区域。作者还指出，大族群可能比小族群更容易捍卫中心区域。

该研究结果在内的多项证据表明，大猩猩的社会结构比之前想得更复杂，不同族群间的互动会受到社会和家族关系以及领域性的影响。

摘要：

The evolutionary origins of how modern humans share and usespace are often modelled on the territorial-based violence of chimpanzees, withlimited comparison to other apes. Gorillas are widely assumed to be non-territorialdue to their large home ranges, extensive range overlap, and limitedinter-group aggression. Using large-scale camera trapping, we monitored westerngorillas in Republic of Congo across 60 km2. Avoidance patternsbetween groups were consistent with an understanding of the “ownership” ofspecific regions, with greater avoidance of their neighbours the closer theywere to their neighbours’ home range centres. Groups also avoided largergroups’ home ranges to a greater extent, consistent with stronger defensiveresponses from more dominant groups. Our results suggest that groups may showterritoriality, defending core regions of their home ranges against neighbours,and mirror patterns common across human evolution, with core areas of residentdominance and larger zones of mutual tolerance. This implies western gorillasmay be a key system for understanding how humans have evolved the capacity forextreme territorial-based violence and warfare, whilst also engaging in thestrong affiliative inter-group relationships necessary for large-scalecooperation.