DOI: 10.5061/dryad.d2547d8cj
title: Mycophagy in primates of the Issa valley, Tanzania

description: Mycophagy (fungi consumption) is an important animal-ecosystem interaction
 and provides nutrients for numerous mammalian taxa, such as primates.
 Although mushroom consumption is a widespread behaviour in about a quarter
 of all known primate species, surprisingly little is known about their use
 of mushrooms as either a staple or fallback food, and the relationship
 between mushroom availability and consumption. We used direct
 observational data on mushroom consumption in the diet of three sympatric
 primate species: Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) and
 Red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) from 2019-2022, and yellow
 baboons (Papio cynocephalus) from 2015-2022 in a mosaic woodland habitat
 in the Issa valley, western Tanzania, to address these gaps. We analysed
 mushroom consumption patterns and assessed mushroom availability from line
 transects for a period of 15 months (Oct 2022 – Dec 2023). Our findings
 show that mushrooms were a consistent dietary component for all three
 species during the wet season (October-April; chimpanzees – 4 %, baboons –
 17 %, and red-tailed monkeys – 4 %), while baboons also continued to
 consume mushrooms (&gt; 10 % of their annual diet) even when
 availability was low outside the wet season. This is also the first report
 of mushroom consumption by a red-tailed monkey. We conclude that mushrooms
 serve as a fallback resource for Issa chimpanzees and red-tailed monkeys,
 while they represent a preferred food for Issa baboons. We contextualise
 mushroom consumption as a potential strategy of niche partitioning to
 reduce interspecific feeding competition as well as underscore the
 importance of mycophagy and its role in primate dietary ecology and human
 evolution.
description: # Mycophagy in primates of the Issa valley, Tanzania Dataset
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d2547d8cj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d2547d8cj) ## Description of the data and file structure This dataset contains data, metadata, and code required to replicate the analyses of the study "Mycophagy in primates of the Issa valley, Tanzania". The primary objective of this research was to investigate the role of mushrooms in the diet of three sympatric primate species (Chimpanzees, *Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii*; Yellow baboon, *Papio cynocephalus*; Red-tailed monkey, *Cercopithecus ascanius*) in Western Tanzania. Files containing data are all CSV formatted. The script used for the analyses was created in R. ##### Dates of data collection * Food consumption data of chimpanzees: 2019-2023 * Food consumption data of red-tailed monkeys: 2019-2023 * Food consumption data of yellow baboons: 2015-2022 * Fruit Availability Index (FAI): 2019-2023 * Rainfall: 2019-2023 * Mushroom availability: 2022-2023 ##### Geographic location of data collection GMERC, Tanzania ### Files and variables Below is a comprehensive list of the files included in this dataset and their contents: #### raw_data.zip ##### Files: P-troglodytes_2019-2023.csv, C-ascanius_2019-2023.csv, P-cynocephalus_2015-2022.csv This file contains the raw food consumption data of chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, or baboons. It includes *month* and *year* in which the data was collected, as well as the total number of feeding events of several food items (e.g., *fruit*, *mushrooms*, *leaf*, ...) that are typically consumed. Food items that appear only once in a while are summarized in *other*. *sum* shows the total number of all feeding events. ##### File: mushroom_density_2022-2023.csv This file contains the mushroom availability data for the whole study period of mushroom availability (2022-2023). It includes *month* and *year* in which the data was collected. Additionally, the total number of observed mushrooms (*abundance*) and the calculated *density* as individuals per square meter. ##### File: transect_mushroom_density_2022-09_2023-08.csv This file contains mushroom availability data for a part of the study period (2022 - 2023/08). Next to *month* and *year* of data collection, it includes the total number of mushrooms observed (*mushrooms*), *density* as individuals per square meters, and *transect* that indicates the place where we walked the transect to count the mushrooms. ##### File: phenology_fai_2019-2023.csv This file contains the calculated Fruit Availability Index (*FAI*) per tree species (*Scientific name*), including the *month* and *year* in which the data was collected, and the *basal area* and *density* of the tree (trees/ha). ##### File: rainfall_2019-2023.csv This file contains the amount of rain measured per month in millimeters. It includes the *month* and *year* in which the amount of rain was measured, as well as *rainfall mm*. #### Processed data ##### File: primate_rain_fai.csv This file contains the mushroom consumption, rain data, and FAI used for analysis. **Variables** * month: Month of data collection - year: Year of data collection - FAI: Mean fruit availability index per month - rainfall.mm: Rainfall in millimeters per month - chimpanzees: Relative mushroom consumption of chimpanzees - monkeys: Relative mushroom consumption of red-tailed monkeys - baboons: Relative mushroom consumption of yellow baboons ##### File: mushroom_density_rain_fai.csv This file contains the mushroom density, rainfall, and FAI used for analysis. ###### Variables * year: Year of data collection * month: Month of data collection * mushrooms: Total number of mushrooms available * density: Mushroom density as individuals per square meter * rainfall: Rainfall in millimeters per month * fai: Mean fruit availability index per month ##### File: mushroom_density_transect.csv This file contains mushroom density for only a part of the study period (2022-08/2023), including information about the transects used for analysis. ###### Variables * Year: Year of data collection * Month: Month of data collection * Transect: Transect in which the data was collected * Abundance: Total number of mushrooms available * Density: Mushroom density as individuals per square meter #### Missing values "NA" indicates that no data were collected.\ "0" indicates a recorded absence (e.g., no mushrooms, fruits, ...).  ## Code/software To view and analyze the data, the software R (version 4.4.2) is recommended. This was used for data analysis, including the following packages: * `tidyverse` * `reshape` * `dunn.test` * `dplyr` The `data_script.zip` file contains an R project with all necessary scripts and data files for analysis. Open the `proj.1.Rproj` file in RStudio to access the full project setup. Please note that the main script (`script.R`) does not open automatically when the project is loaded. You need to open it manually via the **Files** tab in RStudio. The specific workflow that was used to process and analyze the data is documented in `script.R`.