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Dr. Mike Wilson and research assistant Bashiru Butoke taking
a standard tree measurement, diameter at breast height (DBH). (Photo: JGI)

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Field Assistants, Gabo Paulo and Madua Mpambije, counting
the number of different plant species in the vegetation quadrat. (Photo: JGI)

One of the research goals at Gombe Stream Research Centre is
to monitor the main source of food for the chimpanzees -- the plants. This kind of information will help us determine how food
availability and habitat quality vary over the landscape.

This information is
central to many of our research questions such as: What determines the size of an
individual's range? Does inter-group competition lead to improvements or losses
in territory quality? How are movement patterns affectedby seasonal variation in the availability of
food?

We monitor the vegetation in two
ways. The first way is through bimonthly vegetation transects where we record the amount of fruit and
leaves in a marked plant specimen. This method  tells us
how food availability varies over the year. The second method involves one-time vegetation quadrats in which
we measure the abundance of different plant species. This tells us how food
availability varies in space. Learning the methods used for these activities is
also a valuable educational opportunity for our junior staff.