| Description |
Both anecdotes and systematic observations show that primates take advantage of burned landscapes. However, few studies have made these behaviors the focus of attention. This dissertation includes three papers documenting the behavioral responses of South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) to seasonal burning. The first paper details changes in spatial behavior related to burning. In it, we review the behavioral responses of other primate populations to fire, and describe typical ranging behavior among vervets. We compare our results to other accounts of primate-fire related behavior and evaluate whether the changes observed are unique to this population or species, or whether they are indicative of a primate-wide phenomenon. The second paper outlines changes in foraging opportunities postburn. Here, I compare the postencounter energetic returns and encounter rates of primate prey items within burned and unburned conditions. I identify improvements where they exist, and explore the hypothesis that burned savanna habitats offer improved foraging returns. Finally, the third chapter explores how and why fire alters both the threat of predation and general risk. I review the general pattern of predation on primates, and investigate the tradeoffs involved in risk avoidance. I conclude that burning offers savanna-dwelling primates a safe-haven from many primary predators and threats. I end the dissertation with a fourth paper that employs conceptual tools from optimal foraging theory to generate, test, and refine expectations about the behavioral adaptations of hominins inhabiting fire-prone savanna biomes. Here, I use the primate data to construct a general theory of behavior for the origins of human fire use. I argue that the behavior of savanna-dwelling primates may serve as a basis for hypotheses regarding the origins of fire use in the hominin lineage. I highlight the distinction between passive and active fire use, and use these observations to suggest future realms of research investigating fire-related behavioral shifts and their effect on the human life history, hominin dispersals, and the adaptation of complex pyrotechnology. |
