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Degree

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, Zoology, 2005.

Abstract

Sleep behavior is mediated by psychological characteristics, environmental conditions, and various behavioral facilitators and inhibitors of sleep, such as levels of regular physical activity, sleeping site, and posture. Chimpanzee sleeping behavior has been examined only in a limited fashion, and the questions of sleep and bed-building in captive chimpanzees have not been addressed in nearly 30 years. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine sleep and sleep related behavior in captive chimpanzees and the environmental, physical, and social effects on the flexibility of sleep, thus resulting in a more complete picture of sleep in chimpanzees. I also tested various hypotheses for the evolution and development of bed-building in great apes through experimental manipulation of captive chimpanzees. Chimpanzees in this study slept 8.83 hours per night, closer to the averages reported for humans than to previously published averages for chimpanzees. Captive chimpanzee sleep behavior was also characterized with frequent awakenings. Direct social interactions were only occasionally observed. In addition, temperature, humidity, lighting schedules, natural light-dark cycles, and individual age all affected sleep patterns within and across individuals. Wild-born subjects built and used beds significantly more than captive-born subjects. Also, wild-born subjects used more complex techniques during construction and, thus, built higher quality beds. Among captive-born subjects, those that were mother-reared through early adolescence spent more time building and using beds. These differences were primarily driven by females, as both wild-born and captive-born females built and used beds significantly more than males. The results of this dissertation reveal that chimpanzee sleep behaviors are more complicated than were previously thought. Some of the social and environmental contexts under which sleep occurs have been examined, and the factors that affect sleep duration and distribution have been identified. The development and acquisition of one important aspect of sleep behavior, bed-building, has also been identified as a learned behavior that requires early experience and practice for acquisition.

Subject Headings

Biology, Zoology

Keywords

Sleep; Bed; Nest; Chimpanzee; Captive

Advisor

William C. McGrew

Pages

112p.

Document number: miami1114709943
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1114709943

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