Academic literature on the topic 'Zoology, kenya'

A new cockroach genus and species,Africalolampra ehrmanni(Epilamprinae) from Kenya, and the previously unknown male ofParaplecta parvaShelford (Perisphaeriinae) from Uganda, are described.A new genus and species,Africalolampra ehrmanni, an ovoviviparous cockroach from Kenya, is described. It is related toCalolampraand several other genera, and is placed in the Epilamprinae. The previously unknown male of AfricanParaplecta parvaPrincis is described, and its female is redescribed. All of the specimens on which this paper is based are housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (MCZ).

SummaryThe antigenic relationships of 7 stocks and 7 clones ofTrypanosoma vivaxfrom East and West Africa were compared by immune lysis. Sera from goats infected with different stocks and clones ofT. vivax, collected on days 40 and 80 after infection, were used in the immune lysis test with homologous and heterologous stocks and clones of trypanosomes. Sera from infected cattle were included to compare stocks and clones from Kenya. The parasites that were used as antigen in the immune lysis tests were collected from infected mice when variable antigen type (VAT) homogeneous populations were used, from goats for infection with stocks and clones from Nigeria, The Gambia and Uganda, and from cattle for Kenyan stocks. Reciprocal cross-reactivity between sera and parasites was found between all the stocks and clones from Nigeria and The Gambia with the exception of one clone from Nigeria that was not recognized by antisera to a clone from The Gambia. There was also cross-reactivity between a stock and clone from Uganda and stocks and clones from Nigeria and The Gambia. Sera from goats infected with stocks and clones from Nigeria, The Gambia and Uganda recognized parasite populations that were homogeneous for one VAT (ILDat 1.2) of the rodent infective stock from Nigeria. Some antisera to West African stocks recognized another stable variant from a Ugandan stock adapted to rodents (ILDat 2.1), indicating that these VATs were expressed in the repertoires of the heterologous stocks. There was no cross-reaction between stocks from Nigeria, The Gambia or Uganda with Kenyan stocks. A stock from Galana (Kenya) and Bamburi (Kenya) showed reciprocal cross-reactivity. Two other Kenyan stocks, from Kilifi and Likoni, also showed cross-reactivity by immune lysis but showed no antigenic relationship with the other Kenyan stocks.

Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are hematophagous ectoparasites of bats characterized by viviparous pupiparity and generally high host specificity. Nycteribiid bat flies are wingless, morphologically constrained, and are most diverse in the Eastern Hemisphere. Africa hosts approximately 22% of global bat biodiversity and nearly one-third of all African bat species occur in Kenya, one of Africa’s most bat-rich countries. However, records of nycteribiid bat fly diversity in Kenya remain sparse and unconsolidated. This paper combines all past species records of nycteribiid bat flies with records from a survey of 4,255 Kenyan bats across 157 localities between 2006 and 2015. A total of seven nycteribiid genera and 17 species are recorded, with seven species from the recent ‘Bats of Kenya’ surveys representing previously undocumented country records. Host associations and geographic distributions based on all available records are also described. This comprehensive species catalog addresses and further emphasizes the need for similar investigations of nycteribiid biodiversity across Africa.

Historically Panaspis wahlbergi (Smith, 1849) has been the only assignable species present in Kenya. Recent studies have shown that it comprises multiple cryptic species and the nominal species is now restricted to southern Africa. Newly collected mitochondrial data (16S rRNA) helped to resolve the status of the Kenyan populations, which revealed the presence of two distant related species. Pairwise distances show average 5.87% differences between the two Kenyan species, and 3.58–5.27% and 8.62–9.15% to nominal P. wahlbergi and P. maculicollis Jacobsen & Broadley, 2000 respectively. Ablepharus massaiensis Angel, 1924 was described from the Maasai plains near Nairobi, but has long been considered a junior synonym of P. wahlbergi. We herein resurrect Panaspis massaiensis comb. nov. as a valid species and describe a new species, Panaspis tsavoensis sp. nov. from the Tsavo Conservation Area in south-eastern Kenya. Morphological examinations of specimens reveal minor differences from each other as well as nominal forms of P. wahlbergi and P. maculicollis. Panaspis massaiensis comb. nov. shares with the P. wahlbergi group a white ventrolateral stripe but can be distinguished by the presence of 26 midbody scale rows versus 24. Panaspis tsavoensis sp. nov. on the other hand, lacks the white ventrolateral stripe, most similar to the P. maculicollis group but differs in that P. maculicollis breeding males have a black patch on the neck with diagonal rows of white spots. Panaspis massaiensis comb. nov. is widespread in the Kenyan and northern Tanzanian highlands, isolated dryland montane forests and rocky hills, while P. tsavoensis sp. nov. occur in the expansive arid lowlands of Tsavo Conservation Area and should be present in similar arid lowlands in northern Kenya as well as in adjacent Tanzania.

Issue 38 is here to welcome participants of the 4th ANEC (Africa Nutritional Epidemiology Conference) to Nairobi, the Green City in the Sun. The conference is coming at a time that most Kenyans are feeling fairly up-beat about their own country. On August 4, 2010, Kenyans voted overwhelmingly (nearly 70% turnout) for a new constitution, which took more than 20 years to complete. So, Kenya is like a new baby to Kenyans and one we intend to nurture the way a loving mother would nurture her own child. It has been a difficult 47 years from the time the country attained independence in 1963, from the British. On December 12 in 1963, a flag was hoisted on the topmost tip of Mt Kenya to mark the birth of a new nation. We set out on an ambitious mission to rid Kenya of poverty, ignorance and disease. I left Kenya in 1968 to go and study in the USA. By the time we were attaining independence, I was 17 years old and had an idea that poor child feeding could affect the health of a child. As I proceeded for studies, I was determined to address that very issue. The University of Nairobi was offering Domestic Science ( Home Science), which my High School would not let me take because I was a science student, taking Physics, Mathematics, Botany, Zoology and, of course, Chemistry.

This study addresses the underlying challenges of computer vision adoption in the Kenyan agricultural sector and how to solve these hurdles to commercialize this technology. Technological advancements have revolutionized the agriculture sector, where artificial intelligence enhances yields, mitigates losses, and manages natural resources, leading to increased productivity. Kenya is still lagging in the commercialization of computer vision to improve its agricultural sector, which is the largest source of GDP. Kenya has remarkable skills and expertise in artificial intelligence that can support artificial intelligence implementation; the government policies, data availability, and high cost incurred in starting a computer vision company are problematic. Through better government policies on subsidies and data, research and development investments, and AI forums, Kenya will solve the challenges of adopting computer vision. While computer vision has the potential to revolutionize the agricultural industry by improving crop yield, detecting diseases, and increasing efficiency, there are several barriers to its adoption, including inadequate infrastructure, lack of technical expertise, and limited funding. This study aims to identify the challenges hindering the implementation of computer vision technology in the Kenyan agricultural sector and propose potential solutions to address these challenges.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection was diagnosed in a laboratory rabbit breeding colony at Muguga, Kenya. This is the first report of the disease in rabbits in Kenya. Post-mortem examination showed gross renal lesions and the presence of the parasite in histological sections of the cerebrum and cerebellum. On Gram stain, spores were observed in the kidney sections.

The family Ismaridae Thomson, 1858 is reported from the Afrotropical region for the first time. A total of 15 species are recognised, 14 of which are described as new: Ismarusafricanussp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa; I.apertussp. n. from Kenya; I.bicolorsp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya; I.goodrichisp. n. from Kenya; I.kakamegensissp. n. from Kenya; I.kenyensissp. n. from Kenya; I.laevigatussp. n. from South Africa; I.madagascariensissp. n. from Madagascar; I.minutussp. n. from Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe; I.nigrofasciatussp. n. from Malawi, Uganda; I.notaulicussp. n. from Kenya; I.rawlinsisp. n. from Kenya, Malawi; I.steinerisp. n. from Madagascar; I.watshamisp. n. from Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe. Ismarushalidayi Förster is reported for continental Africa from South Africa (new record). We provide an identification key to all species in Afrotropical region.

Nine species of the genus Phortica are found from Kenya, African, including two known and seven new species: Phortica (Allophortica) sexpunctata (Séguy, 1938), P. (Phortica) sobodo Burla, 1954, P. (P.) angulata sp. nov., P. (P.) curvispina sp. nov., P. (P.) machoruka sp. nov., P. (P.) manjano sp. nov., P. (P.) melanopous sp. nov., P. (P.) vinywelea sp. nov. and P. (P.) unispina sp. nov. The seven new species belong to the foliiseta species complex that is early found from the Oriental Region. A key to all Kenyan species is provided.

Echinococcus granulosus is a cestode species responsible for human cystic echinococcosis (CE). The domestic dog is the primary definitive host for the transmission of E. granulosus infection to domestic livestock intermediate hosts and to humans. In order to determine the prevalence and risk factors for canine echinococcosis, epidemiological studies were conducted in known endemic localities in three different countries i.e. Libya, Kenya and Wales. Stray dogs were subject to direct examination of the small intestine at necropsy. Owned dogs (total n=1659) were screened for E. granulosus infection using a genus specific coproantigen ELISA test that was restandardised against 75 dog necropsy results, and exhibited 100% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Analysis of risk factors for canine echinococcosis associated with Echinococcus coproantigen positive results was evaluated based on dog-owner questionnaires. In Libya, the overall infection of E. granulosus in autopsied dogs was 25.8%, and an overall coproantigen prevalence of 21.6% was obtained for owned dogs (n= 334). Risk factors (p<0.05) for a coproantigen positive owned dog in Libya were, dog age (≤5 years), non-restraint of dogs, dogs fed on offal, sheepdog class, owners that did not de-worm their dogs, and dogs owned by farmers who admitted to frequent slaughter of livestock. Dog sex was not a significant risk factor for a positive coproantigen ELISA in dogs from all study areas. Worm burdens in necropsied dogs in Libya ranged from 29 to 2900 (mean 1064) and were positively correlated to coproantigen ELISA OD values (r= 0.76), but negatively associated with dog age (r= -0.64). Canine echinococcosis in Libya measured by locality varied, with Alkhums (Leptis-Magna) district having the highest coproantigen prevalence at 38.7% (p=0.001), followed by Azahwia district with 19.2%. Tripoli district had the lowest coproprevalence where 17.5% of dogs were copro-positive. In Tripoli an abattoir survey for livestock CE was also undertaken and is reported. In northern Kenya, post-mortem examination of the small intestines of 17 dogs from Turkana, revealed 29.4% harboured E. granulosus infection, with a mean worm burden of 1570 adults. Overall 26% (42/161) of Turkana dogs were copro-positive, with the highest copro-prevalence identified in dogs from Lokichoggio division. Younger dogs (≤5 years), free-roaming dogs, dogs fed on offal, and dogs of owners that practiced home slaughter of livestock and that had no knowledge about echinococcosis, appeared to have a significantly higher risk of being coproantigen positive (p<0.05). In mid-Wales a list of 321 sheep farms were selected at random, from which 1164 farm-dogs were screened using rectal faecal samples tested for Echinococcus coproantigens, and owners questioned using a modified dog-owner questionnaire. Furthermore, the potential impact of the 2001 footand- mouth disease (FMD) epidemic, on the prevalence of E. granulosus in farm dogs was assessed. An overall coproantigen positive rate of 8.0% was recorded on 22% of farms surveyed, which compared to a rate of 3.4% obtained in the same region in 1993. There was no significant difference in copro-positive prevalence between FMD affected properties and those that were unaffected. Significant risk factors for a positive farm dog in Wales were associated with allowing dogs to roam free, and infrequent deworming (>4month intervals) of dogs. The data are discussed in relation to a previous pilot hydatid control program in that area of Wales (1983-89) and the potential for increase in transmission to humans. Identification of risk factors associated with canine echinococcosis appear to be similar in all three communities studied and help to demonstrate practices that may be amenable to change as part of hydatid control programmes.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Comparative analyses of genetic diversity, population structure and evolutionary relationships among co–distributed species can provide useful insights into fisheries management. In this study, mitochondrial DNA control region (mtCR) sequences were used to investigate genetic population structure and recruitment patterns of three co–occurring shallow water penaeid prawn species; Penaeus monodon, Fenneropenaeus indicus and Metapenaeus monoceros. These taxa dominate artisanal and commercial prawn catches in the Malindi–Ungwana Bay in Kenya, where juvenile prawns inhabit estuarine habitats, and adults occur further offshore, on mudbanks in the bay. A total of 296 [i.e. (P. monodon; n = 129), (F. indicus; n = 96), (M. monoceros; n = 71)] specimens were sampled from five sites; two estuarine nursery areas (juveniles), a nearshore mid–station (adults), and two offshore areas (adults). The sites were chosen to represent the bulk of the Kenyan fishery activities, and to include juvenile and adult cohorts that are presumably connected to each other through larval dispersal processes and migrations. Juveniles were obtained during 2010 from local fishermen, and adult prawns during 2011 using a commercial prawn trawler. Analysis of the mtCR sequences indicated high haplotype diversity (P. monodon; h = 0.9996 ± 0.0010; F. indicus; h = 0.9998 ± 0.0015; M. monoceros; h = 0.9815 ± 0.0110) for all three species. Genetic differentiation results for each species using AMOVA indicated no significant population differentiation (P. monodon; ΦST = 0.000, = p > 0.05; F. indicus; ΦST = 0.000, = p > 0.05; M. monoceros; ΦST = 0.0164, = p > 0.05) and pairwise ΦST statistics among sampling sites indicated the complete absence of spatial differentiation of female genes for all three species. In addition, the mtDNA data of P. monodon (i.e. n = 103) was augmented by using six polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci. The pattern of panmixia was supported by the microsatellite analyses of P. monodon where AMOVA (i.e. RST = 0.00113, = p > 0.05), pairwise RST statistics (i.e. RST = 0.0000–0.0223, = p > 0.05) and STRUCTURE all confirmed the complete absence of genetic differentiation, among all sampled localities. Based on the absence of genetic population structure, each of the three species can be regarded as a single management unit throughout the Malindi–Ungwana Bay area. Spatial management strategies for prawn fisheries in the bay should therefore rely on factors other than genetic metapopulations, such as seasonal prawn recruitment and distribution patterns, ecosystem functioning and socio–economic implications to fishing communities and commercial trawl fishing companies.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vergelykende analise van genetiese diversiteit, bevolkings stuktuur en evolutionêre verwantskappe tussen spesies wat 'n verspreidingsgebied deel kan nuttige insigte lewer oor vissery bestuur. In hierdie studie was die mitokondriale DNS kontrole area (mtCR) volgordebepalings gebruik om die bevolkings genetiese stuktuur en werwingspatrone van drie mede-verspreide vlak water penaeid garnaal spesies; Penaeus monodon, Fenneropenaeus indicus and Metapenaeus monoceros te ondersoek. Hierdie taksa domineer die ambagtelike en kommersiële vangste in die Malindi-Ungwanabaai in Kenya waar, onvolwasse garnale in riviermondings voorkom en volwassenes in dieper waters op modderbanke in die baai voorkom. 'n Totaal van 296 [(P. monodon; n = 129), (F. indicus; n = 96), (M. monoceros; n = 71)] monsters was geneem vanaf vyf lokaliteite; twee in riviermondings (onvolwassenes), 'n nabykus mid stasie (volwasse) en twee diep water (volwasse) areas. Hierdie lokaliteite was gekies om die oorgrote meerderheid van Kenya se vissery aktiwiteite, asook die onvolwasses en volwassene kohorte te verteenwoordig wat vermoedelik geneties verbind is aan mekaar deur larwale verspreidingsprosesse en migrasies. Onvolwasse diere was verkry in 2010 vanaf plaaslike vissermanne en volwasse diere was in 2011 gekollekteer deur gebruik te maak van 'n kommersiële garnaal vissersboot. Analise van die mtCR volgorde bepaling het gewys dat daar 'n hoë haplotipiese diversiteit (P. monodon; h = 0.9996 ± 0.0010; F. indicus; h = 0.9998 ± 0.0015; M. monoceros; h = 0.9815 ± 0.0110) vir al drie spesies bestaan. Genetiese differensiasie resultate vir elke spesie, bepaal deur 'n AMOVA toets, dui op geen beduidende bevolking differensiasie nie (P. monodon; ΦST = 0.000, = p > 0.05; F. indicus; ΦST = 0.000, = p > 0.05; M. monoceros; ΦST = 0.0164, = p > 0.05) en paarsgewyse ΦST statistiek tussen die lokaliteite waar monsters geneem was, dui op geen ruimtelike differensiasie van die vroulike gene in al drie spesies nie. Hierbenewens is die mtDNS datastel van P. monodon (i.e. n = 103) uitgebrei deur ses polimorfiese kern mikrosatelliete in te sluit. Die patroon van mtCR panmixia was ondersteun deur die mikro-satelliet analise van P. monodon waar die AMOVA (i.e. RST = 0.00113, = p > 0.05), paarsgewyse RST statistiek (i.e. RST = 0.0000-0.0223, = p > 0.05) en STRUCTURE bevestig het dat daar totale afwesigheid is van genetiese differensiasie tussen alle vergelyk-te lokaliteite. Gebaseer op die afwesigheid van genetiese bevolking-struktuur kan elk van die drie spesies beskou word as 'n enkele bestuurseenheid deur die Malindi-Ungwanabaai area. Die bestuurstrategieë vir garnaal vissery aktiwiteite in die baai moet dus steun op ander faktore as genetiese meta-bevolking. Belangrike faktore om in ag te neem is seisoenale garnaal werwing en verspreidings patrone, ekosisteem funksionering en sosio-ekonomiese implikasies van vissers gemeenskappe en kommersiële visserymaatskappye.

Escalating human elephant conflict (HEC) continues to be a contributing factor towards elephant decline, and crop raiding is the most common form of negative human-elephant interactions. For communities that cannot reverse or prevent crop raiding, it is necessary to contain HEC events through deterrent measures. Few deterrent measures exist that combine practicality and affordability while also preventing habituation by elephants. This project focused on comparing the efficacy of deterrent methods to assess which was the most successful at preventing elephants from entering crops in the farming community of Sasenyi, Kenya. In this paired-control study, four deterrent methods were evaluated: acacia fences, chili-pepper fences, a new metal strip fence, and a combination of a chili and metal strip fence. Of the over 400 visits by elephants to individual fields containing crops recorded during two field seasons, elephants entered farmer fields in the experimental area on 33 occasions (<10%). Analysis of incidents when elephants approached at less than 50 m revealed that the chili + metal fence and the metal fence were significantly more effective than no deterrent. Following further verification of its effectiveness, this new deterrent method could be a powerful new tool to alleviate elephant crop raiding and reduce HEC.

The search for food and adequate nutrition determines much of an animal's behavior, as it must ingest the macronutrients, micronutrients, and water needed for growth, reproduction and body maintenance. These macro- and micronutrients are found in varying proportions and concentrations in different foods. A generalist consumer, such as many primates, faces the challenge of choosing the right combination of foods that confers adequate and balanced nutrition. Diet selection is further complicated and constrained by antifeedants, as well as digestive morphology and physiological limitations. Nutritional ecology is the study of the connected relationships between an organism, its nutrient needs (determined by physiological state), its diet selection, and the foraging behavior it uses within a specific food environment. Additionally, these relationships are complex and changeable since the nutrient needs of a consumer change over time and food resources (including the nutritional composition) vary spatiotemporally. Published data on primate nutritional ecology are limited, with most investigations of nutritional needs stemming from captive populations and few field studies. To contribute to the body of knowledge of nutritional ecology in natural populations, I examined the nutritional ecology of wild adult female blue monkeys, Cercopithecus mitis. I used the geometric framework (GF) to quantify nutritional patterns, as it allows simultaneous examination of multiple nutrients that may be driving foraging behavior and patterns of food intake. Blue monkeys are known to be generalist feeders, with flexible feeding behavior. The population I studied inhabits the Kakamega Forest, western Kenya. This forest has a history of variable human modification on a small scale, and offered a unique opportunity to examine environmental factors (e.g. degree of human-modification of forest type, food availability), social factors (dominance rank), and physiological factors (reproductive demand) that may alter blue monkey nutritional strategies. From January and September 2015, a team of field assistants and I collected behavioral data from 3 study groups, intensively sampling 24 adult females that varied in dominance rank and reproductive condition. I used all-day focal follows to quantify feeding behavior, which allowed me to assess diet selection and nutrient intake on a daily basis. I also monitored subjects' daily movement. To assess food availability, I quantified vegetative differences among major habitat types within each group's home range and monitored biweekly changes in plant production of fruits and young leaves, which were major constituents of the plant-based diet. I collected >300 food samples, as well as fecal samples, and analyzed them for macro-nutritional content using wet chemistry and near-infrared spectroscopy techniques. I combined data to examine patterns in diet and nutritional strategy on different scales: patterns across subjects, between groups and within the population as a whole, patterns in the diet on the food composition level versus nutrient intake level, and patterns in nutrient intake on a daily basis versus a long term basis (i.e. over the course of the study period). Additionally, I evaluated factors that might affect variation in nutritional strategies, including a female's reproductive condition, dominance rank, habitat use, and degree of frugivory or folivory in daily intake, as well as food availability in the environment. Kakamega blue monkeys ate a broad diet of over 445 food items (species-specific plant parts and insect morphotypes). Fruit was preferred food, and particular species-specific fruits constituted the majority of important food items (i.e., those contributing >1% of total caloric intake by group); many fruits were highly selected (i.e. eaten more than expected based on availability). Many species-specific young leaves also were important food items, though they were eaten in proportion to their availability, or even less often. Regardless of whether group diet was characterized by time spent feeding or by calories, fruit remained the largest constituent and young leaves the second largest. A subject's daily path length was negatively related to proportion of fruit in the diet (by kcal) because females focused feeding in particular trees when important fruits ripened and thus traveled less. Daily path length was not related to group size, probably because females spread out when foraging to avoid within-group scramble competition over food. Group differences in the food composition of diets likely reflected habitat differences in food distribution. Comparison of the population's diet to data from previous studies showed that as study groups moved into new areas and habitats, they capitalized on new food resources, reinforcing the idea that blue monkey are flexible feeders. During this study, subjects adjusted their diet in response to food availability in the environment, consuming more fruit (by percentage of diet and absolute kcal) when fruit was more available. In contrast, subjects ate fewer young leaves (by absolute kcal) when either fruit or young leaves were more available, suggesting that young leaves served as fallback food. At the level of nutrient intake, it was also true that females consumed significantly more structural carbohydrates when fruit availability was low. Despite their diverse diets and changes related to food availability, females actively regulated food intake to converge daily on a similar nutrient intake (grand mean of 637 kcal, with 108 kcal from protein, 149 kcal from lipid, 88 kcal from structural carbohydrates, and 293 kcal from non-structural carbohydrates, N=24). Thus, considering a multidimensional nutritional niche, I characterized their feeding behavior at two levels: they were both food composition generalists and nutrient intake specialists. Blue monkeys showed a nutritional strategy on two different temporal scales: 1) daily protein prioritization and 2) long term non-protein energy (NPE; i.e. lipid + carbohydrate energy) to available protein (P) balancing. On a daily basis, protein intake (by kcal) showed the least amount of variation (by coefficient of variation) and subjects consumed similar amounts of protein, regardless of potential influences from environmental, social or physiological factors. Females allowed more variation in daily ratio of non-protein energy to protein (NPE:P), taking advantage of high NPE foods like fruit. They allowed higher NPE:P ratios when fruit was a larger proportion of their diet and when they spent less time in near-natural forest. There was no evidence that reproductive demand or dominance rank affected protein intake or NPE:P balance. Dominance rank also did not predict deviation (absolute or directional) from mean protein intake or mean NPE:P ratio. On a long term basis (i.e. over the 8 months of data collection), all subjects tightly balanced cumulative NPE:P intake, regardless of dominance rank. This long-term pattern in all 24 subjects suggests that it a species-typical strategy. However, lower ranking females ate more unique food items per day than higher ranking females. Varying daily dietary breadth may allow females to cope with social constraints while feeding, such that dominance rank had no effect on nutritional strategies. Further, the prevalence of NPE:P balancing in most nutritional ecology studies of primates suggests that the diversity of feeding strategies within this order of mammals may have evolved to allow them to adhere to that particular nutrient balance, though the rule of compromise (e.g. protein versus NPE prioritization) and the exact ratio balanced may differ by population or species. Blue monkeys regularly used human-modified habitats and ate considerable amounts of the non-natural foods found there (and elsewhere in the forest). Non-natural foods were directly derived from humans or human activity (e.g. via scavenging from trash) and exotic (non-native) plants, generally introduced inadvertently or for silviculture. Subjects incorporated a substantial amount of non-natural foods into their diets, with approximately a third of their daily calories derived from non-natural foods. Subjects in the group with the most access to human-modified habitat used non-natural foods the most extensively. Further, subjects in two groups showed clear preference for human-modified habitat while members of the third group used habitat types in proportion to their occurrence in the home range. Human-modified habitat, and the non-natural foods found within, may have been readily used because many non-natural foods provided similar access to nutritional space as natural foods. Some non-natural foods, like oil palm fruit and ugali (cooked maize flour), represented energetically dense food resources, which also proved attractive. Regardless of whether subjects fed primarily on natural or non-natural foods, they consumed similar amounts of daily protein. This prioritization of protein, coupled with the fact that females had higher NPE:P ratios when feeding mostly on non-natural foods, indicated that blue monkeys capitalized on non-natural resources to increase NPE intake as long as they were able to consume a threshold amount of protein. What remains unclear though, is whether there are adaptive advantages associated with the ability to consume diets of variable NPE:P ratios. Overall, blue monkeys in Kakamega Forest are very flexible feeders, perhaps to a greater degree than previously acknowledged. Subjects were able to consume a diverse diet of hundreds of species-specific food items, to shift their diet in response to changes in food availability, to capitalize on food resources found in different habitat types, to take advantage of non-natural food resources, and to tolerate a wide range of NPE:P ratios in daily diets. Further, on a nutritional level, they successfully navigated potential stressors from the physiological demands of reproduction and dominance rank to adhere to a particular nutritional strategy. Flexible behavior, such as spreading out during feeding or varying dietary breadth, indicates how blue monkeys may use particular feeding strategies to arrive at a common nutrient intake target. Despite daily fluctuations in NPE:P ratio that varied with environmental and dietary factors, all subjects were able to consume a consistent daily amount of protein and prioritized its intake above all other nutritional components. Finally, their tight adherence to long term NPE:P balancing suggested that they followed a nutritional strategy that operated on both daily and longer timescales. Primates are increasingly threatened from habitat loss, degradation and other human-disturbances. There is growing awareness that some species, like blue monkeys, may be able to persist in regenerating human-modified landscapes, where they regularly and readily use non-natural food resources. More species- and habitat-specific nutritional studies are needed to predict population-level responses to varying degrees of habitat alteration. The data generated may help us assess the potential value of human-modified habitats that may require protection, as these habitats may contribute to the persistence of primate populations around the globe, especially in novel ecosystems.

AbstractSub-Saharan Africa is incredibly vulnerable to the increasing impacts of climate crisis. With a median age of 19 years old, it is also home to the largest youth population in the world. How this population understands their relationship to science and nature can have incredible impacts moving forward. The case study in this chapter is N*Gen, the first cross-African science TV show for kids. Filmed across Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia, its goals are to elevate girls and women in STEM, increase trust in science and scientists, and help give people the critical thinking tools to fight misinformation by exploring a range of topics, including ocean conservation, ecosystem change, zoology, vaccines, and human–wildlife interactions. This chapter also details broader aspects of the media landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa, existing science education efforts, and opportunities to use media to change knowledge, attitude, and behavior related to the climate crisis.