Ecology of sleeping: the microbial and arthropod associates of chimpanzee beds.

ABSTRACT: The indoor environment created by the construction of homes and other buildings is often considered to be uniquely different from other environments. It is composed of organisms that are less diverse than those of the outdoors and strongly sourced by, or dependent upon, human bodies. Yet, no one has ever compared the composition of species found in contemporary human homes to that of other structures built by mammals, including those of non-human primates. Here we consider the microbes and arthropods found in chimpanzee beds, relative to the surrounding environment (n = 41 and 15 beds, respectively). Based on the study of human homes, we hypothesized that the microbes found in chimpanzee beds would be less diverse than those on nearby branches and leaves and that their beds would be

SUBMITTER: Thoemmes MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5990838 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature