Primate Mycology

Researchers at GMERC  in western Tanzania are investigating the ecological and evolutionary importance of fungi in primate diets through long-term studies of chimpanzees, baboons, and red-tailed monkeys. This emerging “primate mycology” work examines how seasonal mushroom consumption contributes to primate nutrition, niche partitioning, and fallback feeding strategies when preferred fruits are scarce. Current projects integrate behavioural observations with stable isotope ecology (led by the PEMA lab and Vicky Oelze) to explore how fungal resources are reflected in dietary biomarkers and what this can reveal about trophic ecology and early hominin diets. By combining questions of mushroom taxonomy and diversity, primate mycophagy, nutrition, isotope signatures, and food competition, GMERC’s work is helping to illuminate the often-overlooked role of fungi in primate and human evolutionary ecology. 

    The first peer-reviewed work was published in 2025, led by Theresa Schulze. More recently, coordinated by Noah Siegel, GMERC team members Jane Lukumay and Boniface James (below) have been leading this exciting work.