Data from: Ecology of sleeping: the microbial and arthropod associates of chimpanzee beds

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 primarily composed of body-associated organisms.
However, we found that differences between wet and dry seasons and
elevation above sea level explained nearly all of the observed variation
in microbial diversity and community structure. While we can identify the
presence of a chimpanzee based on the assemblage of bacteria, the dominant
signal is that of environmental microbes. We found just four ectoparasitic
arthropod specimens, none of which appears to be specialized on
chimpanzees or their structures. These results suggest that the life to
which chimpanzees are exposed while in their beds is predominately the
same as that of the surrounding environment.