Climate and predation drive variation of diel activity patterns in chacma baboons (<em>Papio ursinus</em>) across southern Africa

Understanding how animals adjust their diel activity patterns in response to environmental gradients is crucial for uncovering ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shaping behavioral plasticity. While theory predicts that diel activity patterns are structured by trade-offs among thermoregulation, energy optimization, and predator avoidance, few studies have tested these dynamics across broad spatial scales within species. We used the widely distributed and adaptable chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) to explore how latitude, climate, vegetation, and predator activity influence diel behavioral schedules. Utilizing over 260,000 baboon camera trap detections collected between 2016 and 2022 across 29 sites and six biomes in South Africa and Zimbabwe, we quantified activity levels and patterns using kernel density estimations. Activity levels declined significantly by about 3% with increasing latitude, consistent with reduced resource stability and heightened thermal stress, while wake-up and s..., , # Data from: Climate and predation drive variation of diel activity patterns in chacma baboons (*Papio ursinus*) across southern Africa Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.vhhmgqp62](10.5061/dryad.vhhmgqp62) ## Description of the data and file structure This dataset contains the data and accompanying documentation used to investigate the drivers of diel activity patterns in chacma baboons (*Papio ursinus*) across southern Africa, as presented in Dzingwena et al. (in review). The study tests the hypothesis that environmental variables (temperature, rainfall, NDVI) and predator presence (lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas) influence baboon activity patterns, and how these effects vary across 29 sites spanning different biomes in Zimbabwe and South Africa (34.46°S;20.38°E -17.70°S; 27.87°E ). Camera trap data were collected between 2016 and 2022 and include detection records for baboons and their primary predators, along with associated spatial and temporal metadata (e.g., timestamp, site coo..., ,解析动物如何响应环境梯度调整其昼夜活动模式，对于揭示塑造行为可塑性的生态与进化机制至关重要。尽管理论预测昼夜活动模式由体温调节、能量优化与反捕食权衡所塑造，但鲜有研究在物种内的大空间尺度上验证这类动态关系。本研究以分布广泛且适应性强的查克马狒狒（*Papio ursinus*）为研究对象，探究纬度、气候、植被以及捕食者活动如何影响狒狒的昼夜行为节律。研究团队利用2016至2022年间在南非与津巴布韦29个点位、6种生物群区中采集的超26万条狒狒红外相机（camera trap）检测记录，通过核密度估计（kernel density estimation）量化了活动水平与活动模式。活动水平随纬度升高显著下降约3%，这与资源稳定性降低及热应激加剧的结果一致，而觉醒与[原文截断]…… # 数据来源：《气候与捕食作用驱动南非南部查克马狒狒（*Papio ursinus*）昼夜活动模式的变异》 数据集DOI：10.5061/dryad.vhhmgqp62 ## 数据与文件结构说明 本数据集包含用于探究南非南部查克马狒狒（*Papio ursinus*）昼夜活动模式驱动因子的数据及配套文档，对应Dzingwena等（已投稿待刊）的研究成果。本研究验证了如下假说：环境变量（气温、降雨量、归一化植被指数NDVI）与捕食者存在性（狮子、豹、斑鬣狗）会影响狒狒的活动模式，且这些影响在津巴布韦与南非境内覆盖不同生物群区的29个点位间存在差异，研究区域范围为34.46°S;20.38°E 至 -17.70°S;27.87°E。 红外相机数据采集于2016至2022年间，包含狒狒及其主要捕食者的检测记录，以及相关的时空元数据（如时间戳、点位坐标[原文截断]……