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Eppley TM, Borgerson C, Patel ER, Herrera JP, Kirkby AE, Golden CD, Andriamahaihavana M, Andrianandrasana L, Bóveda A, Gibson D, Jaofeno LJ, Rakotondrasoa F, Ramahaleo TA, Rasamisoa DC, Ratelolahy F, Razafindramanana J, Spira C, Welch C, Vasey N. A habitat stronghold on the precipice: A call-to-action for supporting lemur conservation in northeast Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23483. [PMID: 36851838 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
The northeast of Madagascar is as diverse as it is threatened. The area bordering the Analanjirofo and SAVA regions contains six protected areas and at least 22 lemur species. Many applied research and conservation programs have been established in the region with the aim of ensuring both wildlife and people thrive in the long term. While most of the remaining humid evergreen forest of northeast Madagascar is formally protected, the local human population depends heavily on the land, and unsustainable natural resource use threatens this biodiversity hotspot. Drawing from our collective experiences managing conservation activities and research programs in northeast Madagascar, we discuss the major threats to the region and advocate for eight conservation activities that help reduce threats and protect the environment, providing specific examples from our own programs. These include (1) empowering local conservation actors, (2) ensuring effectively protected habitat, (3) expanding reforestation, (4) establishing and continuing long-term research and monitoring, (5) reducing food insecurity, (6) supporting environmental education, (7) promoting sustainable livelihoods, and (8) expanding community health initiatives. Lastly, we provide a list of actions that individuals can take to join us in supporting and promoting lemur conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Eppley
- Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, California, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Cortni Borgerson
- Department of Anthropology, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey, USA
- Madagascar Health and Environmental Research (MAHERY), Maroantsetra, Madagascar
| | - Erik R Patel
- Lemur Conservation Foundation, Myakka City, Florida, USA
| | - James P Herrera
- Duke Lemur Center SAVA Conservation, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andrew E Kirkby
- Birdlife International, Conservation Department, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christopher D Golden
- Madagascar Health and Environmental Research (MAHERY), Maroantsetra, Madagascar
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - McAntonin Andriamahaihavana
- Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Antonio Bóveda
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Dean Gibson
- Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Delaïd C Rasamisoa
- Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, California, USA
| | - Felix Ratelolahy
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Josia Razafindramanana
- Mention Anthropobiologie et Développement Durable, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Charlotte Spira
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Madagascar Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Charles Welch
- Duke Lemur Center SAVA Conservation, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Natalie Vasey
- Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Deeming DC. Nest construction in mammals: a review of the patterns of construction and functional roles. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220138. [PMID: 37427481 PMCID: PMC10331904 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Nesting behaviour in mammals has been investigated in a wide variety of species but to date there has not been any scholarly review of the incidence and roles of these nests. Not all mammals build nests but, while some large species regularly build nests, nest-building behaviour is more commonly associated with small mammals weighing less than a kilogram. Quantitative data for the amounts of different materials used in a nest are rarely reported but mammal nests are typically constructed from fresh (rather than dead) plant materials. Animal-derived materials seem to be rare in nests, but anthropogenic materials are reported. Few studies have examined the roles these different materials play but more physically robust materials provide support for the structure. Many mammal nests have maternity roles, but a variety of other roles were recognized. A wide range of mammalian orders use nests for resting and environmental protection. Less common roles were as sites for torpor or hibernation, or as a refuge from predation, or the materials may have anti-parasite properties. These different roles were often not mutually exclusive. It is hoped that this review will stimulate interest in the functional properties of mammalian nests. It also suggests various themes that would be interesting areas for future research. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Charles Deeming
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Lincoln LN6 7DL, UK
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Mancini AN, Chandrashekar A, Lahitsara JP, Ogbeta DG, Rajaonarivelo JA, Ranaivorazo NR, Rasoazanakolona J, Safwat M, Solo J, Razafindraibe JG, Razafindrakoto G, Baden AL. Terrain Ruggedness and Canopy Height Predict Short-Range Dispersal in the Critically Endangered Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:746. [PMID: 36981017 PMCID: PMC10048730 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is a fundamental aspect of primates' lives and influences both population and community structuring, as well as species evolution. Primates disperse within an environmental context, where both local and intervening environmental factors affect all phases of dispersal. To date, research has primarily focused on how the intervening landscape influences primate dispersal, with few assessing the effects of local habitat characteristics. Here, we use a landscape genetics approach to examine between- and within-site environmental drivers of short-range black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) dispersal in the Ranomafana region of southeastern Madagascar. We identified the most influential drivers of short-range ruffed lemur dispersal as being between-site terrain ruggedness and canopy height, more so than any within-site habitat characteristic evaluated. Our results suggest that ruffed lemurs disperse through the least rugged terrain that enables them to remain within their preferred tall-canopied forest habitat. Furthermore, we noted a scale-dependent environmental effect when comparing our results to earlier landscape characteristics identified as driving long-range ruffed lemur dispersal. We found that forest structure drives short-range dispersal events, whereas forest presence facilitates long-range dispersal and multigenerational gene flow. Together, our findings highlight the importance of retaining high-quality forests and forest continuity to facilitate dispersal and maintain functional connectivity in ruffed lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N. Mancini
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Aparna Chandrashekar
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Daisy Gold Ogbeta
- Department of Nursing, Helene Fuld College of Nursing, New York, NY 10035, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jeanne Arline Rajaonarivelo
- UMI 233 TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), University of Montpellier, Inserm U 1175, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | | | - Joseane Rasoazanakolona
- Department of Zoology and Animal Biodiversity, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - Mayar Safwat
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Justin Solo
- Centre ValBio Research Center, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana 312, Madagascar (J.G.R.)
| | | | | | - Andrea L. Baden
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Tinsman J, Volampeno S, Ganas-Swaray J, Gann D, Andrianirina N, Chamizo M, Ralazampirenena C, Ranaivoarisoa JF, Ravaoarisoa H, Rivero J, Zamora A, Gomes CM. Habitat use by the island lemurs of Nosy Be, Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23362. [PMID: 35098568 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Madagascar's lemurs are threatened by forest loss, fragmentation, and degradation. Many species use flexible behaviors to survive in degraded habitat, but their ability to persist in very small areas may be limited. Insular lemurs, like those found on Nosy Be, an island off the northwestern coast of Madagascar, are at heightened risk of sudden population declines and extirpation. Nosy Be is home to two Critically Endangered species-the endemic Nosy Be sportive lemur (Lepilemur tymerlachsoni) and Claire's mouse lemur (Microcebus mamiratra)-as well as the Endangered black lemur (Eulemur macaco). Most of the remaining forest on Nosy Be is protected by the 862-ha Lokobe National Park. To document how Nosy Be lemurs use their restricted habitat, we conducted vegetation and reconnaissance surveys on 53 transects in and around Lokobe. We collected data on tree size, canopy cover, understory visibility, and elevation for 248 lemur sightings. We used a spatially explicit, multi-species occupancy model to investigate which forest-structure variables are important to lemurs. Our results represent some of the first data on habitat use by insular lemurs. Black lemurs preferred significantly larger trees and areas with less dense understory. They also occurred significantly less outside of Lokobe National Park, even when accounting for sampling effort and geography. The distributions of the sportive and mouse lemurs were not related to the forest structure variables we documented, but they did negatively predict each other-perhaps because their habitat requirements differ. These results also underscore the importance of the national park to protecting the black lemur population on Nosy Be and raise questions about what factors do influence the distribution of Nosy Be's smaller lemurs. Close monitoring is needed to prevent these populations and the ecosystem services they provide from disappearing, as have other island lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen Tinsman
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel Gann
- Department of Biology, FIU, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Natacha Andrianirina
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Department of Anthropobiology and Sustainable Development, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Madison Chamizo
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Claude Ralazampirenena
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Jean F Ranaivoarisoa
- Department of Anthropobiology and Sustainable Development, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Hasina Ravaoarisoa
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Department of Anthropobiology and Sustainable Development, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Josie Rivero
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Department of Ecology & Environmental Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
| | - Andrew Zamora
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Cristina M Gomes
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA
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Evolutionary change in the construction of the nursery environment when parents are prevented from caring for their young directly. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2102450118. [PMID: 34819363 PMCID: PMC8640939 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102450118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental care can be partitioned into traits that involve direct engagement with offspring and traits that are expressed as an extended phenotype and influence the developmental environment, such as constructing a nursery. Here, we use experimental evolution to test whether parents can evolve modifications in nursery construction when they are experimentally prevented from supplying care directly to offspring. We exposed replicate experimental populations of burying beetles (Nicrophorus vespilloides) to different regimes of posthatching care by allowing larvae to develop in the presence (Full Care) or absence of parents (No Care). After only 13 generations of experimental evolution, we found an adaptive evolutionary increase in the pace at which parents in the No Care populations converted a dead body into a carrion nest for larvae. Cross-fostering experiments further revealed that No Care larvae performed better on a carrion nest prepared by No Care parents than did Full Care larvae. We conclude that parents construct the nursery environment in relation to their effectiveness at supplying care directly, after offspring are born. When direct care is prevented entirely, they evolve to make compensatory adjustments to the nursery in which their young will develop. The rapid evolutionary change observed in our experiments suggests there is considerable standing genetic variation for parental care traits in natural burying beetle populations-for reasons that remain unclear.
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Mellor EL, Cuthill IC, Schwitzer C, Mason GJ, Mendl M. Large Lemurs: Ecological, Demographic and Environmental Risk Factors for Weight Gain in Captivity. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10081443. [PMID: 32824807 PMCID: PMC7460476 DOI: 10.3390/ani10081443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Excessive body mass, i.e., being overweight or obese, is a health concern. Some lemur species are prone to extreme weight gain in captivity, yet for others a healthy body condition is typical. The first aim of our study was to examine possible ecological explanations for these species’ differences in susceptibility to captive weight gain across 13 lemur species. Our second aim was to explore demographic and environmental risk factors across individuals from the four best-sampled species. We found a potential ecological explanation for susceptibility to captive weight gain: being adapted to unpredictable wild food resources. Additionally, we also revealed one environmental and four demographic risk factors, e.g., increasing age and, for males, being housed with only fixed climbing structures. Our results indicate targeted practical ways to help address weight issues in affected animals, e.g., by highlighting at-risk species for whom extra care should be taken when designing diets; and by providing a mixture of flexible and fixed climbing structures within enclosures. Abstract Excessive body mass, i.e., being overweight or obese, is a health concern associated with issues such as reduced fertility and lifespan. Some lemur species are prone to extreme weight gain in captivity, yet others are not. To better understand species- and individual-level effects on susceptibility to captive weight gain, we use two complementary methods: phylogenetic comparative methods to examine ecological explanations for susceptibility to weight gain across species, and epidemiological approaches to examine demographic and environment effects within species. Data on body masses and living conditions were collected using a survey, yielding useable data on 675 lemurs representing 13 species from 96 collections worldwide. Data on species-typical wild ecology for comparative analyses came from published literature and climate databases. We uncovered one potential ecological risk factor: species adapted to greater wild food resource unpredictability tended to be more prone to weight gain. Our epidemiological analyses on the four best-sampled species revealed four demographic and one environmental risk factors, e.g., for males, being housed with only fixed climbing structures. We make practical recommendations to help address weight concerns, and describe future research including ways to validate the proxy we used to infer body condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Mellor
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK;
- Correspondence:
| | - Innes C. Cuthill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK;
| | | | - Georgia J. Mason
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada;
| | - Michael Mendl
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK;
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