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Estrada GR, Marshall AJ. Terrestriality across the primate order: A review and analysis of ground use in primates. Evol Anthropol 2024:e22032. [PMID: 38736241 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Terrestriality is relatively rare in the predominantly arboreal primate order. How frequently, and when, terrestriality appears in primate evolution, and the factors that influence this behavior, are not well understood. To investigate this, we compiled data describing terrestriality in 515 extant nonhuman primate taxa. We describe the geographic and phylogenetic distribution of terrestriality, including an ancestral state reconstruction estimating the frequency and timing of evolutionary transitions to terrestriality. We review hypotheses concerning the evolution of primate terrestriality and test these using data we collected pertaining to characteristics including body mass and diet, and ecological factors including forest structure, food availability, weather, and predation pressure. Using Bayesian analyses, we find body mass and normalized difference vegetation index are the most reliable predictors of terrestriality. When considering subsets of taxa, we find ecological factors such as forest height and rainfall, and not body mass, are the most reliable predictors of terrestriality for platyrrhines and lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene R Estrada
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew J Marshall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Program in the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Mihaminekena TH, Rakotonanahary AN, Frasier CL, Randriahaingo HNT, Sefczek TM, Tinsman J, Randrianarimanana HL, Ravaloharimanitra M, Rakotoarinivo TH, Ratsimbazafy J, King T, Louis EE. Dietary flexibility of the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus), a specialized feeder, in eastern Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23609. [PMID: 38409820 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
The degree of dietary flexibility in primates is species specific; some incorporate a wider array of resources than others. Extreme interannual weather variability in Madagascar results in seasonal resource scarcity which has been linked to specialized behaviors in lemurs. Prolemur simus, for example, has been considered an obligate specialist on large culm bamboo with >60% of its diet composed of woody bamboos requiring morphological and physiological adaptations to process. Recent studies reported an ever-expanding list of dietary items, suggesting that this species may not be an obligate specialist. However, long-term quantitative feeding data are unavailable across this species' range. To explore the dietary flexibility of P. simus, we collected data at two northern sites, Ambalafary and Sahavola, and one southern site, Vatovavy, from September 2010 to January 2016 and May 2017 to September 2018, respectively. In total, we recorded 4022 h of behavioral data using instantaneous sampling of adult males and females from one group in Ambalafary, and two groups each in Sahavola and Vatovavy. We recorded 45 plant species eaten by P. simus over 7 years. We also observed significant differences in seasonal dietary composition between study sites. In Ambalafary, bamboo was the most frequently observed resource consumed (92.2%); however, non-bamboo resources comprised nearly one-third of the diet of P. simus in Sahavola and over 60% in Vatovavy. Consumption of all bamboo resources increased during the dry season at Ambalafary and during the wet season at Vatovavy, but never exceeded non-bamboo feeding at the latter. Culm pith feeding was only observed at Ambalafary, where it was more common during the dry season. We identify P. simus as a bamboo facultative specialist capable of adjusting its feeding behavior to its environment, indicating greater dietary flexibility than previously documented, which may enable the species to survive in increasingly degraded habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Hasimija Mihaminekena
- The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Zoologie et Anthropologie Biologique, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Ando N Rakotonanahary
- Mention Science de la Vie et de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de Technologie et de l'Environnement (FSTE), Université de Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership NGO (MBP), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Cynthia L Frasier
- Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | | | - Timothy M Sefczek
- Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- School of Global Integrative Studies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jen Tinsman
- Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jonah Ratsimbazafy
- Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Tony King
- The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- The Aspinall Foundation, Port Lympne Reserve, Kent, UK
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Kent, UK
| | - Edward E Louis
- Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership NGO (MBP), Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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3
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Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121105119. [PMID: 36215474 PMCID: PMC9586308 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121105119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use.
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Elliott T, Truong C, Jackson S, Zúñiga C, Trappe J, Vernes K. Mammalian Mycophagy: a Global Review of Ecosystem Interactions Between Mammals and Fungi. Fungal Syst Evol 2022; 9:99-159. [PMID: 36072820 PMCID: PMC9402283 DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2022.09.07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The consumption of fungi by animals is a significant trophic interaction in most terrestrial ecosystems, yet the role mammals play in these associations has been incompletely studied. In this review, we compile 1 154 references published over the last 146 years and provide the first
comprehensive global review of mammal species known to eat fungi (508 species in 15 orders). We review experimental studies that found viable fungal inoculum in the scats of at least 40 mammal species, including spores from at least 58 mycorrhizal fungal species that remained viable after
ingestion by mammals. We provide a summary of mammal behaviours relating to the consumption of fungi, the nutritional importance of fungi for mammals, and the role of mammals in fungal spore dispersal. We also provide evidence to suggest that the morphological evolution of sequestrate fungal
sporocarps (fruiting bodies) has likely been driven in part by the dispersal advantages provided by mammals. Finally, we demonstrate how these interconnected associations are widespread globally and have far-reaching ecological implications for mammals, fungi and associated plants in most
terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- T.F. Elliott
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
| | - C. Truong
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Birdwood Ave, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - S.M. Jackson
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William St., Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - C.L. Zúñiga
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tercer Circuito s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - J.M. Trappe
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
| | - K. Vernes
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
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Watkins B, de Guinea M, Poindexter SA, Ganzhorn JU, Donati G, Eppley TM. Routes matter: the effect of seasonality on bamboo lemur navigational strategies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Guevara EE, Greene LK, Blanco MB, Farmer C, Ranaivonasy J, Ratsirarson J, Mahefarisoa KL, Rajaonarivelo T, Rakotondrainibe HH, Junge RE, Williams CV, Rambeloson E, Rasoanaivo HA, Rahalinarivo V, Andrianandrianina LH, Clayton JB, Rothman RS, Lawler RR, Bradley BJ, Yoder AD. Molecular Adaptation to Folivory and the Conservation Implications for Madagascar’s Lemurs. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.736741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The lemurs of Madagascar include numerous species characterized by folivory across several families. Many extant lemuriform folivores exist in sympatry in Madagascar’s remaining forests. These species avoid feeding competition by adopting different dietary strategies within folivory, reflected in behavioral, morphological, and microbiota diversity across species. These conditions make lemurs an ideal study system for understanding adaptation to leaf-eating. Most folivorous lemurs are also highly endangered. The significance of folivory for conservation outlook is complex. Though generalist folivores may be relatively well equipped to survive habitat disturbance, specialist folivores occupying narrow dietary niches may be less resilient. Characterizing the genetic bases of adaptation to folivory across species and lineages can provide insights into their differential physiology and potential to resist habitat change. We recently reported accelerated genetic change in RNASE1, a gene encoding an enzyme (RNase 1) involved in molecular adaptation in mammalian folivores, including various monkeys and sifakas (genus Propithecus; family Indriidae). Here, we sought to assess whether other lemurs, including phylogenetically and ecologically diverse folivores, might show parallel adaptive change in RNASE1 that could underlie a capacity for efficient folivory. We characterized RNASE1 in 21 lemur species representing all five families and members of the three extant folivorous lineages: (1) bamboo lemurs (family Lemuridae), (2) sportive lemurs (family Lepilemuridae), and (3) indriids (family Indriidae). We found pervasive sequence change in RNASE1 across all indriids, a dN/dS value > 3 in this clade, and evidence for shared change in isoelectric point, indicating altered enzymatic function. Sportive and bamboo lemurs, in contrast, showed more modest sequence change. The greater change in indriids may reflect a shared strategy emphasizing complex gut morphology and microbiota to facilitate folivory. This case study illustrates how genetic analysis may reveal differences in functional traits that could influence species’ ecology and, in turn, their resilience to habitat change. Moreover, our results support the body of work demonstrating that not all primate folivores are built the same and reiterate the need to avoid generalizations about dietary guild in considering conservation outlook, particularly in lemurs where such diversity in folivory has probably led to extensive specialization via niche partitioning.
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Microhabitat Use in Angolan Colobus Monkeys (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) at Nabugabo, Uganda Demonstrates Intraspecific Variability. INT J PRIMATOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-020-00132-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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8
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Eppley TM, Santini L, Tinsman JC, Donati G. Do functional traits offset the effects of fragmentation? The case of large-bodied diurnal lemur species. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23104. [PMID: 32011761 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Primates worldwide are faced with increasing threats making them more vulnerable to extinction. Anthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat degradation and fragmentation, are among the main concerns, and in Madagascar, these issues have become widespread. As this situation continues to worsen, we sought to understand how fragmentation affects primate distribution throughout the island. Further, because species may exhibit different sensitivity to fragmentation, we also aimed to estimate the role of functional traits in mitigating their response. We collated data from 32 large-bodied lemur species ranges, consisting of species from the families Lemuridae (five genera) and Indriidae (two genera). We fitted Generalized Linear Models to determine the role of habitat fragmentation characteristics, for example, forest cover, patch size, edge density, and landscape configuration, as well as the protected area (PA) network, on the species relative probability of presence. We then assessed how the influence of functional traits (dietary guild, home range size) mitigate the response of species to these habitat metrics. Habitat area had a strong positive effect for many species, and there were significantly negative effects of fragmentation on the distribution of many lemur species. In addition, there was a positive influence of PAs on many lemur species' distribution. Functional trait classifications showed that lemurs of all dietary guilds are negatively affected by fragmentation; however, folivore-frugivores show greater flexibility/variability in terms of habitat area and landscape complexity compared to nearly exclusive folivores and frugivores. Furthermore, species of all home range sizes showed a negative response to fragmentation, while habitat area had an increasingly positive effect as home range increased in size. Overall, the general trends for the majority of lemur species are dire and point to the need for immediate actions on a multitude of fronts, most importantly landscape-level reforestation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M Eppley
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, California.,Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Luca Santini
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Montelibretti, Italy.,Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jen C Tinsman
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Giuseppe Donati
- Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Gould L, Cowen LLE. Lemur catta in small forest fragments: Which variables best predict population viability? Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23095. [PMID: 32003047 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is an increasingly serious issue affecting primates in most regions where they are found today. Populations of Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemur) in Madagascar's south-central region are increasingly restricted to small, isolated forest fragments, surrounded by grasslands or small-scale agriculture. Our aim was to evaluate the potential for population viability of L. catta in nine forest fragments of varying sizes (2-46 ha, population range: 6-210 animals) in south-central Madagascar, using a set of comparative, quantitative ecological measures. We used Poisson regression models with a log link function to examine the effects of fragment size, within-fragment food availability, and abundance of matrix resources (food and water sources) on L. catta population sizes and juvenile recruitment. We found a strong association between overall population size and (a) fragment size and (b) abundance of key food resources Melia azedarach and Ficus spp. (per 100 m along transect lines). Juvenile recruitment was also associated with fragment size and abundance of the two above-mentioned food resources. When the largest population, an outlier, was removed from the analysis, again, the model containing fragment size and abundance of M. azedarach and Ficus spp. was the best fitting, but the model that best predicted juvenile recruitment contained only fragment size. While our results are useful for predicting population presence and possible persistence in these fragments, both the potential for male dispersal and the extent of human disturbance within most fragments play crucial roles regarding the likelihood of long-term L. catta survival. While seven of the nine fragments were reasonably protected from human disturbance, only three offered the strong potential for male dispersal, thus the long-term viability of many of these populations is highly uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Gould
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Laura L E Cowen
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Kling KJ, Yaeger K, Wright PC. Trends in forest fragment research in Madagascar: Documented responses by lemurs and other taxa. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23092. [PMID: 31960516 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The rise in research investigating fragmentation and its impact on primates and other taxa reflects the growing presence of fragmented landscapes themselves. Although numerous studies report the negative effects of fragmentation on biodiversity, it is difficult to generalize responses to fragmentation for specific taxonomic groups, such as non-human primates, when studies have not employed a definitive concept of fragmentation or fragments themselves. Madagascar's high degree of fragmentation, wealth of endemic taxa, and extensive history of ecological research provide the opportunity to compare fragmentation studies across similar contexts. We conducted a literature search of peer-reviewed articles on fragmentation in Madagascar to characterize its trends. A total of 70 articles, 46 of which concentrated on lemurs, tested the impacts of fragmentation on Malagasy taxa, while additional sources conducted research in one or more fragments without testing its effects (n = 112 total, 79 on lemurs). Studies on lemurs most frequently tested fragmentation's impacts on genetics and biodiversity metrics (n = 16 and 15 studies, respectively), although health, modeling, behavioral, and cross-disciplinary techniques were also reported. Responses to fragmentation were reported for 49 lemur species, with most studies concentrated in eastern Madagascar (87%). Although there was variation in the metrics reported in studies testing the effects of fragmentation on Malagasy species, the most common measures were fragment area, isolation, or comparison to a control site. Landscape-scale approaches and examination of fragmentation per se were rarely employed. Characterizing trends of fragmentation research in Madagascar emphasizes the challenges of documenting fragmentation's effects while highlighting the benefits of research within fragmented landscapes, particularly when combined with consideration for how the matrix within human-modified landscapes may impact primate populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Kling
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Kimberley Yaeger
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Patricia C Wright
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.,Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
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Terrestrial Behavior in Titi Monkeys (Callicebus, Cheracebus, and Plecturocebus): Potential Correlates, Patterns, and Differences between Genera. INT J PRIMATOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-019-00105-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Mandl I, Holderied M, Schwitzer C. The Effects of Climate Seasonality on Behavior and Sleeping Site Choice in Sahamalaza Sportive Lemurs, Lepilemur sahamalaza. INT J PRIMATOL 2018; 39:1039-1067. [PMID: 30613116 PMCID: PMC6300582 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0059-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Temperature, rainfall, and resource availability may vary greatly within a single year in primate habitats. Many primate species show behavioral and physiological adaptations to this environmental seasonality, including changes to their diets and activity. Sahamalaza sportive lemurs (Lepilemur sahamalaza) inhabit the northwest of Madagascar and have been studied only during the dry, colder period of the year. We investigated potential effects of climate seasonality on this species by collecting behavioral data between October 2015 and August 2016, encompassing both the warmer wet and the colder dry seasons. We collected 773.15 hours of behavioral data on 14 individual sportive lemurs to investigate year-round activity budgets, ranging behavior, and sleeping site locations. Additionally we recorded temperature and rainfall data at our study site to describe the environmental conditions during the study period. The study individuals significantly decreased their time spent traveling and increased their time spent resting in the dry season compared to the wet season. Although home range size and path lengths did not differ over the study period, sleeping locations were significantly different between seasons as the lemurs focused on more confined areas in colder periods. Overall, the results indicate that Sahamalaza sportive lemur behavior varies with season, in line with reports for other primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Mandl
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Marc Holderied
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Christoph Schwitzer
- Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA UK
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Sargis EJ, Venkataraman VV, Bekele A, Hernandez-Aguilar RA, Rueness EK, Stenseth NC. Flexibility in positional behavior, strata use, and substrate utilization among Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in response to habitat fragmentation and degradation. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22760. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Addisu Mekonnen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; Fullerton California
| | - Eric J. Sargis
- Department of Anthropology; Yale University; New Haven Connecticut
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology; Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; New Haven Connecticut
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Eli K. Rueness
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Bekele A, Hernandez-Aguilar RA, Rueness EK, Stenseth NC. Dietary flexibility of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in southern Ethiopia: effects of habitat degradation and life in fragments. BMC Ecol 2018; 18:4. [PMID: 29409472 PMCID: PMC5801891 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0161-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the effects of habitat modification on the feeding strategies of threatened species is essential to designing effective conservation management plans. Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) are endemic to the rapidly shrinking montane forests of the southern Ethiopian Highlands. Most populations inhabit continuous bamboo forest subsisting largely on the young leaves and shoots of a single species of bamboo. Because of habitat disturbance in recent decades, however, there are now also several dozen small populations inhabiting isolated forest fragments where bamboo has been degraded. During 12-months, we assessed Bale monkey responses to habitat degradation by comparing habitat composition, phenological patterns, and feeding ecology in a largely undisturbed continuous forest (Continuous groups A and B) and in two fragments (Patchy and Hilltop groups). RESULTS We found that habitat quality and food availability were much lower in fragments than in continuous forest. In response to the relative scarcity of bamboo in fragments, Bale monkeys spent significantly less time feeding on the young leaves and shoots of bamboo and significantly more time feeding on non-bamboo young leaves, fruits, seeds, stems, petioles, and insects in fragments than in continuous forest. Groups in fragments also broadened their diets to incorporate many more plant species (Patchy: ≥ 47 and Hilltop: ≥ 35 species)-including several forbs, graminoids and cultivated crops-than groups in continuous forest (Continuous A: 12 and Continuous B: 8 species). Nevertheless, bamboo was still the top food species for Patchy group (30% of diet) as well as for both continuous forest groups (mean = 81%). However, in Hilltop group, for which bamboo was especially scarce, Bothriochloa radicans (Poaceae), a grass, was the top dietary species (15% of diet) and bamboo ranked 10th (2%). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that Bale monkeys are more dietarily flexible than previously thought and able to cope with some degradation of their primary bamboo forest habitat. However, crop raiding and other terrestrial foraging habits more common among fragment groups may place them at greater risk of hunting by humans. Thus, longitudinal monitoring is necessary to evaluate the long-term viability of Bale monkey populations in fragmented habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Addisu Mekonnen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box: 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834 USA
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box: 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Eli K. Rueness
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box: 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Eppley TM, Watzek J, Hall K, Donati G. Climatic, social and reproductive influences on behavioural thermoregulation in a female-dominated lemur. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Eppley TM, Tan CL, Arrigo-Nelson SJ, Donati G, Ballhorn DJ, Ganzhorn JU. High Energy or Protein Concentrations in Food as Possible Offsets for Cyanide Consumption by Specialized Bamboo Lemurs in Madagascar. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9987-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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17
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Eppley TM, Watzek J, Dausmann KH, Ganzhorn JU, Donati G. Huddling is more important than rest site selection for thermoregulation in southern bamboo lemurs. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Ecological Flexibility as Measured by the Use of Pioneer and Exotic Plants by Two Lemurids: Eulemur collaris and Hapalemur meridionalis. INT J PRIMATOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-016-9943-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Predator avoidance and dietary fibre predict diurnality in the cathemeral folivore Hapalemur meridionalis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2247-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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