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Malabet FM, Ramsay M, Chell C, Andriatsitohaina B, Radespiel U, Lehman S. Where the small things are: Modelling edge effects on mouse lemur population density and distribution in northwestern Madagascar. Am J Primatol 2024:e23621. [PMID: 38528343 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Edge effects result from the penetration to varying depths and intensities, of abiotic and biotic conditions from the surrounding non-forest matrix into the forest interior. Although 70% of the world's forests are within 1 km of a forest edge, making edge effects a dominant feature of most forest habitats, there are few empirical data on inter-site differences in edge responses in primates. We used spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models to determine spatial patterns of density for two species of mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus and Microcebus ravelobensis) in two forest landscapes in northwestern Madagascar. The goal of our study was to determine if mouse lemurs displayed spatially variable responses to edge effects. We trapped animals using Sherman live traps in the Mariarano Classified Forest (MCF) and in the Ambanjabe Forest Fragment Site (AFFS) site within Ankarafantsika National Park. We trapped 126 M. murinus and 79 M. ravelobensis at MCF and 78 M. murinus and 308 M. ravelobensis at AFFS. For M. murinus, our top model predicted a positive edge response, where density increased towards edge habitats. In M. ravelobensis, our top model predicted a negative edge response, where density was lower near the forest edges and increased towards the forest interior. At regional and landscape-specific scales, SECR models estimated different density patterns between M. murinus and M. ravelobensis as a result of variation in edge distance. The spatial variability of our results using SECR models indicate the importance of studying the population ecology of primates at varying scales that are appropriate to the processes of interest. Our results lend further support to the theory that some lemurs exhibit a form of ecological flexibility in their responses to forest loss, forest fragmentation, and associated edge effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malcolm Ramsay
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Coral Chell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bertrand Andriatsitohaina
- Planet Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Faculté des Sciences, de Technologies et de l'Environnement, Université de Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Shawn Lehman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Le Tallec T, Hozer C, Perret M, Théry M. Light pollution and habitat fragmentation in the grey mouse lemur. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1662. [PMID: 38238414 PMCID: PMC10796386 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51853-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Light pollution, by changing organisms' behavior, affects locomotion, migration and can ultimately fragment the habitat. To investigate the effects of light pollution on habitat fragmentation, we conducted an experimental study on a nocturnal and photosensitive primate, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Twelve males were housed individually in an apparatus with two cages connected by two corridors, opaque and transparent. During 4 nights, the transparent corridor was illuminated by specific light intensities: 0 lx, 0.3 lx, 20 lx and 51.5 lx corresponding respectively to total darkness, full moon, minimal intensity recommended by the European standard EN-13201 on public lighting, and to light pollution recorded in an urban area. Each night, general activity, use of corridors and cage occupancy were recorded using an infrared camera. For the first time in a nocturnal primate, results demonstrate that light pollution changes the preference of use of corridors, modifies the locomotor pattern and limits the ability of animals to efficiently exploit their environment according to a light intensity-dependent relationship. However, results indicate that a dark corridor allows partial compensation partly preserving general activities. This study highlights the necessity to consider light pollution during the implementation of conservation plans and the relevance of nocturnal frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Le Tallec
- UMR 7179 MECADEV, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1 avenue du petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France.
| | - Clara Hozer
- UMR 7179 MECADEV, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1 avenue du petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France
| | - Martine Perret
- UMR 7179 MECADEV, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1 avenue du petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France
| | - Marc Théry
- UMR 7179 MECADEV, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 1 avenue du petit Château, 91800, Brunoy, France
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3
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Rakotondravony R, Schüßler D, Rovanirina VST, Ratsimbazafy J, Radespiel U. Variation in abundance and habitat use of the critically endangered Microcebus gerpi across its fragmented range. Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23553. [PMID: 37750250 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
A link between the abundance of species and their degree of ecological specialization has previously been suggested within the primate order. Many species of lemurs were only recently described and even basic ecological data are not yet available for them. We investigated the habitat use, abundance, and habitat characteristics of the critically endangered Microcebus gerpi and evaluated potential impacts of vegetation structure and human disturbances on variations in its abundance. We determined abundance by systematic nocturnal surveys along 13 transects that were also used for characterizing the vegetation structure in seven study sites that were widely distributed within its range. Although M. gerpi occurred in all studied lowland rainforest and littoral forest fragments in central eastern Madagascar and therefore has a higher ecological plasticity and wider distribution than previously thought, its actual Area of Occupancy is very small (339.78 km2 ) due to an extreme degree of habitat fragmentation throughout its range. M. gerpi occurred with a mean encounter rate of 3.04 individuals/km but abundance varied substantially between sites (0.75-4.5 individuals/km). Statistical modeling revealed that the cover of small- to medium-sized trees had a positive impact on the abundance of M. gerpi, whereas a composite disturbance score (CDS), formed on the basis of information on the prominence of fires, cattle, charcoal production and wood extraction inside and around the forest, had a negative impact on abundance. These results suggest that M. gerpi is slightly less threatened than expected because of its larger geographic range, but also that it responds negatively to human disturbances. These findings raise strong conservation concerns and question the long-term viability of the remaining small and isolated populations of this arboreal solitary forager.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romule Rakotondravony
- Faculté des Sciences, de Technologies et de l'Environnement, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Ecole Doctorale Ecosystèmes Naturels (EDEN), University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Dominik Schüßler
- Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Valisoa S T Rovanirina
- Faculté des Sciences, de Technologies et de l'Environnement, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Jonah Ratsimbazafy
- Groupe d'étude et de recherche sur les primates de Madagascar (GERP), Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Hannover, Germany
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4
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Kessler SE, Tsangaras K, Rasoloharijaona S, Radespiel U, Greenwood AD. Long-term host-pathogen evolution of endogenous beta- and gammaretroviruses in mouse lemurs with little evidence of recent retroviral introgression. Virus Evol 2022; 9:veac117. [PMID: 36632481 PMCID: PMC9825726 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veac117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Madagascar's flora and fauna have evolved in relative isolation since the island split from the African and Indian continents. When the last common ancestors of lemurs left Africa between 40 and 70 million years ago, they carried a subset of the viral diversity of the mainland population within them, which continued to evolve throughout the lemur radiation. Relative to other primate radiations, we know very little about the past or present viral diversity of lemurs, particularly mouse lemurs. Using high-throughput sequencing, we identified two gammaretroviruses and three betaretroviruses in the genomes of four species of wild mouse lemurs. The two gammaretroviruses and two betaretroviruses have not previously been described. One betaretrovirus was previously identified. All identified viruses are present in both Lorisiformes and Lemuriformes but absent from haplorrhine primates. The estimated ages of these viruses are consistent with the estimated divergence dates of the host lineages, suggesting they colonized the lemur genome after the Haplorrhine-Strepsirrhine split, but before the Lorisiformes-Lemuriformes split and before the colonization of Madagascar. The viral phylogenies connect multiple lineages of retroviruses from non-lemur and non-Madagascar-native species, suggesting substantial cross-species transmission occurred deep in the primate clade prior to its geographic dispersal. These phylogenies provide novel insights into known retroviral clades. They suggest that the origin of gammaretroviruses in rodents or bats may be premature and that the Jaagsiekte sheep virus clade may be older and more broadly distributed among mammals than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyriakos Tsangaras
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, Berlin 10315, Germany,Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, 46 Makedonitissas Avenue, CY-2417, P.O. Box 24005, Nicosia, CY-1700, Cyprus
| | - Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, University of Mahajanga, 5 Georges V Street - Building KAKAL Mahajanga Be - Po. Box 652 , Mahajanga 401, Madagascar
| | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Buenteweg 17, Hannover 30559, Germany
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Semel BP, Karpanty SM, Semel MA, Stauffer DF, Quéméré E, Walters JR, Andrianiaina AF, Rakotonanahary AN, Ranaivoson T, Rasolonirina DV, Vololonirina FF. Highly Variable Densities and a Decline in Critically Endangered Golden-Crowned Sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) Abundance from 2008–2018. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00314-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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6
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Shifting Biogeographic Patterns of Microcebus ravelobensis and M. murinus. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00304-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Semel MA, Abernathy HN, Semel BP, Cherry MJ, Ratovoson TJC, Moore IT. Environmental and anthropogenic influences on movement and foraging in a critically endangered lemur species, Propithecus tattersalli: implications for habitat conservation planning. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:20. [PMID: 35428372 PMCID: PMC9013159 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00320-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wildlife conservation often focuses on establishing protected areas. However, these conservation zones are frequently established without adequate knowledge of the movement patterns of the species they are designed to protect. Understanding movement and foraging patterns of species in dynamic and diverse habitats can allow managers to develop more effective conservation plans. Threatened lemurs in Madagascar are an example where management plans and protected areas are typically created to encompass large, extant forests rather than consider the overall resource needs of the target species. METHODS To gain an understanding of golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) movement patterns, including space use and habitat selection across their range of inhabited forest types, we combined behavior data with Dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models and Resource Selection Functions. We also examined the influence of abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors on home range size, movement rates, and foraging patterns. RESULTS We found that home range size and movement rates differed between seasons, with increased core area size and movement in the rainy season. Forest type also played a role in foraging behavior with sifaka groups in the humid forest avoiding roads in both seasons, groups in the dry deciduous forest avoiding road networks in the rainy season, and groups in the moderate evergreen forest displaying no selection or avoidance of road networks while foraging. CONCLUSION Our study illustrates the importance of studying primate groups across seasons and forest types, as developing conservation plans from a single snapshot can give an inaccurate assessment of their natural behavior and resources needs of the species. More specifically, by understanding how forest type influences golden-crowned sifaka movement and foraging behavior, conservation management plans can be made to the individual forest types inhabited (dry deciduous, moderate evergreen, humid, littoral, etc.), rather than the region as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith A Semel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| | - Heather N Abernathy
- Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Brandon P Semel
- Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Michael J Cherry
- Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, 78363, USA
| | - Tsioriniaina J C Ratovoson
- Département Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d'Antananarivo, 566 Analamanga, 101, Antananarivo, BP, Madagascar
| | - Ignacio T Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
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Simmen B, Harpet C, Hladik A, Edmond R, Pioch C, Combo AS, Andriaholinirina N, Ranarijaona HLT, Randriamanana LME, Chambon M, Li T, Rasoamanantenaniaina C, Randriarisoa AM, Razanajatovo H, Manzi OJL, Hladik CM, Riera B. Forest Fragments, Lemur Communities and Local Perception of Nature in a Protected Area of Northwestern Madagascar. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.772808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological conservation projects conducted in inhabited areas are often based on the combination of ecological diagnostics and study of practices and use of the environment by local communities. They less frequently integrate the influence of the perception and representation of nature on these practices, while these should also be taken into account in the initiation of sustainable conservation actions. We carried out a long-term study combining biological and social science approaches in North-western Madagascar in the Antrema protected area (with dry forest/savannah/coastal ecosystems), including an analysis of the use and perception of nature by its inhabitants. Together with the study of tree diversity, forest structure and biomass in 7 forest fragments, we estimated population densities of whole communities of diurnal and nocturnal lemurs, one of which is considered sacred. We interviewed local resource users from several villages using classical methods of social anthropology supplemented with perception tests derived from sensory evaluation methods. The structure of forest fragments as well as their basal area and richness in tree species varied with human pressure on specific plants (timber extraction) or with historical changes in pasture management (forest regrowth). Lemurs were generally abundant, with a high total biomass compared to other dry forests. Although the inhabitants of Antrema (Sakalava, Tsimihety, and Betsileo) still strongly adhered to local use rights and shared deeply rooted knowledge about the forest, the use and perception of nature (e.g., regarding the sacred lemur Propithecus coronatus) have changed since the Antrema protection project in 2000. The results suggest that local communities tend to integrate traditional rules about nature with international environmental regulation, perhaps a sign of a new ecological awareness. However, in the new management mode accompanying this transition, it can also be a means of local empowerment that takes advantage of a program supporting pro-environmental management of the Antrema area.
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9
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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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11
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Martin LD, Rowe AK, Nomenjanahary ES, Ridgway ZM, Wright PC, Deppe AM. A population survey of sympatric cheirogaleids in southwestern Madagascar. Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke D. Martin
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology College of Arts and Social Sciences The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Amanda K. Rowe
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences Stony Brook University Stony Brook New York USA
| | - Eva S. Nomenjanahary
- Department of Biological Anthropology University of Antananarivo Antananarivo Madagascar
| | | | - Patricia C. Wright
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences Stony Brook University Stony Brook New York USA
- Department of Anthropology Stony Brook University Stony Brook New York USA
- Centre ValBio Ranomafana Madagascar
| | - Anja M. Deppe
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology College of Arts and Social Sciences The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Centre ValBio Ranomafana Madagascar
- School of Biosciences The University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
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12
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Andriambeloson JB, Blanco MB, Andriantsalohimisantatra A, Rivoharison TV, Walker N, Birkinshaw C, Yoder AD. Living in tiny fragments: a glimpse at the ecology of Goodman's mouse lemurs (Microcebus lehilahytsara) in the relic forest of Ankafobe, Central Highlands, Madagascar. Primates 2021; 62:887-896. [PMID: 34541622 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00947-1] [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: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is one of the major types of anthropogenic change, though fragmented landscapes predate human intervention. At present, the Central Highlands of Madagascar are covered by extensive grasslands interspersed with small discrete forest patches of unknown antiquity. Ankafobe, an actively protected site, comprises two such fragments of 12 and 30 ha, respectively, known to harbor three lemur species and other endemic wildlife. At this location, we conducted a survey of resident Goodman's mouse lemurs, Microcebus lehilahytsara, to determine baseline behavioral and ecological conditions for this isolated population. By studying primates in forest fragments, investigators can characterize the effects of shrinking habitats and decreasing connectivity on species diversity and survival, thus providing a glimpse into the potential resilience of species in the face of anthropogenic disturbance. Investigating the behavioral ecology of Goodman's mouse lemurs across their geographic range could help us understand their metabolic and ecological flexibility and predict species long-term survival prospects. We conducted night transect walks, using capture techniques and telemetry, to track eight radio-collared individuals. Preliminary density estimates based on a limited number of sightings (n = 18) were 2.19 ind/ha, and home range assessments ranged between 0.22 and 3.67 ha. Mouse lemurs traveled an average of 425 m nightly during the 5-h tracking periods and primarily fed on fruits of the mistletoe Bakerella clavata. The finding that Goodman's mouse lemurs apparently thrive in the seasonally cold and arid forest fragments in the Central Highlands indicates that they may be among the most tolerant and adaptable lemur species in Madagascar. These results point towards an exciting research program that focuses on ecological tolerance as a mechanism for long-term species survival.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina B Blanco
- Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | | | - Tahiry V Rivoharison
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Research and Conservation Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Chris Birkinshaw
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Madagascar Research and Conservation Program, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Anne D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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13
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Campbell CR, Tiley GP, Poelstra JW, Hunnicutt KE, Larsen PA, Lee HJ, Thorne JL, Dos Reis M, Yoder AD. Pedigree-based and phylogenetic methods support surprising patterns of mutation rate and spectrum in the gray mouse lemur. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:233-244. [PMID: 34272504 PMCID: PMC8322134 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations are the raw material on which evolution acts, and knowledge of their frequency and genomic distribution is crucial for understanding how evolution operates at both long and short timescales. At present, the rate and spectrum of de novo mutations have been directly characterized in relatively few lineages. Our study provides the first direct mutation-rate estimate for a strepsirrhine (i.e., the lemurs and lorises), which comprises nearly half of the primate clade. Using high-coverage linked-read sequencing for a focal quartet of gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), we estimated the mutation rate to be among the highest calculated for a mammal at 1.52 × 10-8 (95% credible interval: 1.28 × 10-8-1.78 × 10-8) mutations/site/generation. Further, we found an unexpectedly low count of paternal mutations, and only a modest overrepresentation of mutations at CpG sites. Despite the surprising nature of these results, we found both the rate and spectrum to be robust to the manipulation of a wide range of computational filtering criteria. We also sequenced a technical replicate to estimate a false-negative and false-positive rate for our data and show that any point estimate of a de novo mutation rate should be considered with a large degree of uncertainty. For validation, we conducted an independent analysis of context-dependent substitution types for gray mouse lemur and five additional primate species for which de novo mutation rates have also been estimated. These comparisons revealed general consistency of the mutation spectrum between the pedigree-based and the substitution-rate analyses for all species compared.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ryan Campbell
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Kelsie E Hunnicutt
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Peter A Larsen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Hui-Jie Lee
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Thorne
- Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Mario Dos Reis
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Anne D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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Hending D. Environmental drivers of Cheirogaleidae population density: Remarkable resilience of Madagascar's smallest lemurs to habitat degradation. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5874-5891. [PMID: 34141190 PMCID: PMC8207435 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM Global animal populations are in decline due to destruction and degradation of their natural habitat. Understanding the factors that determine the distribution and density of threatened animal populations is therefore now a crucial component of their study and conservation. The Cheirogaleidae are a diverse family of small-bodied, nocturnal lemurs that are widespread throughout the forests of Madagascar. However, many cheirogaleid lemurs are now highly threatened with extinction and the environmental factors that determine their distribution and population density are still little known. Here, I investigated the environmental drivers of Cheirogaleidae population density at genus level. LOCATION Various forest sites across Madagascar. METHODS I investigated how six environmental variables affect Cheirogaleidae population density at the genus level via random-effect meta-analyses. I then used a generalized linear mixed-effects model to identify the primary predictors of Cheirogaleidae population density. Finally, I investigated how the population density of this family of lemurs varies between protected and unprotected areas of Madagascar via a GLM analysis. RESULTS My results indicate that the relationships between the tested environmental factors and population density are genus-specific among the Cheirogaleidae. Rather remarkably, the density of Microcebus appears to have a profoundly positive relationship with anthropogenic disturbance and a negative relationship with forest cover, a finding that is also reflected by larger population densities within unprotected areas in comparison with localities within Madagascar's protected area network. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are highly encouraging for the conservation of the Cheirogaleidae and highlight the remarkable resilience of these lemurs to habitat degradation and anthropogenic activity. However, this study also outlines the dearth of knowledge that we have for many species, and why these data are urgently needed to understand the biogeography and ecology of threatened animal populations and implement successful conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hending
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of BristolBristolUK
- Bristol Zoological SocietyClifton, BristolUK
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Hending D, Sgarlata GM, Le Pors B, Rasolondraibe E, Jan F, Rakotonanahary AN, Ralantoharijaona TN, Debulois S, Andrianiaina A, Cotton S, Rasoloharijaona S, Zaonarivelo JR, Andriaholinirina NV, Chikhi L, Salmona J. Distribution and conservation status of the endangered Montagne d’Ambre fork-marked lemur (Phaner electromontis). J Mammal 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The geographic distribution of a species can provide insights into its population size, ecology, evolution, and how it responded to past (and may respond to future) environmental change. Improving our knowledge of the distribution of threatened species thus is a high priority in assessing their conservation status. However, there are few data available for many recently described yet understudied and potentially threatened primate taxa, making their conservation difficult. Here, we investigated the distribution of the Montagne d’Ambre fork-marked lemur, Phaner electromontis, a threatened nocturnal primate endemic to northern Madagascar and classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Because fork-marked lemurs are highly vocal, we used acoustic surveys to assess the species’ presence-absence and relative population density within 66 distinct forest survey sites in northern Madagascar. Further, we compared data among five forest types within the study area and investigated the relationship between relative population density and climate variables. We report the presence of P. electromontis in 22 study sites; several of these populations were unknown previously. Although we found P. electromontis most frequently in dry-transitional forests, our results suggest that geography (spatial autocorrelation) rather than environmental variables explains the species’ distribution. We hypothesize that environmental unpredictability and gummivory, combined with the presence of several distinct Phaner species in the studied area, could explain the observed distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hending
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Fabien Jan
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciênca, Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | | | - Stéphane Debulois
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse, France
| | - Angelo Andrianiaina
- Mention: Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - Sam Cotton
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - John R Zaonarivelo
- Département des Sciences de la Nature et de l’Environnement, Université d’Antsiranana, Antsiranana, Madagascar
| | | | - Lounès Chikhi
- CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD; UMR5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique), Toulouse, France
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Rina Evasoa M, Zimmermann E, Hasiniaina AF, Rasoloharijaona S, Randrianambinina B, Radespiel U. Sources of variation in social tolerance in mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.). BMC Ecol 2019; 19:20. [PMID: 31101046 PMCID: PMC6525410 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-019-0236-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social tolerance strongly influences the patterns of affiliation and aggression in animal societies. However, not much is known about the variation of social tolerance in species living in dispersed social systems that combine solitary foraging activities with the need of coordinating social interactions with conspecifics on a regular basis. This study aims to investigate the sources of variation in social tolerance within a Malagasy primate radiation with dispersed social systems, the mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.). Six mouse lemur species were selected as model species that belong to three different taxonomic clades, live in two types of forest environments (dry and humid), and differed in this study with respect to their reproductive activity. Six male-female and six male-male dyads of each species were tested temporarily in a standardized social encounter paradigm in Madagascar to collect data on joint use of space, non-agonistic body contacts, aggression rates, the number of conflicts and the establishment of intra- and intersexual dominance. RESULTS Male-female dyads of the six species differed significantly in the frequency of affiliative and agonistic behaviors. In contrast, the variations between male-male dyads could not be explained by one parameter only, but clade membership, forest type, reproductive state as well as species were all suggested to be partially influential. Only one species (Microcebus mamiratra) showed signals of unambiguous female dominance in all male-female dyads, whereas the others had no or only a few dyads with female dominance. CONCLUSIONS Variations in social tolerance and its consequences are most likely influenced by two factors, ecology (via forest type) and physiology (via reproductive activity), and only to a lesser extent by clade membership. The study suggests that mouse lemur females have higher aggression rates and more agonistic conflicts with males when females in the population are reproducing, at least in resource-rich humid forests. The study confirms a high degree of social plasticity between species in these small solitary foragers that supports their taxonomic distinctiveness and requires further scientific attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamy Rina Evasoa
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Miller A, Mills H, Ralantoharijaona T, Volasoa NA, Misandeau C, Chikhi L, Bencini R, Salmona J. Forest Type Influences Population Densities of Nocturnal Lemurs in Manompana, Northeastern Madagascar. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0055-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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Zablocki Thomas PB, Karanewsky CJ, Pendleton JL, Aujard F, Pouydebat E, Herrel A. Drivers of in vivo
bite performance in wild brown mouse lemurs and a comparison with the grey mouse lemur. J Zool (1987) 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. B. Zablocki Thomas
- Département d'Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N.; Paris France
| | - C. J. Karanewsky
- Department of Biochemistry; Stanford University; Stanford CA USA
| | - J. L. Pendleton
- Department of Biochemistry; Stanford University; Stanford CA USA
| | - F. Aujard
- Département d'Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N.; Paris France
| | - E. Pouydebat
- Département d'Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N.; Paris France
| | - A. Herrel
- Département d'Ecologie et de Gestion de la Biodiversité; UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N.; Paris France
- Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates; Ghent University; Ghent Belgium
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Hending D, Andrianiaina A, Rakotomalala Z, Cotton S. The Use of Vanilla Plantations by Lemurs: Encouraging Findings for both Lemur Conservation and Sustainable Agroforestry in the Sava Region, Northeast Madagascar. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0022-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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